Top Painting classes for 2026

Kids' painting classes near you

OurKids.net offers programs and camps in all Canada's major cities. You can use our advanced search to find painting classes in your city or neighbourhood. Find your city in the list below:

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More than just summer camp

If you want to try painting in different types of camps experiences, find more options below.

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What Kids Learn in a Painting Class 

Painting classes teach kids a variety of artistic skills as well as soft skills. Some typical things they will learn are as follows: 

• Kids learn painting techniques.  They learn how to use a variety of brush types, how to mix colours using colour theory, and more. 
• They're exposed to working with a variety of media. This can include mixed media, watercolour, and for more advanced ages, acrylics and oil.
• They're taught essentials of composition.

There are also the soft skills learned, including critical thinking, expression, and self-confidence. They develop a deeper trust in their instincts and learn through the programs’ inherent social interaction. 

Nine Benefits of painting class for kids and teens

There are many benefits of enrolling your child in a painting class. Here's a look at nine ways your child will grow and learn:

Build fine motor skills. For very young children, gripping paintbrushes, mixing colours, squeezing paint tubes, and other incidental manual tasks related to painting all increase their dexterity and coordination. Engaged in art activities, kids build fine motor skills.

Art encourages neural connections. Artistic activity engages all five of the senses—sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste—depending on the activity. Brain synapses are actively firing away as kids experiment and create by mixing materials and colours, squishing paint between their fingers, or making up imaginary animals and characters. 

Get started on an artistic pursuit. Advanced painting classes for older teens are often targeted at starting a portfolio, and can be an important stepping stone to getting into a college-level arts program. 

Meet and work with professional artists. After-school painting courses and classes listed above include programs where they will be mentored by working artists with knowledge of advanced composition, brushwork, and colour theory techniques, who can pass that onto students in the class. 

Painting classes are social. Kids enjoy the collective group atmosphere that a painting class provides. Having a group of peers to share their projects with is an additional benefit for young creatives. They also develop a strong sense of connection to their teachers, in an environment that helps build their self-esteem and self-confidence. 

Creative expression. Regular involvement in art will encourage kids to be more creative. They find new ways to explore creativity.  You can be confident that your child will develop artistic skill with the help of a painting class, and that they’ll enjoy it for a long time to come.

They learn an art form independently. With the help of an instructor, children can use their artistic skills to express themselves in new ways. These classes can help kids grow in independence. And as parents, you will be delighted to see them develop their skills and have fun together!

They’re also a great outlet for kids' emotional well-being.  In addition to promoting a positive attitude, regular involvement in arts fosters positive emotional growth in both kids and adults.

They’re fun! Need we say more?

How to find the right painting after-school program

When choosing a painting class, there are many things to consider, such as the location, the schedule, and the cost. There are many comparable options out there, so it is important to ask about each one's unique qualities. Each camp will explain why it is better than the others, so make sure to compare your answers when deciding which is right for your child. 

Counsellors should be confident and responsive when interacting with parents and should be able to understand and address parent concerns. When conversing with parents, they should be able to look them in the eye and show confidence. As a role model,  they are viewed as loco parentis. See if your child feels comfortable with the counsellors. If they are comfortable asking questions and making comments, it will make the whole experience more fun and rewarding for both of you.

Listed below are some questions parents should ask painting after-school programs

• Will my child be painting the entire time or will they alternate between activities?
• What experience does my child need with painting, in order to attend? If so, how much experience?
• Are campers grouped by age, arts skill or integrated?
• What is the ratio of counsellors to campers?
• What are the qualifications of the counsellors?
• If professionals visit the camp, how often do they visit and stay to interact with the campers?

You might also like these related camps and programs

OurKids.net lists many different kinds of camps and after-school programs. We suggest that you can enrich your education and your personal interests by trying out the following camps and classes that might interest budding painters.

Visual arts camps or visual arts classes expose kids and teens to the classic art forms like drawing, sketching, and photography.

Cartooning camp enables kids to learn crucial skills in the graphic arts, including drawing, design, comic book writing, and visual storytelling.

Arts camp opportunities offers a wide variety of choices, giving kids and teens a wide overview of arts-related activities they can adopt and learn from. 

Combine the above with more information in the rest of our guide: 

Sources and further reading

"The benefits of art for kids." artfulparent.com

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Painting classes are there?
There are 20 programs offering painting as an activity. Use the filters to narrow by age and program type, then click on matched programs to see daily activities, dates, rates and registration information.

What are the fees to attend Painting classes?
Fees for programs offering painting as an activity range from FREE to $730 per program (program types and lengths vary). Use the filters here to narrow programs by age and type.

Where can parents meet with Painting classes?
Meet with program directors and staff at the Our Kids Camp & Program Expo. The Expo is held annually in February, and is a fun and informative day for parents, kids, and teens. Find event details and free tickets here.