Keeping kids occupied is a full time job. I can fully understand if your child or children have been begging you to let them paint. However this whole idea fills you with dread. Oh the cleaning, washing of clothes and other messes that might occur! You like me have probably had a full day of kids dragging out toys, creating messes and getting into mischief, and after all this cannot be bothered.

What if this all could be avoided and you could end up with clean kids? I know you are saying, “How would this happen?” Trust me you will love this idea as it will keep the little ones busy, and having a blast while they are either in the shower or the bath. It might make having one easier to organise.

So before you mention that you are going to let them paint, this is what you need to organise:

• 1 cheap bottle of shaving foam (if you get the cheapest it means you can just not care, trust me you will end up using a bit)
• Food dye
• A silicone cupcake container I find works best
• Paint brushes, different sizes and the cheap ones work best

Method:

• I squirt a little shaving cream into each hole in the silicone cupcake container (make sure to shake the container so that you get a lot of foam)
• Then I mix in the colours for each area
• You can create all different colours so that it reflects a true painter’s palette
• I use the wrong end of a tea spoon to mix the food dye into the shaving cream, and wash it out after each colour I create

Once all done, I then say, “Yes you can paint, but only in the bath or the shower”, this is met with big screams of delight.   Once the kids are all finished painting, the shaving cream paint washes off and there is no mess, so a delight for mummy.

Give it a go, and see how it will make your little one want to get clean, everyone wins. 

Suzanne Robinson is an ex career girl (well still a career girl, but not in the office and getting paid). She has worked for the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), News Ltd.’s, CareerOne.com.au as a producer and lots more.

She is a mother to three year old identical twin girls, who keep her very busy. On top of looking after the girls, she is studying for a master’s degree in project management, blogging on her blog “Mummy to Twins”, attempting to keep the house clean and tidy, and trying to fit in some me time as well.