I would not want to do parenthood without painter’s tape. If you’re new here, that may sound strange. But if you’ve been following me, you know how much I love using painter’s tape to create simple activities for kids. It is one of the most versatile items you can keep in your junk drawer, art supplies bin, diaper bag, or even throw in your suitcase for easy ideas on the go! These 25 painters tape activities for kids are easy ideas for toddlers, preschoolers, and even big kids that offer outstanding opportunities for learning, creativity, and independent play.
RELATED: Painters tape is an arts and craft necessity. Check out our list of 20+ art supplies for kids must-haves!
What is painter’s tape?
Need a starting place? Here is what painter’s tape is and why we use it often with toddlers and preschoolers when setting up low-prep activities.
What is painter’s tape? (Click to Expand Answer)
Painter’s tape is an adhesive tape that is easy to remove and doesn’t leave behind a sticky residue. Before having kids, you probably had a roll of painter’s tape lying around for home improvement projects. But little did you know back then that this simple roll of tape had the power and magic to create endless learning opportunities for your future kids. Get ready. You are about to view the painter’s tape in a new way!
RELATED: Check out our simple supply list for kids activities at home that covers all the basics!
Our favorite painter’s tape!
Our go-to painter’s tape is the classic blue. It is a perfect size, bold color, and comes in at great value! However, there are many other options and colors when choosing painter’s tape. So pick out your favorite color or multi-color pack, like this colored masking tape set, to keep things fun and festive.
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Colorful Painter’s tape
One of our most popular sellers when shared on Amazon! This is an excellent collection of colorful painter’s tape.
Painter’s Tape
Prefer blue? We use this for many activities here at Days with Grey. Safe to say it is a lifeline.
RELATED: Painter’s tape can be used to make so many simple and creative breakfast invitations that inspire play first thing in the morning!
Why is painter’s tape so great for activities with kids?
Why is painter’s tape so great for activities with kids? (Click to Expand Answer)
Painter’s tape is fantastic for kids’ activities because it offers so much versatility and options for hands-on learning. You can set up simple painter’s tape activities for kids that include:
The ideas are endless for learning, growth, and development with painter’s tape. And most of all, painter’s tape activities for kids can help to spark creativity and increase independence and confidence in play.
RELATED: Looking for more ideas to keep your kids entertained inside? Don’t miss our rainy day activities for kids guide to help you get through the day with fun and learning.
25 painter’s tape activities for kids
Whether you seek activities that strengthen fine motor development, art ideas, or simple games, we’ve got you covered! Check out these easy, low-prep, and creative ways to use painter’s tape with your kids.
A Toddler Matching Game with Socks
Make a simple grid for your toddler to use for sorting mismatched socks. This is a major win-win for laundry day!
Counting Surprise for Preschool Math
Practice number recognition and counting using painter’s tape and counting bears to improve early number and math concepts.
This is a crowd favorite! Increase fine motor development by practicing scissor-cutting skills using a muffin tin and counting bears for a fun surprise element.
Mark out a simple tic tac toe board on the floor, table or butcher paper and use those Duplo blocks you keep tripping over as game pieces for a friendly game of tic tac toe.
Garage Ball Toss; a Rainy Day Activity for Kids
Simply make a giant “X” on an empty wall, preferably in your garage if you don’t want a ball being thrown as your living room wall. Let your kids throw a ball at the “X” to practice hand-eye coordination and strengthen gross motor skills.
Giant Alphabet Dot to Dot Maze
Tape down some painter’s tape to create a simple and easy-to-follow alphabet key for your child to use as they practice the alphabet while strengthening their pencil grip.
Create a giant graph on your kitchen table (or wherever) using painter’s tape to organize and sort all those spooky Halloween erasers! This can of course also be done using erasers from any season or festive time of year.
Hop the Lines; a Toddler Jumping Activity
Tape down some painter’s tape and allow your toddler to practice jumping over the tape to strengthen their gross motor skills and coordination. You can challenge them as they progress by adding more tape lines for farther distances.
Jingle Bell Drop: a STEM Christmas Activity
Get into the holiday spirit with a festive STEM activity by using painter’s tape, jingle bells, and other reusable items to create a jingle bell drop.
Kindergarten Creative Thinking Activity
Develop problem-solving and creative thinking skills with this fun balance activity using painter’s tape as a balancing bridge for counting bears.
Grab some painter’s tape, post-its, and counting bears to make a simple yet effective method for improving number recognition, counting, and sequencing.
Make a giant tabletop tic-tac-toe board using painter’s tape and some game pieces out of cardboard in the garage to practice strategy and life skills as your child understands this simple game of winning and losing.
Letter Park an Activity for Letter Recognition
Help your transportation-loving child practice their letter recognition with this simple road made out of tape. Let them follow the road and turns to find letters in the alphabet.
Develop early math concepts with this simple measuring activity using painter’s tape to map out various lengths for your child to line up and measure their magnetic tiles.
Poke the Alphabet: a Hands-on Alphabet Activity for Preschoolers
Strengthen little hands, practice fine motor pincer grip, and develop letter awareness as your preschooler grabs and transfers letters to a painter’s tape grid.
Preschool Color Sorting with Movement
Map out large painter’s tape roads that zig zag, curve, and straight shot to various color blocks for your preschooler to drive and sort their vehicles on.
Create a simple road maze for your preschooler to drive their cars around to find their way to the end of the maze! This low-prep activity is great for boosting problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.
Roll and Drop Counting Activity
Your kids will love to create and build this fun paper roll-and-drop STEM contraption using creative thinking skills while also practicing number awareness and counting.
Shape Dig: a Hands-On Shape Activity
Another version of one of our favorites! Use different shaped wooden blocks to help your preschooler practice their fine motor skills using painter’s tape as an organization tabletop grid.
Map out simple frames for your toddler to place and sort various blocks, toys, and items for a great introduction to number concepts and counting.
Sorting by Shapes – Preschool Math Activity
This is the easiest and best hack for dividing a space for sorting! Use painter’s tape to simply create designated areas for your preschooler to sort and organize their toys, balls, and blocks as they develop shape awareness and recognition.
Toddler Tape Roads; A Low-Prep Toddler Activity
One of the easiest, and most favorite, painter’s tape activities for kids of all time! Simply tape down a road for your toddler to drive their little cars and vehicles around.
Lay down 3 long lines of painter’s tape, each one representing a different type of vehicle. Give your toddler a basket of transportation toys for them to drive and sort down each path.
What can you make with 100 Legos?
Use painter’s tape to make a large grid for your kids to sort their legos by color. Once sorted, lego building options will seem endless! How many lego builds can your child build now that they are all organized?
Will It Stick? – A Preschool Thinking Activity
This is a fun STEM activity that builds on scientific thinking and observation as your child experiments with whatever random items you can grab to see what sticks to the painter’s tape.
The possibilities are endless with painter’s tape.
Learning and playing can and should be simple and fun. With painter’s tape it is easy to make this possible. So the next time you’re feeling stuck, pull out a roll of painter’s tape or throw one into your diaper bag to take on the go. Who knew you could invite and inspire so many ideas for open-ended and hands on play with a simple roll of tape?!
Painter’s tape is an adhesive tape that doesn’t leave behind a sticky mess or residue. It serves as a multipurpose tape for home improvement projects, hanging items on a wall, and of course activities for kids!
Painter’s tape can be used in so many different ways to inspire play, sorting and creativity for kids. As a bonus, it comes in all sorts of fun colors, which is always a plus for kids!
With a simple roll of painter’s tape, you can create sorting activities, mazes, roads, and even games for kids.
