Fun Outdoor Activity For Kids: Water Gun Painting!

Get kids outside, moving, and creating with a splashy, sensory-rich project: water gun painting. This playful mashup of art and play turns ordinary squirt guns into colorful paint sprayers and transforms driveways, sidewalks, or large sheets of paper into giant canvases. For other simple creative projects to pair with this activity, check out fun and easy crafts for kids for inspiration.

Why kids love it

• It’s active: running, aiming, and spraying add a physical element that many children crave.
• It’s surprising: colors explode across surfaces in unpredictable ways.
• It’s low-pressure art: there’s no “right” way to spray, so kids feel free to experiment.

What you need

• Plastic squirt guns or water blasters (one per child).
• Tempera or washable liquid paints diluted with water (test consistency—should be sprayable).
• Large paper roll, old bedsheet, cardboard, or a paved surface.
• Protective clothing and towels.
• Optional: painter’s tape to create shapes or borders on the canvas.

Safety and setup

• Choose a warm, outdoor day and a space that can get messy.
• Use only washable, non-toxic paints formulated for children.
• Put kids in play clothes or smocks; consider sun protection.
• Keep a bucket of clean water and towels nearby for quick rinses.

Step-by-step: how to do water gun painting

1. Prepare paint: Mix washable tempera paint with water until it flows easily through the squirt gun. Strain if needed to avoid clogging.
2. Fill guns: Use cups or small bottles to fill each squirt gun (supervise this step).
3. Mark boundaries: Lay out your canvas (paper, sheet, or pavement) and use tape to create designs or keep paint off unwanted areas.
4. Demonstrate: Show how to aim, how to pulse the trigger for splatters, and how distance changes spray patterns.
5. Let them paint: Set a time limit if you want to manage how long paints are used. Encourage collaboration and layering colors.
6. Dry and admire: If on paper or fabric, allow colors to dry fully before moving. For pavement art, photos capture the moment.

Creative variations

• Target practice: Tape shapes that kids try to paint from a distance for points.
• Collaborative mural: Assign sections to each child that come together as a large scene.
• Stencil scene: Place simple cardboard stencils on the canvas and spray around them to create silhouettes.
• Nature addition: Add leaves, sticks, or flowers pressed into paint-splattered paper for texture.

Tips for success

• Test your paint mix on a small area first to ensure good spray and clean-up.
• Rotate paint colors in the guns so each child gets an equal chance with favorite shades.
• Use clear rules about where painting is allowed to avoid painted shoes or faces.

Cleanup

• Rinse squirt guns immediately after use to prevent clogs.
• Use garden hoses or buckets of water to wash paint from pavement—washable tempera makes this easy.
• For fabric canvases, follow the paint manufacturer’s washing instructions.

Extend the fun
Turn a single session into a full outdoor art party by combining other activities and crafts; you might consult an ultimate guide to kids’ outdoor fun for ideas on snacks, games, and extra crafts to fill the day.

Conclusion

Water gun painting is an inexpensive, high-energy activity that builds creativity, coordination, and cooperative play. For a step-by-step example and photos showing kids in action, see this detailed write-up on Thrill Your Kids with Colorful Squirt Gun Painting. If you want an alternate guide with tips on paint ratios and game ideas, check out the practical suggestions at Water Gun Painting (Fun Creative Art For Kids).