Painting Wood

• Purchase inexpensive, unpainted pieces of wood from your local art store. Many art stores carry pieces of wood in a variety of shapes and sizes. You can find wooden objects ranging from birdhouses to treasure chests, as well. Give the kids a variety of paints, some cardboard on which to mix colors, and any painting utensils that you have on hand. Have the kids decorate their own wood pieces in unexpected colors then hold an art show afterward.
  
  

Painting Mural

• This game never ceases to be popular with six year olds. Hang a sheet, or a large piece of paper, between two trees in the backyard. Give each kid a variety of paints and a paintbrush, and dress the kids in old clothing that they can throw away after the game. Have the kids use their brushes to flick color at the sheet, creating an abstract mural. For good measure, show them Jackson Pollock's "No. 5," split them into two teams, and offer a prize to the team that can best recreate it.
  
  

Pass Around the Paint

• Have the kids sit in a circle, and place a large piece of paper in the middle. Pass around a paintbrush, and start everyone in singing a familiar song, such as Happy Birthday or Row, Row, Row Your Boat. When the song ends, the kid with the paintbrush in his hand has to select from a variety of paints and paint something on the paper. Then, start singing a new song, with a clean paintbrush, and have the next kid with a paintbrush paint something different on the paper, in the color of her choice. Continue until every color has been used and every child has painted.
  
  

Portraiture

• Portraits give the young artists in your group the chance to shine. Place the kids in groups of two, and have one of them sit still while the other paints him. Then, have the kids switch places. Reward the one with the most convincing or creative portrait. For a twist, blindfold one of the kids and have him try to paint another kid in the group. The painter can touch the model, but cannot look at her or at the painting.