FUN DIY Toddler-proof Wall Art

When we moved into our new house last fall, I was excited to have a “blank canvas” to decorate. It was around this time that I also became obsessed with DIY Home Décor pins on Pinterest. I had so many ideas for different things I could do around the house from gallery walls to upcycled pallet signs and more. I was also excited to try out different craft activities with my toddler (another one of my favorite boards on Pinterest). So when it came time to put something on the then-bare living room walls, I decided to merge my home décor project with a toddler activity so that I could have my son involved in helping me decorate the house. Here is a simple, inexpensive way to turn a fun toddler painting activity into wall décor (I apologize in advance for not taking step by step pictures of the entire process, but it’s a fairly easy project. I promise I’ll take more pictures next time!).

**An added bonus to this fun activity is that it also serves as a confidence booster for your child! Every now and then, my son will point at the frames and say “Liam pintar” (“Liam paint” in English or “look mami, Liam painted that!” in toddlerspeak). He likes to remind me that he painted the art in the frames. He also smiles whenever he hears me brag about the project to friends and family. Apparently, his memories of the entire process were good ones since just a few days ago he pointed at the frames and told me he wanted to paint again. So, DIY home décor + confidence booster for son + grooming a child artist = Triple win for mami!

But, without further a do, here is how we completed this activity.

What you will need:

• Paint
• Brushes
• Stencil letters (I got these at the Dollar Tree)
• White poster board (4 total, 2 for each painting and 2 for the mat around the frame – this is optional)
• Picture frames (I bought two at Walmart for about $12 each, measurements 22inx28in)
• Exacto knife

Instructions:

• For the mat: Since the poster board and the frame were the same size, I didn’t have to trim the poster board. I measured 2 ½ inches around the border, traced a rectangle and cut it out with an exacto knife. Note: consider this part prep work and try to do it when the toddler is not around (nap time would be perfect for this) to avoid using sharp objects near them.
• Placing the letters: once you have cut the mat, line it up on top of another piece of poster board to decide where to place the letters. Once you decide what words you want to have on the painting (I used “Love” and “Laugh”), stick the stencil letters on the poster board. Make sure they are not covered by the mat/border.
• Paint! This is the fun part! Cover the floor with a plastic trash bag if you are painting indoors. If the weather permits, do this part outside! I used two different colors, green and blue.

• To add an extra pop to the painting, I splashed gold paint over it after my toddler was done playing painting.

• Let dry and peel the letters off. Because we painted over poster board, the letters pulled some of the paper off the surface, but it was minimal and you can barely tell once the paintings are up.
• Assemble the frame and hang!

The final product:

Have you done any projects around the house? Have a great toddler activity to share? I’d love to hear about it!