Cook cornstarch and water into a clear, lump-free gel, stir in unflavored gelatin, then split it up and let kids color it with food coloring for a thick, glossy finger paint. A great process-art and sensory activity.
An adult does all the cooking: boiling water and hot cornstarch gel can burn.
Let the cooked mixture cool. Check that the middle is no longer hot before kids add colors or touch it.
Taste-safe, not a snack. The ingredients are non-toxic, so an accidental taste is no cause for panic, but don't let kids eat the paint.
Food coloring can stain hands, clothes and surfaces. Cover the table and dress kids in play clothes.
Supervise young children throughout the activity.
Before the kids arrive
Optional: cook the paint up to a day or 2 ahead and keep it in the fridge. Loosen it with warm water before use.
Steps
Mix 1/2 cup cornstarch with 3/4 to 1 cup cold water until it is a really runny liquid, not goop.
Adult: bring 1.5 to 2 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan.
Meanwhile, mix 1 packet of unflavored gelatin with a little water until it is all soaked and a bit wet.
Adult: pour the runny cornstarch liquid into the boiling water, stirring constantly so no lumps form.
Adult: keep stirring until the mixture boils and turns very clear and glossy.
Adult: take the pan off the stove and stir in the soaked gelatin. Let it cool until it is safe to touch.
Split the mixture into small bowls and let the kids stir a different food color into each one.
Scoop paint onto finger paint paper and spread it with hands and fingers.
Make hand prints, and use your fingers to add details to a picture.
Paint one color over another and see what new colors appear.
Tips
Cooking with cornstarch, lumps completely ruin the finger paint fun. Use the porridge method: mix the cornstarch with cold water first, then add it to boiling water and keep stirring.from the author
Try to use finger paint paper because the paint is pretty thick. We just used regular paper since we weren't saving the art. It was simply process art and a sensory activity.from the author
The finger paint feels like loose Jell-O and is so fun to touch.from the author
Great opportunity to show color mixing. A blue sky and a yellow sun made a green sun, and that totally psyched my preschooler.from the author
The paint keeps for a day or 2 in the fridge. Loosen it up with warm water. Honestly, it's better to use up the paint you make.from the author
You are NEVER too old for finger paint. Our 4.5- and 2.5-year-olds had a BLAST, and empty paint cups were the sign they loved it.from the author
Finger paint directly on the table, then make monoprints. Thin paper can be too flimsy, and not every sensory activity needs to be saved.from readers
Make it your own
Make hand print art.
Paint scenes such as sky, sun, trees and grass, adding details with fingertips.
Finger paint directly on the table and press paper on top to make monoprints.
Skip the gelatin and let the paint thicken through handling.
The story behind it
By TurkeyMom · July 2013
Mix cornstarch with cold water until really runny, add it to boiling water and keep stirring until it boils and turns very clear. Then take it off the stove and add gelatin.
Once the cooking was done, the kids had a kick out of adding food colors to the mixture to make finger paints. The finger paint feels like loose Jell-O.
Here is my toddler going full throttle with the finger paint. Try to use finger paint paper, because the paint is pretty thick! It really feels so fun to touch.
And again, no kid is ever too old to make hand prints! After painting with this glossy finger paint, I realized you are NEVER too old to use finger paint.
Seeing those beautiful hand prints made me feel a bit sorry that I can't save the art work. We just used regular paper, since it was simply a process art activity.
My preschooler got a thrill out of creating with her hands and fingers. She used her fingers to create details and add dimension to her art.
She created her sky and picked up the yellow finger paint to draw the Sun, and got a green sun! "Mom, blue sky and yellow sun makes a green sun," followed by loud laughter.
Our fun, messy art activity table. The kids had a BLAST with this no-flour, homemade glossy finger paint.
Now that's a sign that the kiddos loved the art activity: empty paint cups.
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What readers say
💬 1 comments
✨ Readers' twist
Paint on the table, then monoprint
A reader finger paints directly on the table and makes monoprints, because her usual paper is too thin. Not every sensory painting needs saving.
“We fingerpaint directly on the table and then make monoprints. Our usual paper is too thin.”
Recently tried
Read all 1 comments
Karen Phillips · Jul 2013
I love the fingerpaint and am going to try it soon. We fingerpaint directly on the table and then make monoprints. Our usual paper is too thin. Also it is a sensory activity and not all of it needs to be saved.
Read all 1 comments
Karen Phillips · Jul 2013
I love the fingerpaint and am going to try it soon. We fingerpaint directly on the table and then make monoprints. Our usual paper is too thin. Also it is a sensory activity and not all of it needs to be saved.