Summer Crafts For Kids
Painting Mason Jars With Acrylic Paint

Hey there, Mason jar fans!

Painting Mason jars is a very popular craft and one which we get a lot of questions about. There are many different types of paints, from glass tints to chalkboard paint; the paint you choose just depends on what look/finish you’re trying to achieve.

That being said, I personally had never painted a Mason jar. I know – it’s a bit shocking to confess that, but there it is. So I decided to just go for it and let the kids loose with acrylic paint and see what happened. There was a bit of trial and error in the process (which I’ll share with you), but the end results were amazing!

Without further ado, welcome to the second installment of Summer Crafts For Kids: 2022 Edition!

First, I combed Pinterest for ideas and basic directions before we got started and landed on this blog post, as the kids liked the tie dyed galaxy look.

Next, we did need some supplies for this project but were luckily able to pick everything up at Michael’s. The kids were only too thrilled to pick out acrylic paints, glitter, and foam brushes while only giving their mother a slight headache in the process. So success… I guess!

NOTE: We decided to use smooth sided, regular mouth quart, Ball Mason jars for this craft project for something different from the tissue paper lanterns that we made last time, and they worked really well. I think the smooth surface made it a little easier to add layers of paint, creating the color the kids were going for. It all depends on the look you want for your project.

Supplies:

• Acrylic paints
• Foam brushes (we used some in shapes and some round)
• Paint brushes (optional)
• Glitter (optional)
• Mason jars (size of your choice)
• Mod Podge
• Accessories

Instructions:

Step 1: Applying The Acrylic Paint

I totally spaced bringing some sort of palettes for the kids to use for their paints, so we dug around the warehouse for a solution. Eventually we found plastic sandwich baggies and put a piece of leftover cardboard inside to give it some stability. These worked pretty well! I also grabbed 4oz jelly jars (to hold our brush/sponge cleaning water), paper towels, and smocks.

Once we had our supplies together, the kids started applying acrylic paint with foam brushes. The first coat went on much lighter than my younger kiddo wanted, so I told her to let it dry and add additional layers. My older kiddo liked the more see-through results for their galaxy themed jar and just added shapes to theirs for the second coat.

Keep applying paint layers, blending as you go, until you get to the colors and opacity you like.

NOTE: Keep paint off the threads of your jar if you intend to use a lid or other accessory with your project that will need to screw on.

Step 2: Glitter

In the beginning, the kids wanted to add glitter to their painted jars. I’ve never done this before, either, but read some instructions. My younger kiddo added some to the wet paint, but that didn’t work out very well, as she kept messing up the paint, too (you can see the glitter in this picture). I told her to let the paint dry, apply Mod Podge where she wanted glitter, and then let the whole thing dry before step 3.

She apparently lost interest in the process, as it took her several coats of paint to get the colors she wanted – she eventually gave up on glitter. I think next time we may just try doing glitter jars similar to these beauties!

Step 3: Mod Podge

The acrylic paint on smooth glass scratches/chips off pretty easily, so you’re going to want to seal your project for longevity (plus it looks even cooler!). Once the paint and glitter (if you used it) are totally dry, then you’ll want to start your coats of Mod Podge. Allow the jar to completely dry between layers.

We did two coats of sealer on our projects, and that made them shiny and more scratch resistant (though you can still scrape paint off if you try). Depending on what you’re using your jar for ultimately, should determine the number of coats of Mod Podge needed. I would say two at a minimum, and more might have been better since the kids want to use them as room decor/piggy banks. I really like the polished look the glossy Mod Podge gave to our painted jars and would recommend it.

Step 4: Add Accessories

Accessories really are the spice of life and certainly took this project to the next level. My older kiddo stuck with a galaxy theme for their painted Mason jar with beautiful stamped stars and so they chose a star handle lid.

My younger kiddo shifted from galaxy to a beach theme for her jar and so she decided to turn it into a bank to save money for vacation by adding a stainless steel coin slot lid.

You can really turn these painted jars into so many different things and personalized gifts depending on what accessories you choose to add! Make travel or trip fund jars for yourself or give as gifts with a variety of coin slot lids to pick from. Create a special keepsake for a teacher, and add a frog lid with nice pens. Make storage more colorful and festive with painted jars and cork, plastic, or stainless steel storage lids. So many different options – just let your imagination run wild.

Results:

As you can see, our acrylic painted Mason jars turned out pretty cool! The colors blended together beautifully and both the more opaque and more transparent painting styles look amazing! I was super impressed with how easy this project was for the kids to complete without my help. It was really a perfect project for kids to do while grownups have to work. I can see us doing this again for presents or even during a birthday party event at our house. Bonus when the Helseth kids showed up to the warehouse the next day, 3 out of the 4 kids grabbed the acrylic paints and started making paper towel art, which kept the troops happy for a bit!

I hope you found this project inspiring, whether you’re looking for a craft project for kids or adults. I’d love to see what you create! Come by and share with us on social media! I’d love to connect with you : ) Join the conversations going on right now on our Facebook business page, Mason Jar Lifestyle, or Facebook group, Living The Mason Jar Lifestyle! We are also on Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and TikTok. Looking forward to connecting with you soon!