Create your own non-toxic paint

Love getting creative with your child but don’t know where to start? Try making and using your own non-toxic paint, creating a sensory experience for your child and an opportunity for them to express themselves.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of flour, 1 cup of water (plus some extra water), a pinch of salt (optional), food colouring or liquid watercolours.

Getting started:

1. Pour the flour and water into a saucepan.

2. Stir over a medium heat until the flour and water come together and form a smooth, thick paste. Don’t worry if your mixture is lumpy at first, it will all eventually come together!

3. When the mixture starts to pull away from the sides of the saucepan, remove it from the heat.

4. Add a pinch of salt (optional). This will stop the paint from spoiling if you don’t use it right away.

5. Slowly add cold water until the mixture reaches the desired consistency (at nursery, we usually add around ¼ cup of water). You now have paint!

6. Divide your paint into bowls.

7. Squeeze food colouring or liquid watercolours into the paint, creating your chosen colours.

8. Store in a covered container in the fridge until you are ready to use it.

Using your paint:

This non-toxic paint is excellent for finger-painting with babies, they will love its texture and how it feels against their skin and between their fingers. If you want a bigger canvas and don’t mind mess, lay a piece of old fabric on the floor along with some paint in accessible containers (such as a tray or paper plate). Let your child explore with their fingers, hands and even their feet! For older children, leave a range of different brushes or objects that can be used for painting. For example, a toothbrush, some leaves or stones, or sponges.