Washable paint and big paper

Before you start, solve the mess

Half the stress of painting comes from improvising the clean-up afterwards. Solve that first and only the good part is left. Do it on the utility room floor, in the garden, or on a large sheet of plastic, with her in nothing but a nappy: skin washes more easily than clothes.

What to use

• Washable non-toxic paint, suitable for her age, and check the label.
• Large paper. A roll of brown paper is cheap and is the best investment here.
• A thick brush, a sponge, a small roller, and above all hands.
• Two or three colours at most. Any more and everything turns brown in two minutes, and the frustration is hers.
• A bucket of warm water and an old towel beside you, ready before you open the paint.

The process matters more than the result

The point is not to produce a drawing. It is to find out what a hand does with paint. Do not steer, do not ask for a house, do not correct the colour of the sky. Sit beside her and paint your own sheet.

What to keep

Photograph the messy hands, the paper mid-process and the face concentrating. Then one photo of the drawing dry and whole, with the date. Three photos, and the sheet can go without any guilt.