Guest Post: Textured Paint Craft for Toddlers and Kids

When it comes to kids and cooking, there are at least two things I know for certain. First, they want to do it, too. Second, they’re always ready to taste whatever it is they’re mixing up.

In that sense, cooking and crafting have a lot in common in the kid-participation department: No matter what type of project you’re working on, they want to ‘help’ and there’s a 95%+ chance at least some of it will end up in someone’s mouth, especially when littler kids (aka, babies and toddlers) are involved!

Here’s a way to combine the two in a perfectly blended cooking/crafting project: DIY edible paint for toddlers (that’s also safe for babies). And the best part is that they can help and taste to their hearts’ content…although you’re probably going to want a camera handy because the look on their faces when they taste the salt is priceless!

This simple tutorial for textured paint craft for toddlers is made from things you already have in the cupboard and will provide hours of non-toxic fun for your little ones. So, gather the materials, tie on a bib (yours is optional!) and let’s get to mixing.

Textured Paint Craft for Toddlers and Kids

Get your paint station set before mixing up your paint. Compile the following ingredients:

• ½ Cup Flour
• 2 teaspoons Salt
• 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoons Baking Soda
• 1/3 Cup Water (as needed to thicken/thin out consistency)
• Food Coloring

For our textured project, you’ll also need a sturdy stencil like these animal print ones:

I selected this one because it doesn’t have as many fine details and delicate strips that could get damaged by little fingers.

1. Mix together the ingredients and tint your paint to the shade you want using the food coloring.

*Tip: If you have slightly older kids in the kitchen, use this opportunity to teach them about proper measuring techniques and how to make sure they are measuring the right amounts.

For example, flour (and other dry ingredients) should be measured into a dry measuring cup and not a liquid cup because the measurements are different and your end product is affected by inaccuracies, especially in baking.

2. Attach the self-adhesive stencil to a sheet of wax or freezer paper to practice before moving on to an actual sheet of paper. When little painters are involved, having a wipe-able surface to start out with makes it easy to scrape off errant paint and start over again without having to use a new piece of paper each time.

3. This is where the texture comes into play. Smear globs of the paint onto the stencil and smoosh around in random dabs (yep, technical terms, all of them). Your kids can use a soft spatula or their fingers to smear the paint and get a tactile sensory experience to boot!

4. Keep coating the stencil like you’re icing a cake until it’s completely covered.

5. From here, carefully peel back the stencil to reveal the awesome pattern beneath.

6. Pop the sheet into the microwave for about 15-20 seconds until the paint has hardened.

7. Now that the paint has firmed up, your kids can run their hands over the textured surface and feel what they made with their own little hands!

8. If they’re ready to move on to the official ‘canvas,’ grab a sheet of copy paper and repeat the stenciling process.

Check out this raised texture that your DIY paint and stencil created!

This stenciled textured paint artwork looks great hanging on a wall, on the fridge or in your office. And doesn’t it look so much more advanced than a toddler’s work? Next stop for your little artist: The Metropolitan Museum of Art!

What other fun painting projects have you done with your kids?

Rheney Williams has three nephews and one niece under the age of 6, with one more on the way next spring. In addition to writing about paint projects for The Home Depot, Rheney loves sharing her DIY passion of all things crafty and creative with children and adults who are kids at heart.