We go through craft supplies like nobody’s business around here, and that includes bath crayons and bath paint. So I went looking for a cheap, easy way to make them at home. These homemade bath paints are it.
Just two ingredients, kid-friendly soap and cornstarch, plus a few drops of color. Kids paint the tub, the walls and (let’s be real) themselves, and it all washes right down the drain.
How to Make Homemade Bath Paint for Kids
I use kid-safe soap for this. You could use dish soap or any liquid soap, but since my kids were definitely going to end up painting themselves, I wanted something gentle on their skin.
Adapted Visual Recipe: Bathtub Paint
Get the printableKid-friendly soap (1/2 cup)
View on AmazonCornstarch (1/4 cup)
View on AmazonLiquid food coloring
View on AmazonSmall cups with lids
View on AmazonFoam or chunky paint brushes
View on AmazonSome links above are affiliate links. If you buy through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Mix the base
In a large bowl, mix 2 parts kid soap to 1 part cornstarch. We usually use 1/2 cup of soap and 1/4 cup of cornstarch. Mixing the base in one bowl first is faster and a lot less messy.
Add the cornstarch slowly
Add the cornstarch a little at a time and stir as you go. The more cornstarch you add, the thicker and more pastel the paint gets.
Split it up and add color
Spoon the base into small cups and add a few drops of food coloring to each. Cornstarch loves to clump, so poke the clumps apart with a toothpick or the back of a spoon.
Paint the tub!
Hand over brushes (or just fingers) and let them paint the tub walls. When bath time is over, everything rinses away with warm water.
💡 Test your tub first
A few drops of food coloring is plenty. Test a small spot on your tub or grout before the first paint party, and rinse everything off at the end of bath time.
Bath Paint Tips
- Make it fresh. This bath paint is meant for one bath. Mix up a new batch each time rather than storing leftovers.
- Thicker or thinner? Add more cornstarch for a thick finger paint, or more soap for a runny paint that drips down the walls.
- Go bright. Gel or liquid food coloring gives strong color with fewer drops.
- Supervise. It’s soap, so keep it away from eyes and mouths.
Ways to Play with Bath Paint
- Paint rainbows, suns and silly faces on the tub wall
- Practice letters, numbers and names with a finger
- Mix two colors and see what new color appears
- Use squeeze bottles for drip art, or sponges for stamping
More homemade paint recipes
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Bath Paint for Toddlers, Preschool and Big Kids
Toddlers
Finger paint the tub with one or two colors. Keep it short and stay close.
Preschool
Mix colors, paint shapes and name what you made. Great for color words.
Big kids
Let them measure and mix the paint themselves, then write messages and draw scenes.
Want kids to make bath paint on their own? Our visual recipe walks them through every step with pictures.
What’s included
- A step-by-step visual recipe
- Picture-supported supply list
- A card-sized recipe for a binder ring
- Sequencing pieces to put the steps in order
- Instant PDF download, nothing is shipped
Perfect for
- Special education classrooms
- Speech and occupational therapy
- Building independence
- Life skills practice
- Homeschool
Homemade Bath Paint FAQ
Mix 2 parts kid-friendly soap with 1 part cornstarch (we use 1/2 cup soap and 1/4 cup cornstarch), split it into cups and add a few drops of food coloring to each.
It usually rinses right off, but food coloring can tint grout or older tubs. Use just a few drops and test a small spot first.
It’s best made fresh for each bath. Leftovers separate and get clumpy, so mix a new batch next time.
A gentle, tear-free kids’ body wash works best since little ones tend to paint themselves too.
Ages 2 to 8 love it. Toddlers finger paint with supervision, and older kids can mix the paint themselves.
More Sensory Play Recipes
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From families like yours
Did you try it? Tell us how it went!
We love seeing these activities out in the wild: the lumpy letters, the snack breaks, the proud “I made a B!” moments. Leave a star rating, tell other parents what worked (and what totally didn’t), and add a photo of your setup if you’d like.
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So do you put these paints on the bottom of your bathtub and just cut your naked kids loose with them to paint the tiles and tub? Or are they just named bath paints because they are made with kids bath soap.
Lol. Your kids can paint with these in the tub all over the tiles and tub. They will wash right off.
Does it wash off grout too?
As long as you do not use gel dyes, grout will not have any issues. Just make sure that you are using regular plain food dye.
Does this stain the skin?
Yes not for long though
Thank you SO much for this. I had bought crayola finger paint soaps for Christmas for my baby for $1 each and as I’m nearing my last tube I went to find more and saw them for $15 for 3 tubes!!!! This is so much more cost efficient and easy. Thank you.
How does the food dye not stain the grout and kids’ skin? When I cook with dye it takes 2-3 days for the stain to come off if I spill. Is it just because the dye is diluted in the mixture? I want to do this but I am so hesitant that it will stain my white tiles and grout.
Use regular food dye and not something like gel dyes. Gel food dye will stain. This recipe does dilute it and is soapy. If for any reason it does leave marks (I have been using this recipe since 2007 now and have never had it happen…but if it does) white vinegar gets food dye stains out.
Can these be used as part of bath time too, or just in an empty tub and then rinsed thoroughly and bathed afterward? Thinking they may not fully rinse clean with all the cornstarch and food dye in the water.
We have used these for bath time with no issues.