Neon Glow Painting for Kids

This was so much fun! I love doing different sensory activities with kids. My kids at home, and students at school have all shown an interest in learning about space. Therefore, I’ve been trying to come up with different space themed activities. Today, we tried out this neon glow painting for kids.

This neon painting for kids is an easy way to incorporate a space theme into an art activity. The neon paint makes prints that looks like glowing stars and planets.

I used unique materials for children to paint with so it ended up being a great way for children to explore paint using different materials.

Kids love painting and this activity was no exception. This glow painting is a fun way for kids to paint using creative materials.

Plus the final result looks like it is glowing and could be found in space!

For more creative, and fun ideas to use your paint after this art project, check out a few other great painting ideas: Painting with Straws and Foil Painting for Kids art projects.

Materials

The materials you need for this activity are fairly simple. If you don’t have some of the materials that I used, simply use something that you do have on hand at home.

• Black Paper
• Plastic Fork
• Plastic Eggs
• Pencil/Pencil Crayon
• Neon Paint (Pink, Yellow, Green, Blue etc.)

If you don’t have the plastic eggs or forks, you can still do the painting activity. I wanted to use these extra materials because I wanted the activity to be a sensory experience for my kids by painting with something other than paint brushes.

They loved using the forks, pencils and eggs because it was different and because they loved experimenting and creating interesting marks with the tools.

Initially, I did this activity in a classroom setting. I had each table set up with plastic plates with one color of the neon paint on each. I also placed one of the materials, such as the eggs or forks.

For the pink paint, I placed the plastic eggs. With the yellow paint, I placed the pencils and the green paint had the forks. As an alternative, you could something like an old comb to create interesting marks with.

The black paper is also really important for creating this art. I made sure to use really, really black paper. If the paper is faded it will not work the same because the paint does not stand out as well.

The neon paint on the black background creates what looks like a glowing image. The colors and background look like stars and planets.

Painting for Kids Activity

I started by showing children how to use the materials to get different prints. For the pencil, children were encouraged to dip the end of the pencil into the paint.

Use the flat end to create a dot/circle print. Using everyday materials, like pencil crayons in different way shows kids how simple art can be and how many different ways you can use regular objects.

For the plastic eggs, children were able to use either the open end or the tip. They can create different marks depending which part of the egg they use. However, using both ends of the eggs can get really messy!

The fork was certainly a favourite for kids to paint with. The fork creates interesting lines on the page. Many children loved creating a border with the fork and simply experimenting with the marks the fork left.

All of the children were impressed as soon as they made their first mark on the black paper. They loved the way the neon paint stood out on the page.

Everyone loved how vibrant the colors looked. They also had a lot of fun using tools other than paint brushes to paint.

The yellow paint was also fun because children created stars using the yellow and the pencil ends.

I did not ask the children to create a specific picture. They had the freedom to use the materials in any way they wanted. In the end, all of the pictures were different, but all equally creative!

Many children did not create a specific picture. They had fun just using their tools to create different prints and markings.

This is a great painting activity for kids to try out. It works well integrated into a space unit, but it also works well as a sensory activity for kids.

The black paper with the neon paint creates a really interesting effect that you don’t get with regular paint and paper. The materials, such as the fork and eggs, also give children a unique sensory experience painting and using their hands and the paint in a different way.

We had so much fun creating our glowing space art at home. At school I was really happy with how easy this activity was to do with a large group of children. The kids were mesmerized with each print that they made and loved how it stood out on the paper.

I hope that you have the chance to try this neon painting activity with kids at home or at school. If you are looking for more painting activities or learning activities to try with kids, check out some more of my posts below.

Painting for Kids Extension Activity

If you are looking for other activity to build on the idea of space and glow in the dark, I planned a glow in the dark party for my kindergarten children. We had several centers that children loved!

From slime and building centers to paint, books, and sensory play, our glow party was very memorable. The ideas and centers also work well for a special occasion or celebration with kids. Click the image below for full activity description

More Hands-On Teaching Ideas

If you are looking for more learning activities for kids at home, or in the classroom, below is a collection of my most popular and favorite Hands-On Teaching Ideas.

From fort building and balloon painting, to science experiments and escape rooms there is lots to keep kids busy and learning.