Toddlers love to participate in sensory based art experience, but they may still have a tendency to put things in their mouths, which can be dangerous with traditional finger paints. Edible finger paints are easy to make with things found around the house, affordable, and fun to play with.
Finger painting with edible finger paints is a great way to keep a toddler occupied in his high chair while dinner is being prepared. Finger paints do not need to be limited to store bought paints. Many foods and baking supplies can be turned into great edible and non-toxic art supplies for toddlers.
Sweetened Condensed Milk Finger Paint
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Food coloring or brightly colored fruit juice
Pour a small amount of sweetened condensed milk into several small bowls. Mix in a few drops of food coloring in each bowl to create a variety of colors. Help your toddler use the colored sweetened condensed milk to pain on newspaper, butcher paper, or craft paper.
Pudding Finger Paint
- Chocolate or vanilla pudding
Make some chocolate or vanilla pudding and allow your toddler to paint with it on a piece of paper. This is a fun activity to use with a print out of a teddy bear outline to let your toddler color in the teddy bear with chocolate pudding. Add food coloring to vanilla pudding to create fun colors.
Corn Syrup Finger Paint
- Light corn syrup
- Food coloring
Pour a small amount of light corn syrup into several small bowls. Mix a few drops of food coloring in each bowl to create your favorite colors. Use the corn syrup finger paint to paint on newspaper, butcher paper, or craft paper. For a fun variation, use this finger paint to paint on the shiny side of a piece of foil.
Simple Food Based Finger Paint
- ½ cup of cornstarch
- ¼ cup of sugar
- 2 cups cold water
- Food coloring
This simple finger paint recipe may not be the tastiest if your toddler eats it, but it is made up of completely non-toxic, edible ingredients so you don't have to worry about any chemicals touching your toddler's skin.
Mix the cornstarch and sugar together. Slowly stir in the water and mix well. Put the mixture in a pot on the stove over medium heat and heat for about 5 minutes or until the mixture develops a gel-like texture. Separate the mixture into several smaller containers and add a few drops of food coloring to each container.
Alternatives to Food Coloring
Some parents may prefer to avoid food coloring because their toddler is allergic to it or because they want to use more natural ingredients.
- Red - cherry juice, raspberry juice, cranberry juice
- Blue - blueberry juice
- Yellow - dried turmeric
- Health food stores may carry vegetable based food coloring.
Finger Paint Additions
Edible finger paints are fun to use with a few texture additions. Sprinkles make a fun addition and can be eaten without changing the taste. Colored salt can be made by adding a few drops of food coloring to salt and shaking it in a plastic container.
Edible finger paint makes it possible for toddlers to enjoy a classic open-ended art project without the risk of eating toxic paints. Using food based art materials is economical and much healthier than using synthetic and possibly toxic paints.
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