Once Baby is a little older and wiser, you can introduce them to palettes and paintbrushes and easels, but for now, finger paint is where it’s at. Edible finger paint is great for two reasons. First, you can make it at home, which is a fun activity on its own. Second, you don’t have to worry about keeping Baby‘s fingers out of their mouth. How do you start?
Round up the ingredients
You’ll need some standard baking ingredients (flour, sugar, and salt) and one non-standard ingredient: food coloring. The colors are up to you, but it might help your decision-making process to remember that darker colors make for tougher stains. You’ll also need a few materials: a pan, whisk, and cups to put the paint in.
Make the base
Heat a pan on your stovetop on medium, and mix 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1/3 cup of flour, and 2 cups of water. Cornstarch can also work in place of flour. Whisk the mixture until it’s smooth, turn off the heat, and continue to whisk it until it’s thick. Then, pour the base into each of your cups (how many cups depends on how many colors of paint you want to make).
Mix in the color
Add a few drops of food coloring into each cup. It doesn’t take much color to create vibrant paint, but you can always add more if you want your paint to be more saturated. Mix it thoroughly to make sure the color is even throughout the paint – or don’t, it’s all going to be mixed together in a few minutes anyway!
Once the paint is completely cool, you and Baby can start creating your masterpieces. The paint on your fingers will be safe to eat, even if it’s not exactly delicious. Happy painting!
