Finger paint
For grown-ups
Finger painting, minus the paint pots
All the joy of smearing colour around with a finger and none of the washing up. Rainbow paint, three stamps, and an undo button for the grown-ups' peace of mind.
Settings for grown-ups
About this toy
A sheet of paper and a tray of paints: rainbow paint that changes colour along the line, red, yellow, blue and green, and three stamps (a star, a heart and a flower). Each finger paints its own line, so a child can paint with several fingers at once. The undo button takes back the last line or stamp, one step at a time. Children from about three enjoy big swirls and stamping; older ones draw pictures and come back to them later, because the picture is kept in this browser until it is cleared. Nothing is uploaded, printed or shared.
How to play
Pick a paint from the tray and draw on the paper with a finger. Pick a stamp and tap to print it, or drag to print a row. The round arrow at the top clears the paper; if that was a mistake, the undo button brings the picture back.
A good first go
Choose rainbow paint and draw a big spiral from the middle outwards, then switch to the star stamp and tap stars all around it.
Good to know
The picture is kept on this device, so it is still there next time; "Clear data on this device" in the settings above removes it. There is no saving to the photo library, no printing and no sharing, on purpose. When the screen turns, the whole picture is redrawn to fit.
How the sounds are made, with the numbers: how the sounds work.
Last updated
The tray
- Rainbow: the colour shifts along the line, so a long scribble becomes a rainbow.
- Red, yellow, blue and green: plain, bright colours.
- Star, heart and flower: tap to print one; drag to print a trail. With rainbow chosen as the paint, each stamp comes out in a different colour.
- Undo (the curved arrow): takes back the last line or stamp, and after "start again" it brings the whole picture back.
Ways to play together
- Two artists: each picks a side of the paper; both paint at the same time.
- Draw what I say: a sun, a house, a cat; then swap and the child gives the instructions.
- Stamp patterns: star, heart, flower, star, heart, flower, all the way across.
- Colour mixing talk: paint yellow over blue and talk about what real paint would do.
Setting it up
Finger painting works best with the tablet flat on a table, so a child can lean in and use the whole hand. The tray sits on the right when the screen is wide and along the bottom when it is upright, always within reach of a thumb. Before handing it over, it can help to clear the paper with the round arrow (and leave it cleared), so the child starts on a blank sheet; the last picture is only one tap of Undo away if anyone misses it. A soft stylus works too, and so does a mouse on a computer.
Where the picture goes
Nowhere: it stays in the browser on this device, as a list of the lines and stamps, so it can be redrawn sharply at any size and undone step by step. Nothing is uploaded, and there is no gallery, sharing or printing. To remove it, press the round arrow (and leave it), or use "Clear data on this device" in the settings above, which also resets the other settings. While a finger paints, a soft brushing sound follows its speed; stamps make a padded "thup". Both are made on the device; see the how the sounds work page.
Questions people ask
Can we save the picture?
It stays on this device automatically and is there next time. There is no export to photos, printing or sharing; take a screenshot if you want to keep a copy.
How do I clear the paper?
Press the round arrow at the top. If that was a mistake, press Undo straight away to bring the picture back.
Can several children paint at once?
Yes. Every finger paints its own line.
Is there an eraser?
Not as a tool: the Undo button removes the last line or stamp, one at a time.
Why does the picture change size when the screen turns?
The whole picture is redrawn to fit the new shape of the paper, so nothing is cut off.
Can I use a keyboard?
Tab moves through the paints, stamps and Undo; Space or Enter on the paper puts a dot of paint or a stamp somewhere on it.