Mother’s Day is right around the corner and there is no better gift than something handmade with love. There is no better way to get your little ones involved than to let them literally get their hands on it. This guide will show you how to turn an ordinary flower pot into a gift that will be cherished for years to come.
Materials Needed
- Flowerpot
- Finger paints
- Flowers
- Clear paint sealer
- Paper plates
- Toddler hands and feet
- Paintbrush (optional)
- Acrylic paints (optional)
Estimated project time: 1 – 2 hours
Step 0: Pick your materials
The very first thing to be done is to pick all of the materials with care. It is very important to consider all of the options available when picking your flower pot. I was able to find a cute terracotta pot and vibrant yellow flowers to work with. Stone pots also work well for this project. When choosing your flower, be sure to keep the best growing conditions in mind. You don’t want to put a fern that’s meant to hang into a floor pot. Don’t be afraid to get creative with the plants either! Succulents and cacti look great in a flowerpot with decorative rocks on top of the soil.
Any non-toxic paint is great for this project. For the easiest cleanup, I would recommend actual finger paints but acrylics work as well. Because finger paints are designed to be easy to clean up, it is important to use a clear coat of sealer to protect the finished flowerpot.
Step 1: Finger Paint!
First up is the most fun part: finger painting! If your child is old enough, let them paint something special on their own. If your little one is too young to wing it, you can always go with a handprint or footprint design. In my case, my son decided to make a heart while I opted for a simple footprint butterfly for my daughter.
For the heart, I had my toddler hold his hands as steady as he could and placed them in a “V” shape one at a time. To keep it as special as possible, he picked out the colors all on his own.
To do this butterfly, I dipped my infant’s feet one at a time into the colors that my toddler picked out. The left foot became the right wing and the right foot became the left wing. Be sure to clean your infant’s foot before moving onto the next one or you will end up with a mess! I used my own thumb to make the body and antennae.
Step 2: Add finer details
As a completely optional step, you can further elaborate on the design with a paintbrush and creativity. A neat idea is to include child names by their print or to put the year on the bottom. I chose to paint rainbow colors into the existing groves of my flowerpot.
Step 3: Seal the design in
Anything with this much sentimental value needs to be able to stand the test of time. A fully functioning flower pot needs to be capable of being outside, which means we need to protect our little one’s artwork from the elements. I recommend any kind of matte finish sealer. I like the aerosol sprays because of how easy they are to use but a brush-on sealer would work just as good. Whatever sealer you choose to use, make sure to follow the directions carefully for the best results.
Step 4: Add the plant
Next you need to plant your flower into the painted flower pot. If the plant hangs over the edge any you’re going to want to position it away from the art as best as possible.
Final Step:
The only thing left to do is to let your kids surprise their caregiver on this special day with this painted flower pot!
