Is Acrylic Paint Safe for Kids? What Parents Actually Need to Know

Written by Paul Worrall

This is genuinly one of the most common questions I get asked, in one form or another, and it’s worth answering properly rather than with a quick yes or no. Acrylic paint covers a genuinly huge range of products, from professional artist-grade paint with warning labels to paint specifically formulated and certified for young children, and the honest answer to “is it safe” genuinly depends on which one you’re actually holding.

I’ve spent 16 years in the UK art and craft supplies industry and now run Discount Art Supplies, used by over 41,000 UK artists and parents every week. My own two kids, Zach and Nancy, have gone through more paint than I’d like to admit at our kitchen table, so this comes from genuine parental experience alongside industry knowledge. Nancy went through a proper handprint-and-footprint phase a while back — half the fridge at one point was covered in her little painted hand shapes turned into hedgehogs and butterflies — and Zach, a few years older, has since moved on to genuinly trying to paint like an actual artist rather than just making a mess, with mixed but genuinly enthusiastic results. Between the two of them I’ve bought, tested and occasionally regretted more kids’ paint than most parents ever will.

Is Acrylic Paint Actually Safe for Kids?

Genuinly, the answer is: it depends entirely on the specific product, not on “acrylic paint” as a category. Standard artist-grade acrylic paint — the kind sold for serious painting — isn’t necessarily formulated or tested for children, and some pigments and additives used in professional ranges genuinly aren’t appropriate for young kids, particularly anyone likely to put things in their mouth.

What you actually want to look for is a genuine safety certification mark on the packaging — in the UK and Europe, that’s the AP (Approved Product) seal or compliance with EN71, the European toy safety standard. Paint carrying these marks has genuinly been tested and certified non-toxic for children’s use. Products specifically labelled and marketed as “kids’ paint” or “washable paint” are almost always formulated with this in mind, whereas a tube of professional artist acrylic bought for yourself genuinly wasn’t designed with a toddler’s mouth in mind.

What Age Is Acrylic Paint Appropriate For?

Genuinly, this depends more on supervision than a strict age cutoff. Certified non-toxic, washable kids’ paint is generally considered appropriate from around age 3, under supervision, once a child is past the stage of routinely putting things in their mouth. Younger toddlers doing handprint or footprint crafts — a genuinly popular use case — are usually fine with certified washable paint too, but supervision matters more than the specific age.

Standard artist-grade acrylic, by contrast, isn’t genuinly recommended for young children at all, regardless of supervision — it’s simply not the product it was designed to be.

1. Crayola Washable Kids’ Paint — Best Overall

Crayola is genuinly one of the most trusted names globally for children’s art materials, and their washable paint range is built specifically around the two things parents actually worry about — genuine non-toxic certification and paint that genuinly washes out of clothes and off most surfaces without a fight. It’s the sensible default most parents reach for first, and there’s real reason it’s stayed that popular for so long.

2. Reeves Acrylic Paint Set — Best for Genuine Acrylic Technique

Reeves is a genuinly well-established name for accessible, beginner-friendly art materials, and their acrylic sets are a sensible step up for slightly older children who want to genuinly experience real acrylic painting technique — proper colour mixing and layering — rather than the simpler poster-paint-style experience most “kids’ paint” is built around. Worth checking the specific set carries the AP or EN71 safety mark, since Reeves’ range spans both genuine kids’ products and general beginner ranges not specifically certified for young children.

3. Berol Kids’ Paint — Best Budget/School

Berol is a genuinly trusted name in UK schools specifically, and their paint ranges reflect exactly what that environment demands — reliably safe, affordable, and built to handle enthusiastic group use without the budget concerns of premium options. A sensible choice for anyone buying in volume or wanting a dependable, no-fuss option for regular use.

4. Melissa & Doug Paint Set — Best Complete Set with Accessories

Melissa & Doug’s genuine reputation for well-made children’s activity products extends to their paint sets too, typically bundled with brushes, a palette and sometimes an easel or smock — a genuinly convenient all-in-one option for anyone who’d rather buy everything needed in one purchase rather than assembling separate pieces.

5. Artway Kids’ Paint Pack — Best for Family Multi-Packs

Artway is a genuinly solid UK budget brand, and their larger multi-packs make sense for families with more than one child, or anyone who wants a genuine bulk supply on hand for regular use without constantly rebuying single pots. Honest value for money without embarrassing compromises on the safety side.

Protecting Clothes and Surfaces

Even genuinly washable paint benefits from sensible precautions — an old shirt worn backwards works as well as any dedicated smock, and covering the table with an old towel or roll of paper genuinly saves a lot of stress. Acting quickly on stains matters more than the product itself in most cases — rinsing wet paint out immediately is far more effective than treating it once it’s dried in.

I learned this one properly the hard way. Zach once got hold of a set that genuinly wasn’t the washable kind — a hand-me-down from somewhere I hadn’t checked closely enough — and by the time I noticed, a school jumper had a streak of green across it that never fully came out, despite my best efforts. It’s the exact reason I now genuinly check for that AP or EN71 mark on the tub before anything goes anywhere near my kids, and why I’d genuinly urge any parent to do the same rather than assume all paint is the same paint.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is acrylic paint safe for kids? Paint specifically certified with the AP seal or EN71 compliance, and marketed as kids’ or washable paint, genuinly is. Standard artist-grade acrylic isn’t formulated with young children in mind.

Can kids use acrylic paint for handprints? Yes, genuinly, provided it’s a certified non-toxic, washable product — this is one of the most common genuine use cases for kids’ acrylic paint.

Is non-toxic paint actually non-toxic? Genuinly yes, when it carries proper AP or EN71 certification — these are real, tested safety standards, not just marketing language.

What age can children start using acrylic paint? Generally from around age 3 with supervision, once past the stage of routinely mouthing objects, though this depends more on the individual child than a strict rule.