finger-paints

Preschool art supplies

Finger-paints are thick, water-based paints designed to be applied with fingers and hands rather than brushes, used primarily by young children.

The texture is slippery and washable, encouraging tactile exploration over precision: The kids made a mess with finger-paints.

As a verb, to finger-paint is to create art this way.

childhood

preschool

Early childhood educational program

nursery · smock · easel · classroom · learning · imagination · fun · creativity · mess · exploration

messy

splatter

Scatter in drops

drips · splotches · spills · cleanup · washable · mess · handprints · apron · smock · newspaper

art

handprints

Marks made by hands

masterpiece · abstract · creation · expression · artwork · drawing · design · composition · freeform · spontaneous

tactile

gooey

Soft and sticky

  • squishySoft and easily compressed
  • slipperyLacking friction, hard-to-grasp
  • wetSaturated with liquid

sticky · smooth · mushy · texture · sensory · hands · fingers · squish · smear · squeezing

colorful

primary

Chief in importance

  • redPrimary color, warm
  • bluePrimary color; also sad
  • yellowHue between green and orange

green · orange · purple · mixing · blending · swirls · vibrant · bright · rainbow · hues

Opposites
precision and control

finger-paintsairbrush

Compressed-air paint sprayer

precision instruments · drafting tools · calligraphy pens · palette knives

artistic sophistication

finger-paintsoil paints

Pigments suspended in drying medium

watercolors · gouache · encaustic · tempera

Family

paint, finger, painting, painted, painter, paints, fingerprint, repaint, fingernail

Familiarity
Top 100,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Positive · Everyday, not technical · Rated G