Pendulum Painting: A Fun and Easy At-Home Art Activity

We do a mix of summer camp weeks and at-home summer camp weeks at our house. Some weeks my kids are off doing organized camps, and some weeks we’re hanging at home—filling the days with things like swimming, biking, strawberry picking with friends, or exploring a new beach or playground.

But some days, especially in that post-lunch quiet stretch, we love pulling out a cool art project to keep things fun. That’s exactly how Pendulum Painting became part of our home summer camp series this year.

It was one of those days where we’d already been swimming in the morning and needed something creative, a little different from the usual painting setup. This activity checks all the boxes: movement, color mixing, a little science, and a lot of whoa, that looks awesome.

Why You’ll Love Pendulum Painting

• No fancy materials needed. You probably have most of this stuff at home already!
• It combines art and science. Kids learn about pendulums and patterns while making big, colorful paintings.
• Big movement + big art. Great for outdoors or a garage space where kids can get messy.
• Great for a variety of ages. Toddlers love the drippy paint effect, while bigger kids can experiment with swing speed and angles.

Materials You’ll Need for Pendulum Painting

• Two sturdy chairs (or anything similar in height)
• A long stick — broom handle, hockey stick, or in our case, an old cross-country ski
• String
• 2–3 paper cups
• A craft stick (for stirring paint and poking holes)
• Washable paint in primary colors
• Water (to thin the paint if needed)
• Large paper or canvas (butcher paper, cardboard, or poster board work great)

How to Set Up Pendulum Painting

We set this up in the backyard on the grass so that I wouldn’t need to place a drop cloth on the ground. But you could definitely do it in a garage or driveway if you prefer. This could get messy so have kids where clothes they can paint in or their bathing suit and they can just hop into the pool or sprinkler after.

1. Set Up Your Pendulum Frame

Place two chairs about 3–4 feet apart. Lay your long stick across the tops of the chairs. This is what your pendulum will hang from. Make sure it’s stable and won’t roll off easily—if needed, tape it down.

We used an old cross-country ski for our stick, but a broom handle or mop handle would work just as well.

2. Prepare Your Paint Cups

Take a paper cup and poke a small hole in the bottom of each using a craft stick or a pencil. You want a hole about the size of a pencil eraser—big enough for paint to drip through, but not so big that it pours out all at once. Poke another hole on each side of the top of the cup.

Next, fill the other cups about 1/4 full with washable paint. If your paint feels thick, add a little water and stir with the craft stick until it flows smoothly. Try using two constrasting or colors or two primary colors so that they mix together and create a new color on the paper or in the pendulum.

3. Tie Your String

Cut a piece of string about 2–3 feet long. Thread and tie one end of the string through each hold in the cup with the holes. Then place it in the middle of the stick/ski, so it hangs down like a swing in the middle of your chair setup.

4. Lay Out Your Paper

Position your large paper or canvas on the ground under the pendulum. You can tape it down if it’s windy or place rocks at the corners.

5. Let the Painting Begin!

Now the fun part. Pour the first coloring in the cup pendulum. Gently pull your paint cup pendulum back and let it swing across the paper. As it swings, the paint will drip and create beautiful, swirling, looping designs.

Try moving the cup higher or lower, swinging it in different directions, or adding more cups with different colors.

The Science Behind a Pendulum

While your kids are busy watching the paint drip and swirl, there’s some cool physics happening:

• A pendulum is anything that swings from a fixed point, like a clock weight, a swing, or in this case, a cup of paint.
• Gravity pulls the cup back down after you lift and release it.
• The way it swings—side to side, forward and back—is called oscillation.
• The length of the string and how high you lift the cup affect how fast or slow the pendulum swings.

Basically, the longer the string, the slower and wider the swings. If your kids are into it, they can experiment with shorter or longer strings, different paint thicknesses, or cup sizes.

It’s one of those awesome little art-and-science moments where they’re learning without even realizing it.

Clean-Up Tips

• Washable paint makes life easier—hosing everything down after is the fastest way!
• Rinse out the cups and store them for future pendulum painting days.
• Let the paintings dry flat before hanging or displaying them.

Variations to Try

• Use multiple cups: Tie two or three cups on separate strings for layered effects.
• Add glitter or metallic paint: For extra sparkle.
• Try different paint colors: Challenge kids to use only primary colors and see what new shades they create as the drips mix.
• Make it a timed challenge: Set a timer for 5 minutes and see how much of the paper gets covered before the time’s up!

Pendulum Painting became one of our favorite at-home summer camp activities because it feels a little like a science experiment, a little like a messy art day, and a whole lot of fun.

It’s easy to set up, completely adaptable depending on your space and supplies, and honestly just so satisfying to watch.

If you try this one, I’d love to hear how it goes for your family! Tag me on Instagram or drop a comment below with your pendulum painting setups—whether it’s two chairs and a ski stick or something totally creative I haven’t thought of yet.

Here’s to more low-stress, high-fun summer activities and a little less “What are we doing today?” every morning!