While the kids helped me bake one weekend, Livia kept asking if she could use the spices and extracts to “write a cookbook.” It got me thinking, why not?
So we raided the kitchen and mixed spices, cereal and extracts into paint for bumpy, smelly, textured finger paints.
How to Make Textured Finger Paints
Puffy Paint Visual Recipe
Get the printableWashable tempera paint (or our homemade finger paint)
Spices, extracts and cereal from the kitchen
Foil cupcake liners or small cups
Paintbrushes for stirring
Paper or a craft tray
Pour the paint
Fill foil cupcake liners or cups with different colors of paint.
Raid the kitchen
Pick textures and scents: spices, sprinkles, crushed cereal, extracts.
Mix them in
Stir one add-in into each color with a paintbrush.
Paint
Pour the paint onto paper or a tray and explore with fingers.
Safety note
These are made with kitchen items, but paint isn’t food. Skip spicy or strong spices for little ones and keep hands away from eyes.
Texture Ideas
Here’s what we used:
- Red: Fruity cereal
- Pink: Vanilla extract
- Yellow: Sugar
- Green: Parsley flakes
- Blue: Cinnamon
- Purple: Sprinkles
Our favorites were parsley for texture and cinnamon for smell. Some textures I thought would feel the same turned out totally different, so let kids experiment and compare.
More paint recipes
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Take painting to the tub with our bathtub paint visual recipe.
The visual recipe includes
- Picture-based ingredient list
- Step-by-step picture directions
- Great for speech, OT and life skills
- Instant PDF download, nothing is shipped
Perfect for
- Sensory art
- Special education
- Ages 3 and up
Textured Finger Paint FAQ
Mix kitchen items like spices, sugar, sprinkles or crushed cereal into washable paint.
Parsley flakes, sugar, sprinkles and crushed cereal.
Cinnamon, vanilla or other extracts.
Toddlers and up, with supervision.
More Process Art
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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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