# No-Flour Glossy Finger Paint
> 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.
- URL: https://www.funlittles.com/flour-homemade-finger-paint-recipe/
- Ages: 2–6 yrs · Difficulty: medium · Mess: high
- Time: prep 25 min, activity 30 min
- Works for: one-on-one, small group, whole class · one batch serves about 2 kids
- Skills: sensory-exploration, color-mixing, fine-motor, process-art
- Cautions: corn, food-dye, ingestion-risk

## Materials (one batch)
- 0.5 cup Cornstarch
- 0.75 cup Cold water (for the cornstarch) (household)
- 1.5 cup Water for boiling (household)
- 1 packet Unflavored gelatin
- Food coloring
- 1 piece Saucepan (household)
- 1 piece Spoon or whisk for stirring (household)
- 6 piece Small bowls or cups, one per color (household)
- 6 piece Spoons, one per bowl (household)
- 1 sheet Finger paint paper
- Table cover (paper or plastic) and painter's tape (optional)

## Substitutions
- Instead of gelatin: Leave the gelatin out (The paint starts out a bit runny and only thickens to finger-paint consistency after a while of handling. Gelatin makes the right texture much easier to get.)
- Instead of paper: Regular paper (Fine for process art you don't plan to save.)
- Instead of paper: Paint directly on the table (A reader finger paints on the table, then lifts monoprints.)

## Safety
- 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 you start
- 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
1. Mix 1/2 cup cornstarch with 3/4 to 1 cup cold water until it is a really runny liquid, not goop.
2. Adult: bring 1.5 to 2 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan.
3. Meanwhile, mix 1 packet of unflavored gelatin with a little water until it is all soaked and a bit wet.
4. Adult: pour the runny cornstarch liquid into the boiling water, stirring constantly so no lumps form.
5. Adult: keep stirring until the mixture boils and turns very clear and glossy.
6. Adult: take the pan off the stove and stir in the soaked gelatin. Let it cool until it is safe to touch.
7. Split the mixture into small bowls and let the kids stir a different food color into each one.
8. Scoop paint onto finger paint paper and spread it with hands and fingers.
9. Make hand prints, and use your fingers to add details to a picture.
10. 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.
- 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.
- The finger paint feels like loose Jell-O and is so fun to touch.
- Great opportunity to show color mixing. A blue sky and a yellow sun made a green sun, and that totally psyched my preschooler.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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)

## The original post by TurkeyMom (2013)

My kids are 4.5 and 2.5 now. It has been a while since we painted with finger paints.. My toddler thinks she is going to kindergarten with her big sister..haha. Having said that after painting with this no- flour, homemade glossy finger paint I realized you are NEVER too old to use finger paint because the kids had a BLAST! **What did we do?** Once the cooking was done, they had a kick out of adding food colors to the mixture and make finger paints so to speak.  The finger paint feels like loose Jell-O.  Try to use finger paint paper because the paint is pretty thick!. We just used regular paper since I knew we were not going to save the art and it was simply an process art activity and a sensory activity . Here is my toddler going full throttle with the finger paint.. The finger paint really feels so fun to touch.  And again no kid is ever too old to make hand prints!..  Seeing those beautiful hand prints made me feel a bit sorry that I can't save the art work.  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.  Great opportunity to show [**color mixing**](https://www.funlittles.com/science-experiments-for-kids-color-mixing-kids-activities/)..She created her sky and picked up the yellow finger paint to draw the Sun and what did she have? A green sun and that totally psyched her.. Mom " Blue sky and yellow sun makes a green sun" followed by her loud laughter.  Our fun, messy art activity table.  Now that's a sign that the kiddos loved the art activity - empty paint cups. 

### How to make no flour, glossy, edible finger paint with a GREAT texture?

When **cooking with cornstarch it is hard to avoid the lumps** which completely ruins the finger paint fun. To avoid this I'm using the same method we use to make porridge. Mix **cornstarch** **with cold water** until you get a runny liquid..Not goop, but really runny liquid. ( say 1/2 cup cornstarch and 3/4- 1 cup of water) Boil 1.5 to 2 cups of water. In the meantime mix 1 packet of **unflavored gelatin** to water until all the gelatin is all soaked and a bit wet. Add the runny cornstarch liquid to boiling water ( other way around is also good) and keep stirring This way you avoid the lump formation. Keep stirring until the mixture boils and starts to become very clear. Take if off the stove and add gelatin to make sure you get a fun finger paint texture. Now time to split the mixture and add super, vibrant colors to it. The paint will keep for a day or 2 in the fridge. Just loosen it up with warm water. Honestly it is better to use up the paint you make. You can make the same paint without gelatin. If you do, know that the paint starts out a bit runny and gets thicker and comes to a finger paint consistency after a while of handling. To avoid doubts, I just added gelatin so that it is much easier to achieve the RIGHT texture. We have explored with the cornstarch and gelatin mixture in the past and made [**pretend ice cream**](https://www.funlittles.com/sensory-activities-kids-pretend-ice-cream-play/) and a chilled, no cook [**play dough**](https://www.funlittles.com/playdough-recipes-for-play/) kids can make. Click on the words in bold to visit the posts.

Thanks for reading

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