Tag Archives: painting

Homemade Edible Finger Paint (No Cornstarch Needed)

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Homemade edible finger paint using only water, flour, and food coloring. Perfect for introducing little ones to messy play and basic art.

Today I wanted to try some finger painting with my little guy (20 months old). Unfortunately, I didn’t have any paint and I wasn’t able to go to the store to buy cornstarch or any of those other ingredients commonly used in homemade paint recipes.

Thankfully, I did have flour and food coloring.

So I simply mixed equal parts water and white flour (I did one cup of each) to make a nice painty paste. I put the water in the bowl first, then slowly mixed in the flour to avoid lumps. I divided up the paste into separate compartments of a toddler plate and then mixed in food coloring.

Voila! Easy homemade edible finger paint!

Homemade edible finger paint using only water, flour, and food coloring. Perfect for introducing little ones to messy play and basic art. Homemade edible finger paint using only water, flour, and food coloring. Perfect for introducing little ones to messy play and basic art.

We took our supplies outside and tried it out. Not bad!

Homemade edible finger paint using only water, flour, and food coloring. Perfect for introducing little ones to messy play and basic art.

Homemade edible finger paint using only water, flour, and food coloring. Perfect for introducing little ones to messy play and basic art.

Homemade edible finger paint using only water, flour, and food coloring. Perfect for introducing little ones to messy play and basic art.

I liked this mixture because it was super easy for my little guy to wipe off himself and didn’t smear around on his skin like regular paint would. If he wanted it off, it came off. It also easily washed off with warm water after it had dried on his (and my) skin. Plus, it was no big deal if it got in his mouth. It’s just flour and water.

I wouldn’t recommend using this mixture for “serious” art. It became grainy and bubbly on the paper and wouldn’t be great for making detailed masterpieces. However, it’s perfect if you’re just looking to give your little one easy access to a low-maintenance, low-cost painting experience, which is exactly what I wanted.

Homemade edible finger paint using only water, flour, and food coloring. Perfect for introducing little ones to messy play and basic art.

Remember to provide tools such as paintbrushes and sponges for kids who are nervous about touching the paint. Also, please, don’t encourage your kids to eat the paint. Just because it can be eaten doesn’t mean it should be eaten, especially if your kiddo has a gluten allergy or Celiac Disease.

Homemade edible finger paint using only water, flour, and food coloring. Perfect for introducing little ones to messy play and basic art.

What is your favorite homemade edible finger paint recipe?

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Intro to Messy Play: Painting with Shaving Cream

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If you have a kiddo who is hesitant to dip their little fingers into messy sensory materials, or even outright HATES it, try giving them a tool such as a paintbrush or spoon. This will allow them to engage with the tactile media without actually having to touch it. It also serves as a nice introduction to messy play! Then as the child becomes more comfortable engaging in sensory play with the tool, she can gradually begin to explore the messy stuff on her own terms, when she feels ready.

When it comes to messy play, shaving cream is perhaps the most classic medium used by pediatric occupational therapists. Some kids LOVE the stuff and could bathe in it from head to toe every day if their mommies let them (like the kids in this picture). Others, like those mentioned above, probably wish it was buried in a deep dark cave far, far away.

So what do we do? Give ‘em a tool!

Introduce kids to messy play by painting with shaving cream. Especially good for those with tactile defensiveness who don't like to get messy.

My toddler son got to try this activity last week since he’s still not so sure about things that are goopy or foamy. All we needed was a baking sheet, some old paintbrushes, a big piece of paper (bought a whole pad from the dollar store for future projects!), and three drops of food coloring.

I squirted the cream onto the pan, showed him how I swirled in the food coloring, and then demonstrated how to brush, brush, brush! on the paper since he was a little nervous about it at first. But once he saw that it was okay and we could sing fun songs while we brushed, he reached for a brush and joined right in! He remained engaged in this process for about five minutes before he decided he was all done. It was a good start!

Introduce kids to messy play by painting with shaving cream. Especially good for those with tactile defensiveness who don't like to get messy. As mentioned previously, if you have a child who is nervous about or avoidant of tactile sensory experiences like this one, don’t force them to touch it or “just be fine” with it. Gauge their comfort level, offer demonstration and gentle encouragement, allow them to watch peers or siblings engage with it while positively reinforcing them for doing so (but DON’T punish or shame the one who doesn’t engage), sing songs or count or rhyme while doing it, make shapes and faces and sound effects as appropriate, and provide plenty of opportunities for exposure over time. Make it fun! Praise them when they try it and allow them to wipe their hands or take a break when they need to in order to keep it as positive an experience as possible.

Introduce kids to messy play by painting with shaving cream. Especially good for those with tactile defensiveness who don't like to get messy.  Have fun!

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How to turn recyclables into art supplies

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During one of my internships as an OT student we did an art project we called “circle art”. It can be done by people of nearly any age and level of physical ability as long as they have the ability to grasp objects and are given the appropriate level of supervision.

All you have to do is gather together household objects that possess any sort of circular shape and use them as stamps. A quick rummage through your recycling bin should yield sufficient results.

In the picture below you’ll see the wide variety of materials we used (the project was originally done with adults with physical and developmental disabilities): gatorade bottle, wine bottle, soda lid, mini soda can, wine corks, paper coffee cups cut into various sizes, plastic cups, screw tops of various sizes, toilet paper rolls, spice bottles, a roll of tape, and more. The variety of materials make for an interestingly diverse selection of designs, especially all the bumps on the bottom of the wine bottle. Make sure you only offer materials you know the kids will be able to work with safely.

Have each child (or group of children) choose one color of paint (or one mixture of two colors) plus the color black. Squirt the paint on a flat dipping surface (like a paper plate or plastic paint dish), mix as needed, and then it’s time to begin stamping!

Some kids will only needed verbal cues to complete the task and try different sizes of stamps. Others will require maximum hand-over-hand assistance. It just depends on how good they are at following directions and how comfortable they are with the paints and stamping materials. The great thing about this project, though, is that every child can engage in it because all they need is the ability to hold onto the stamp and, as an added bonus, the final products all look great!

Here’s a glimpse of some of the finished products from a few years ago:

This group chose to mix blue and green to create a beautiful sea green color.

This group chose to swirl together yellow and orange.

And this group chose to mix yellow and blue to create a nice teal color.

You can make this craft as educational as you want, depending on your objective. Encourage kids to talk about the colors and materials they’re using (“What do you use a ______ for?”). Challenge them to see what happens when they stamp over and over again without re-dipping their stamp. Engage them in conversation about things that are round. Have them make pictures using only the assortment of round items (such as snowman, caterpillar, happy face). Did you know that a circle is the first shape a child should learn to make (after lines and scribbles, but before squares and triangles)? That means this activity is in the ballpark of pre-writing! Bring in some pre-math skills and ask them to make different patterns such as ABAB or AABB. You preschool and Kindergarten teachers know what I’m talking about! Talk about the sound of the letter “O” or words that start with the letter “O”. You can even discuss the value of recycling and begin to teach them what sorts of items are recyclable.

Allow them to get creative with their art and their conversation, and make sure you have plenty of paper towels and sponges on hand so they can help you clean up!

 

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