Mess Free Water Paint

My 2 year old coloring Goliath, found in the Bible Stories activity pad. 

Sometimes you need something to keep the kids entertained while you cook dinner. Other times you need something to keep them busy while they anxiously wait for visitors. And sometimes you just need to keep the little ones busy while the big ones do chores/schoolwork. 

I often find moments like those to be the most frustrating. I don't have the time to get any elaborate craft supplies out. Nor do I have time to do anything that will require a lot of clean-up. And if you give the little ones a super fun activity it will definitely distract the older ones from the very project or chore that you are trying to give them a chance to accomplish. 

From the Animal activity pad

So I wanted to share a product with you that has helped us in such instances. My Mother-in-Law purchased these Water Wow! paint free water color activity books for a family trip but they've been great for more than just road trips. 

Fading color as it dries; ready to be used again.

Completely dried and ready to go. 

Water Wow! activity pads come with 4 pictures that can be painted over and over again. The water brings out the color on the cardboard-like pages and fade to white as it dries again. Unlike actual water color paint, there's no bleeding of color; not only on the picture but also off of it (and onto your tablecloth!). 

Each activity pad comes with one paint brush pen for little fingers.

And the toddler-friendly paint brush pens work great! You fill the inside of the tube and screw it into the portion with the brush. After a few shakes the pen allows only a little bit of water out at a time, which is perfect for little ones. 

Example of the harder activity level for older kids.

At this point, my Kindergartner has mostly lost interest in these as they are 'too easy'. When he does decide to play with them there is a way to make it more complicated. The backside of the picture before the one they are currently painting, they have a list of things to search for on each page. This extra challenge makes my 5 year feel like it's for big kids, too. But the benefit for it being a little more 'little kid-ish' is that when I need my 5 year old to get something done he doesn't feel like he's missing out on too much but my 2 year old feels like he's special getting to 'paint'. 

Ultimately, these have become a nice go-to when I've run out of ideas and don't have time to get a whole project out. It's easy to clean and easy to use. 

After being painted many, many times, the pages do begin to warp a little. But considering they're only around $5 each and we are able to paint them dozens and dozens of times, I think that's ok. 

And there are SO many options available, too! See our list below for just a few of the neatest options available. 

ACBs
123s
Animal Set
Dinosaurs
Fairy Tale
Under the Sea
Occupations Set
Bible Stories
Farm Animals
Jungle Animals
6 Pack Set

Happy Painting!