Need a fun Halloween art activity for your preschooler? Look no further!
This Halloween art activity is a colorful and creative way to understand the skeletal system better.
The article will explain the benefits of bone painting, answer frequently asked questions (along with some expert tips), give you a rundown of the supplies needed, and guide you on how to get started with this bone painting activity.
RELATED: Looking for the best Halloween activities? Check out my 31 Days of Halloween Activities for Preschoolers.
What is Bone Painting?
As the name suggests, It’s when you gather bones of different shapes and sizes for your child to paint. Bone painting is a great Halloween activity because it introduces kids to anatomy and is a reference to the spooky season. Remember, toddlers are pretty new to Halloween stuff, so telling them about bats, ghosts, and skeletons makes it exciting!
Including paint in the mix also allows them to explore painting on new textures. Ask preschoolers how it feels to color something that moves and has different shapes, curves, bumps, and straight bits.
Craving a calmer morning?
Breakfast Invitations are simple learning games that begin the day with play.
Why I Chose Bone Painting With My Kids
I have a kindergartner, a preschooler, and a toddler who skipped their nap, so I needed a quick and easy Halloween activity to keep them busy till dinner.
Here’s how I did it.
RELATED: Fall activities like this are fun and playful!
Supplies for Painting With Bones
- Bag of Bones – Check these from Amazon.
- Child Paintbrushes – I love brushes that come in different sizes.
- Washable Paint – avoid the extra mess with washable paint!
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Top Tip When Buying Halloween Supplies
Wait until late October to get Halloween decorations. Why?
Because they’re usually 50% off! A huge perk to being the last ones in the neighborhood getting your act together.
RELATED: Need a sensory Halloween idea? You will love Eyeball Sensory Play.
How to Prep for this Activity
- Place Kraft paper on the painting surface in Home Depot in the packaging aisle.
- Prepare the Paint – pour the paint into an ice cube tray or egg carton.
- Prepare Clean-Up – fill a small bowl of water to wash the paint brushes.
- Prep Decorations – place the Halloween decorations (bag of bones) on the Kraft paper.
- Start Painting! – invite your preschoolers to come to paint the bones.
Let’s paint these skeletons!
RELATED: Halloween games can be easy and fun!
The Benefits of Bone Painting for Children’s Learning and Development
- Color Mixing allows children to explore what happens when they mix paint!
- Fine Motor Grip – holding the paintbrush strengthens those tiny hand muscles.
- Hand-eye Coordination – children can improve manual dexterity through painting.
- Learning Skeletal Facts – integrate fun facts about the skeletal system while your preschooler paints! Tell them the human body has over 200 bones and is made with hard and spongy tissues. (Wait for their jaws to drop. It can be a fun activity for you too).
- New Vocabulary – children will ask questions about different body parts and learn new words. Nurture their curiosity wherever you can!
- Painting Skills – excellent for practicing writing later in life.
RELATED: Use this website to have some fun skeleton facts for kids!
Bone painting helps develop painting skills and hand-eye coordination, and kids learn fun facts along the way! When you finish, try making a chalk skeleton or even a skeleton made from vegetables!
Ever wonder how art can impact learning? Reading Recovery explains how to cultivate critical thinkers through curious conversations about art.
This Halloween art activity Sparks Curiosity
Discussing what a child has made opens up questions, improves communication skills, and fosters an environment to explore their curiosities.
It Allows Room for Interpretation
Asking open-ended questions allows children to express their opinions and what they think about art without any right or wrong answers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Halloween Activities are a lot of fun for children of many ages. Five traditional Halloween activities are designing your costume, visiting a pumpkin patch, playing spider dots, reading Halloween-themed books, and watching Room on the Broom (a favorite!)
This Halloween activity uses plastic bones for decorating and kicks it up a notch by painting them. Not only did this activity entertain my toddler and preschoolers, but it also increased vocabulary as we chatted about each bone as they painted. Here, Halloween meets Science!
My favorite way to gear up for the big day is by spending the afternoon making a giant witch’s brew. Or I start the morning with something as simple as decorating Halloween sticker shirts. These are two simple ways to make October a little more exciting!
