How to Sponge Paint With Kids

Sponge painting is a fun, easy craft to do with kids. You can cut the sponges into a variety of shapes to stimulate and encourage your child’s creativity. Once you have the basic technique down, use the sponges to decorate a number of surfaces, from posters to bedroom walls.

1 Get a plain kitchen sponge. Kitchen sponges come with tiny holes and larger holes, so you can pick the one that you like. Make sure that the sponge does not have a scratchy pad on 1 side. It will be difficult to cut.^[1]
- Consider getting multiple sponges in different colors. This way, you can match the sponge to the paint color.
- Do not use sea sponges if you want to cut out specific shapes. They are too lumpy. They will make great clouds, however!
2 Clean the sponge, if needed, then allow it to dry. Store bought sponges are already clean, but used kitchen sponges are dirty. If you are reusing an old sponge, clean it with soap and hot water. Rinse the sponge until all of the soap bubbles are gone, then set it out to dry.
- The sponge must be completely dry, otherwise the marker will bleed.
3 Use a cookie cutter and a marker to trace a shape onto the sponge. Depending on the size of the cookie cutter, you may be able to fit 2 shapes onto 1 sponge. You can also draw the shapes by hand if you prefer.^[2]
- Simple shapes, like hearts and stars, work better than more complex shapes, like snowflakes.
- For complex shapes, like a flower, draw the flower, stem, and leaves separately.
- Consider other learning shapes, such as letters, numbers, circles, or squares.
4 Cut the sponge with scissors along the lines that you drew. Make short, little snips as you cut, otherwise the edges may come out jagged. You can discard the scraps, or you can save them to make geometric shapes!^[3]
- This step should be completed by an adult, even if the child helped you draw the shapes.
- If you drew separate shapes, like a flower, stem, and leaves, cut them out separately.