DIY Art Materials: 3 Easy Homemade Paints for Kids

3 easy homemade paints for kids you can make using items from your pantry.

Lately I’m all about one thing when is comes to our kid’s craft activities: EASY. With a newborn and two older kids I just don’t have time to do anything that takes much prep work, so I’m always on the look-out for kid’s activities that I can quickly throw together…enter these three homemade paints: Pudding Paint, Syrup Paint, and Cornstarch + Vinegar Paint. All are super simple DIY art materials for kids that can be whipped up in a short amount of time.

 3 EASY Homemade Paints: The Recipes

Homemade Paint #1: Pudding Paint

Why is pudding paint awesome? Ahhh, let me count the ways….

• Easy to make
• One box makes a large quantity of paint
• 3 ingredients
• Mixing the colors is half the fun
• Edible and non-toxic
• Easy to clean
• Great for finger painting

Convinced yet? There are many online recipes for pudding paint;  here’s the easy one I referenced: Pudding Paint.

Materials: 


• 1 Box Vanilla Instant Pudding Mix
• 2 Cups Ice Cold Water
• Food Coloring

Instructions:


• Pour pudding mix into a bowl
• Add water and whisk
• Refrigerate
• Separate the pudding into separate containers
• Add a couple drops of food coloring (you won’t need much) to each container
• Mix until the color is fully combined

Notes & Tips:

• The colder the water, the better, lukewarm water makes soupy paint…
• The paint will continue to thicken the longer you leave it in the fridge.
• Include your child in the task of color mixing, its a great lesson and part of the activity’s appeal.
• Pudding Paint will be semi-transparent so don’t expect vibrant paintings, think pastels.
• Pudding Paint has a great texture so expect your child to scoop it out and smear it, this is almost guaranteed!
• Keep a couple of boxes of instant pudding in your pantry for times when you need a quick art project.
• Pudding Paint will last a few days at room temperature, after that it will start to spoil.

Homemade Paint #2: Corn Syrup Paint

At first I scoffed at the idea of using corn syrup as a paint base; I thought is would attract ants or remain really sticky. But as I was using the corn syrup for a bird feeder mobile (project coming soon…) I added a bit of food coloring to try and entice my kids to join me in the project. My son painted green corn syrup on a cardboard tube to make a birdfeeder monster and after leaving it for a day I noticed it had dried into a really cool glazed surface. That’s when I mixed up a bit more of this paint to try again. It’s even easier to make than pudding paint and the results are unique! So let me count Syrup Paint’s amazing virtues…

• Can be made in 1 minute, truly
• 2 ingredients
• Edible and non-toxic
• Unique shiny “glazed” look

Materials: 


• Light Corn Syrup
• Food Coloring

Instructions:


• Pour corn syrup into a small dish
• Add a couple drops of food coloring (you won’t need much)
• Mix

Notes & Tips:

• Syrup Paint dries within a few hours, however it does remain semi-sticky even when fully dry so keep that in mind when deciding if it’s appropriate for a project, i.e. don’t use it on a bookmark!
• Syrup Paint would look great on wood projects but works well on paper too.
• Syrup Paint has some dimension to it.
• Keep it in an airtight to prevent it from hardening and it will last indefinitely.

Homemade Paint #3: Cornstarch & Vinegar Paint

Another paint you can whip up in one minute. A limitation of this paint is that is needs to be swished around while using it so it may be better suited for older kids who can remember that step! Here are the things I like best about this paint:

• Quick and easy to make
• 3 ingredients
• Uses common household pantry ingredients
• Produces vibrant colors

Materials:

• 2 parts Cornstarch
• 3 parts Distilled White Vinegar
• Food Coloring

Instructions:

• Mix the cornstarch and vinegar together in a shallow bowl or tupperware container.
• Add food coloring to make the hue you desire.

Notes & Tips:

• Cornstarch naturally wants to separate from any liquid so you will have to keep swishing the paint around while using it to keep it properly mixed, otherwise you’ll end up with watery parts and flaky parts to your artwork.
• Expect some of the cornstarch to flake off when the paint is fully dry.
• Don’t add too much cornstarch or you’ll end up with Oobleck! Don’t worry if you do, though, just add more liquid and you’ll get back to the consistency you want.
• While the mixed paint can be kept indefinitely in airtight containers, it is best used soon after mixing. Once the vinegar and cornstarch have separated for some time you’ll have to really mix it up again to prevent lumpiness in the paint.
• After making this paint I wondered what the difference would be if I just used water instead of vinegar. The water + cornstarch mixture was definitely more flaky when it fully dried.

So there you have it, 3 easy homemade paints you can whip up for the kids in a matter of minutes using common household ingredients.

If you like making your own homemade paints, here are some more DIY art material ideas:

Are you passionate about raising creative kids?

Join over 22,179 parents and educators who want connect with kids and nurture their creative process through magical, easy projects you can do TOGETHER.

Subscribe to our email list to receive project ideas as well as offers for some our creative products.

If you want to read our privacy policy before subscribing, hop over here.