If you’re looking for a fun outdoor art activity for kids, shower curtain painting is a must-try! This easy outdoor painting activity gives toddlers, preschoolers, and older kids a giant canvas to create colorful masterpieces while enjoying fresh air and sunshine. It’s a wonderful way to encourage creativity, strengthen fine motor skills, and explore process art without worrying about messy floors or tables.
As a mom of three, I’ve learned that some of the best art activities are also the simplest. Hanging a plastic shower curtain outside instantly creates an space where kids can paint freely, mix colors, and experiment with different brushstrokes. Best of all, cleanup couldn’t be easier—just rinse off the shower curtain with a hose and it’s ready to use again.
Whether you’re planning a summer playdate, looking for a backyard boredom buster, or adding a creative activity to your homeschool or preschool plans, shower curtain painting is an inexpensive activity kids will want to do again and again.
Supplies for Shower Curtain Painting
- Spill Proof Paint Cups
- Non-Toxic Washable Kids Paint
- Paint brushes
- Clear plastic shower curtin
- Twine
- Large Rocks
- Large bowl
- Sponges
- Water
- Dish soap
How to Set Up Shower Curtain Painting
For this outdoor painting activity you’ll need a clear shower curtain liner and some strong string or twine. I thread the twine through the holes in the shower curtain leaving enough to tie the curtain to my fence posts on either side across my yard.
I wanted this to be away from the fence in the middle of the yard, for something new. Then I tied the twine to my fence posts making sure to pull tight so that the curtain was as high and as secure as possible.
Watch my kids paint here:
To prevent the curtain liner from blowing in the wind I secured it on the bottom with a few large rocks. Then I brought out my washable paint spill proof cups with some brushes.
At first my kids weren’t sure what to make of the set up. I helped them by showing them how they could paint on the shower curtain surface. It was a different medium from what they are used to as well. Painting on a surface that moves was fun and a little frustrating for them. But once they got the hang of it they really got into this painting activity.
Clean Up
I love a good activity that keeps on giving. I decided to let them clean off the paint once they were done using sponges and soapy water. This arguably was more fun than paining!
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What age is shower curtain painting best for?
This activity is perfect for toddlers, preschoolers, kindergarteners, and elementary-aged children. Younger children enjoy exploring colors and making marks, while older kids can create detailed paintings and practice different painting techniques.
2. What kind of paint should I use?
Washable tempera paint is the best choice for shower curtain painting. It’s easy to clean up, dries quickly, and provides bright, vibrant colors that kids love.
3. Can I reuse the shower curtain?
Yes! Simply rinse the shower curtain with a garden hose after the paint is washed away and let it dry. You can reuse it again and again for future painting sessions.
4. Can I do this activity indoors?
While this activity works best outdoors because cleanup is so easy, you can also hang the shower curtain indoors over a protected floor or in a garage. Be sure to use washable paint and cover nearby surfaces.
5. How can I make shower curtain painting more fun?
Try painting with sponges, foam brushes, spray bottles, toy cars, or natural materials like leaves and flowers. You can also add painter’s tape to create designs or encourage kids to mix colors and experiment with different painting tools.
6. Is shower curtain painting a good sensory activity?
Absolutely! Children enjoy the smooth texture of the plastic surface, the feeling of brushing paint across a large canvas, and the freedom to create without worrying about staying inside the lines. It’s a fantastic sensory and process art experience.
Looking for more summer and outdoor activity ideas? Check out of these other round-ups for more ways to keep your toddler or preschooler busy this summer:
- 25+ Outdoor Water Activities to Keep Kids Cool This Summer
- 40+ Awesome Outdoor Learning Activities for Kids
- 30+ Easy Outdoor Art Projects for Kids
- 60+ Awesome Outdoor Activities for Kids
- 45+ Awesome Water Sensory Bins for Toddlers & Preschoolers
- 40+ Water Table Activities for Toddlers
- 21+ Spray Bottle Activities for Toddler
- 20 Amazing Backyard Obstacle Courses
- 21+ Amazing Summer Sensory Bins
- 25+ Adorable Summer Crafts for Toddlers
- 40+ Ice Sensory Play
- 12 Healthy Smoothie Recipes for Toddlers + Kids
Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers
There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!
But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.
Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.
Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!
These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!
Click here for more information: Play2Learn
Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids
Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.
Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids
Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.
Find out more and grab your copy here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids
Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.
- 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
- Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
- Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.
Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!
Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.
TV Show: Curious Crafting
I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.
Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!
Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.
In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.
Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.
This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.
These are such fun activities for the kids! We are having our carpets cleaned this week so I am in need of some fun summer activities to keep the kids outside while the cleaners are here. Thanks so much for sharing!!!
Did you just use washable paint? if so did it mess up the grass at all?
Yes unused washable paints. The paint didn’t go on the grass. I use the bottom of the shower curtain as a drip mat.