Cute Nail Designs for Kids to Do at Home

Host a nail polish party with some close friends.

Kids don't need to go to the salon to get cute designs painted on their fingernails. They can use a few simple techniques to paint their own nails or get together with a few friends for a nail painting party. The options are nearly endless, especially if you have a wide range of colors available. Most designs use basic techniques of stripes, dots and stickers that kids can mix and match to create their own designs.

Things You'll Need

• Nail polish
• Toothpicks
• Nail stickers
• Clear top coat

Instructions

1. Trim and buff the fingernails or toenails so they have a smooth surface to begin and will not need to be trimmed in the upcoming days, which could affect the designs.

2. Paint a coat of the background color onto the nails. If it is not opaque, paint another coat on after the first coat has dried. Wait until the background is completely dry before continuing with the designs.

3. Dip the tip of a toothpick into a contrasting color of nail polish and use the toothpick as a paintbrush to paint a stripe across the nail. Continue to make parallel stripes to complete the striped design. Consider black and white for zebra, black and yellow for bees, black and orange for tigers or black and pink for feminine zebras.

4. Dip the toothpick into a contrasting color and make polka dots by touching just the tip of the toothpick to the nail in a few locations. You can make dots in multiple colors or put dots just along the edge of the nail.

5. Make a flower by putting one dot in the center of the nail and making five or six dots of a different color around the center dot. Make the petals slightly pointy by dragging the toothpick away from the center a little bit after making each dot.

6. Draw freehand pictures on nails with toothpicks or small paintbrushes. Ideas include swirls, stars, smiley faces or sports symbols.

7. Add professional details by applying nail art stickers, either directly onto the base coat or on top of a painted design.

8. Paint over the completed nail art design with a clear top coat of nail polish. This protects the design from falling off or getting scratched.

Tips & Warnings

• Allow the nail polish to dry thoroughly between each coat. This allows the coat to fully harden and limits the chance of it smudging.

• Practice designs by tracing nail shapes onto paper and applying nail polish on these with toothpicks. If you mess up on real nails, you often have to remove all the polish and start over, which can be a time consuming process.