If you’re looking for a low-prep, high-impact art activity for kids, smush painted flowers are exactly what you need. There’s something magical about the moment kids squish down a blob of paint and lift the paper to see what they’ve made. This one’s all about the process—not perfection—and the surprise of what blooms from the “smush” is half the fun.
This activity has quickly become a favorite around here. We’ve done it outside, in the kitchen, and even during quiet time when everyone needed a little color in their day. The flowers always come out different, and kids of all ages (yes, even the big kids) love watching their paint squish and swirl into something beautiful.
Why You’ll Love This Craft
- No rules here – Kids can play with color combos and placement without worrying about staying inside the lines.
- Easy to prep – Just paper and paint. No fancy supplies or cleanup nightmares.
- Great for all ages – Toddlers, preschoolers, and even older kids can jump in and make their own smush flowers.
- Sensory fun – It’s messy in the best way and feels so good to press and smush!
Materials You’ll Need
- White paper
- Flower printables (see below) or your can draw your own flowers
- Washable paint (spring colors like pinks, yellows, purples, blues)
- Scissors
- Pom poms
- Glue stick or liquid glue
- Paper towels or baby wipes (optional but helpful!)
How to Set Up Smush Painted Flowers
1. Prep your painting surface
Start by printing out the flower template above. If you’re doing this with a group or outdoors, toss a plastic tablecloth or baking tray underneath just in case things get a little extra.
2. Add paint
Fold the paper with the flowers in half. Squeeze small drops or lines of paint onto half of your paper. You don’t need much—just a few dabs of each color will do! Kids can try stripes, circles, or random blobs. No wrong way here.
3. Smush time!
Fold the paper in half again and gently press down. Use fingers or palms to smush the paint around inside. Then, the best part—open it up! You’ll get a beautiful symmetrical blend of colors that look just like blooming petals.
4. Let it dry
Set the smushed painting aside to dry. This usually only takes 10–15 minutes depending on how much paint was used.
5. Cut and build your flowers
Once dry, cut out flower shapes from the smush-painted paper. Take some Pom Poms and glue them down in the center of the flowers. You can then glue them down on another sheet of construction paper or use the green construction paper to make stems and leaves, then glue everything down onto a background page to build your flower garden.
Extra Tips
- Use cotton swabs or the edge of a sponge to add little details like flower centers.
- Want to go big? Try this on large sheets of butcher paper and make a giant flower mural.
- Add glitter glue or sequins if you want to bring some sparkle to your garden.
Smush painting is the kind of creative project that doesn’t need to be perfect—it just needs to be fun. And trust me, these smushed flower masterpieces make adorable spring decorations, Mother’s Day cards, or classroom art displays.
So grab the paint, fold the paper, and smush your way to something beautiful!
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.
