Testing out face paint ideas with your kids is an easy activity for a rainy day or when you’re looking for some outdoor summer fun. But do you tend to stick with the same designs every time you pull out the face paint kit? Face paint ideas are limitless, so have fun and experiment!
If you’re tired of painting the same smiley face or football on your little one’s cheek every time, here are 52 fun face painting ideas for kids to get you inspired:
Full-Face Ideas
For kids who follow the rule of the more face paint the better, here are some full-face designs.
- Japanese Cherry Blossoms
For this beautiful yet understated look from Snazaroo, begin with a light white base before adding flowers trailing down one side of the face.
- White Rabbit
Add some whiskers and a pink nose to a white base, and your little bunny is good to go!
- Mustache
The mustache trend seems to be everywhere — on lunch boxes, T-shirts and games. Jazz up a face-painted mustache with curls on the end, or create a pink, green or blue mustache for a pop of color.
- Snake
You don’t need exceptional artistic skills to paint an S-shaped green snake. Customize this design to be as long or as short as your child desires.
- Pirate
Argh! Recreate a pirate look with a painted red bandanna and eye patch.
- Ladybug
Paint a red base, then simply add some black dots and two antennae shooting up over the eyebrows.
- Dalmatian
This easy but popular face paint design uses a white base and large black spots. Don’t forget the black nose and whiskers!
- Robot
Start with a gray base, and let your imagination run wild! Add some colored lights, some gears and anything else your child can dream up.
- Clown
Check out FacePaintingTips for a cute clown face that takes just minutes to create!
- Butterfly
Draw the body on your child’s nose and use either side of her face as wings to make a beautiful butterfly.
- Cat
Achieve this purr-fect look with painted whiskers and a black or pink nose.
- Superhero Masks
Start with a basic blue mask painted around the eyes, and decorate like Batman, Captain America or your child’s own secret superhero identity!
- Fairy
Use lots of pastels and sparkly face paint to create a magical fairy mask. Customize to your little fairy’s favorite designs, like the stars and hearts on this fairy from Snazaroo.
- Angry Bird
Popular characters don’t have to be complicated! It’s easy to create your very own Angry Bird over your child’s eye like this one from Marvelous Masks.
- Pretty headband
Paint a headband over the forehead with jewels or flowers hanging down.
- Zombie/Skeleton
Use a white base and black lines to create a creepy inhuman effect.
- Army Guy (or Girl)
Use this tutorial from Snazaroo to create a cool camouflage look on your little soldier’s face.
- Minion
Transform your child into a mischievous little Minion with a yellow base, round Minion glasses and a few spikes of black hair.
- Knight
This knight’s helmet design on Pinterest is perfect for your little jouster.
- Jack-o’-lantern
Get ideas from Pinterest to create a smiling jack-o’-lantern on your child’s face.
- Giraffe
Check out Hellokids to learn how to make a cute (and easy!) giraffe face paint design your little one will love.
- Witch
Start with a green base, and get creative! Does your child’s witch have wrinkles? Or a wart? It’s all up to you!
- Tiger
Like the cat, but a bit more advanced. Add orange and black stripes to fill in the entire face of this fierce tiger.
- Unicorn
This cool face paint design from Pinterest uses your child’s eye as the unicorn’s eye and shapes the unicorn around her face.
- Halloween Mask
For kids who dislike the feel of real masks, there are countless Halloween-themed face paint mask ideas out there, like this purple spider design on Pinterest.
- Neon Colors
What cool designs can you make with bright, bold neon colors? Anything you want. And, as you can see from this ’80s-inspired pattern on Face Paint Forum, some of them even glow in the dark!
- Tiara/Crown
Draw a gold crown or a sparkly tiara on your child’s forehead, extending out to the hairline: instant princess!
- Pretty Mask
Not all masks are scary. Try one decorated with flowers and bright, happy colors, like this one from Snazaroo.
- Star Wars Stormtrooper
Even if your child is a little short to be a Stormtrooper, he can still look the part with this face paint design from Pinterest.
- Green Three-Eyed Alien
Start with a green base, and add an extra eye on the forehead for an extra-creepy effect.
- Valentine Princess
Your little Queen of Hearts will love this princess mask from WonderHowTo no matter what time of year it is.
- Ninja
Paint a white, red or black headband across the forehead.
- Half and Half
Use one color on half of the face and another on the opposite side. What cool color combos can your child come up with?
Cheek Art
These ideas are for kids (and parents) who aren’t thrilled with the idea of covering their entire face in paint. Many designs are also suitable for painting on arms as well.
- Sports Logos
Copy your child’s favorite sports team logo on her cheek before you head out to the game.
- Shark
This tutorial for a grinning shark from A Day of Rachel is quick and easy — and super cool!
- Flowers
Daisies, tulips, roses … flowers are a classic face paint design. Try out your child’s favorite flower, or make a whole bouquet.
- Cupcakes
Yum! Paint a colorful treat on your child’s face — you can even add sprinkles.
- Rainbows
A rainbow is an easy face paint idea, but why stop there? Add some clouds, the sun or even a pot of gold.
- Balloons
A bright bunch of balloons makes a great design for a kid’s birthday party.
- Ghost
This easy cheek figure is hard to mess up and sets the mood for a spooky Halloween party.
- Dinosaur
Draw your kid’s favorite dino on his cheek — or draw one dinosaur on one side and one on the other, as if they’re ready to do battle.
- Lightning Bolt
This design is quick, simple and looks really cool — a perfect combination.
- Caterpillar
Sound too detailed? It’s not! Check out this super easy caterpillar design on Repurpose My Life.
- Fireworks
Let your baby be a firework on the Fourth of July with red, white and blue designs.
- Spider Web
For extra fun, add a little spider dangling from it!
- Peace Sign
Use rainbow colors, and your little hippie will have a groovy time wherever she goes.
- Graffiti-Style Letters
It’s not as hard as it looks! Use Paintertainment‘s tutorial to craft your child’s initials (or her full name, if you get ambitious).
- Stamp Art
Truly not feeling artistic? Did you know face paint stamps exist? Check out the wide variety of designs available at Face Paint.
- Emojis
If you’re struggling to come up with fast, easy face paint ideas, pull out your phone and peruse the emoji universe for simple smiley faces.
- Stencils
Similar to the stamps, these face paint stencils from All-About-Stencils are perfect for parents who don’t trust their inner artist.
- Soccer Ball
Your little sports fan will love it, and you’ll love how easy it is to create.
- Seahorse
Go with a simple seahorse on the cheek, or get inspired with this more ornate tutorial from FacePaintingTips.
Planning to break out the face painting at your kid’s next birthday? Check out these Creative Ideas for Kids’ Birthday Parties to plan the rest of the event.
Jennifer DiGiovanni is a freelance writer, small business owner and mother of three.
