Color mixing with paint and plastic wrap

I’m super obsessed with color mixing activities.

I love bright colors.

I love playing with colors.

I love the science of color.

And I love the delight my kids get when they mix colors together and discover new colors.

This color mixing activity uses paint and plastic wrap. It is low mess. It provides a unique sensory experience as kids squish the paint together. It is also full of discovery.

I hope your children will enjoy!

Note: For more activities focused on colors mixing, see my Teaching Colors to Kids page. 

For this activity, you will need the following supplies:

• Tray (we used these easy clean craft trays from Lakeshore Learning)
• Paper or cardstock
• Tape (I’m partial to painter’s tape)
• Washable tempera paints
• Plastic cling wrap

The first step is to place a piece of double sided tape on your paper.

Then flip the paper over and stick the tape to the tray. This will help keep the paper in place as your child mixes the colors.

Tape one end of the plastic cling wrap to the tray and measure out a piece that is long enough to cover the entire tray.

Fold back the plastic cling wrap so it is off to the side while your child squirts several colors of paint onto their paper.

Three colors is a good number to start with, it’s okay to experiment with more or less colors as well.

Once your child has added paint to the tray, pull the plastic cling wrap across the tray and use tape to hold it down on all sides of the tray.

Now the real fun begins! Invite your child to use their hands to squish and mix the paint colors together.

Let them feel the texture of the paint under their fingers.

The more your child squishes and mixes, the more the colors will change.

Talk about the colors you see.

Remark how the yellow and blue are making green.

Discuss where you see brown forming.

Ask your child what colors they like the most.

Once your child has had their fill of squishing and mixing the paint, you may choose to peel off the plastic wrap.

Are the colors pleasing to your child? Does your child want to keep the painting that results? (It’s okay if the answer to both of these questions is “no.”)

Experiment with different colors.

My son enjoyed mixing magenta, purple, and cyan together and then making a big “A” on his work.

And here my son used just red, yellow, and blue to create all the colors of the rainbow.

More resources for teaching colors

More color mixing posts from Gift of Curiosity:

• Color mixing with colored ice cubes
• Fun with color mixing
• Color mixing science with liquid watercolors
• Color theory for preschoolers
• Color mixing rainbow challenge
• No mess color mixing fun
• Make your own markers: A practical lesson in color mixing

For more activities that teach colors, see my Teaching Colors to Kids page and my Learning Colors Pinterest board.