Painting Miniatures With Kids

As a very rough guide, many children are ready to paint a miniature with a grown-up alongside them from around 7 or 8. At that age, big areas of colour on a chunky model work well. Finer detail, like eyes and edges, tends to come a bit later as hands get steadier and patience grows.

Every child is different, though. Some younger ones will happily sit and paint, and some older ones would rather be outside. The best signs are simple: they want to have a go, they can hold a brush near the tip like a pencil, and they can stick with one thing for a little while.

A 32mm knight is small. His shield is about the size of a fingernail and his face is smaller than a grain of rice. That's tricky for anyone, let alone small hands. The same knight at 55mm or 75mm has a shield you can actually aim at, a cloak with room for a proper brush stroke and a face you can see without squinting.

Bigger miniatures are also easier to hold and harder to knock over. Our compare sizes tool lets you see how a model looks at each size before you choose, and our large miniatures guide has tips for painting the bigger ones.

Resin miniatures need a little preparation before painting, and none of it is a job for children. Our miniatures arrive ready for primer, so there's no washing to do, but if there's the odd micro support left on, take it off with a fine file or a mould line remover, using a gentle motion in one direction only. Wear a mask while you do it and wash your hands afterwards. Do this away from where the children are, and tidy away every bit of dust before they come to the table. Our prep guide covers it step by step.

Priming is a grown-up job too. Spray primer goes on outdoors or by a wide open window, with the children well out of the way, and the model comes back to the table once it's fully dry. Super glue, knives and anything sharp stay with you as well.

Good kid jobs

Choosing the colours is the best bit, so let them. Basecoating the big areas, like the cloak, the shield and the armour, is perfect with a medium brush. Drybrushing the base with an old brush is fast, forgiving and looks great, and our drybrushing guide shows how. And every finished knight needs a name.

Cover the table with something wipe-clean, sit side by side and give each of you a model on a holder. Put one heavy, wide water pot at the back in the middle, where it's easy to reach and hard to knock over. Keep just a few paints between you, with the lids handy.

Good light helps everyone, and an old shirt or apron means nobody has to worry about their clothes. Our desk and lighting guide has more on lamps and layout.

An orange knight with a green cloak and a pink shield is not a mistake. Neither is paint on the base, a wobbly edge or a sword that's slightly the colour of the cloak. The aim is an afternoon that was fun and a model they're proud of, not a competition entry.

Resist the urge to fix things. If they ask for help, show them on your own model, then hand the brush back. Praise the choices they made, ask them about their knight, and give him a place of honour on a shelf. When they're ready for more, our first miniature guide has the full set of steps.