# Cornflour Paste Sensory Writing
> Spread a colored cornflour-and-water paste over cardstock, then write, draw, make handprints and fork patterns in it with fingers or a decorated bamboo skewer. It's a fresh writing surface for toddler mark making and preschool pre-writing.
- URL: https://www.funlittles.com/sensory-writing/
- Ages: 2–5 yrs · Difficulty: easy · Mess: high
- Time: prep 15 min, activity 20 min
- Works for: one-on-one, small group, whole class · one batch serves about 2 kids
- Skills: pre-writing, mark-making, fine-motor, sensory-exploration, patterns
- Cautions: corn, food-dye, ingestion-risk

## Materials (one batch)
- Cornflour (fine corn flour, not cornstarch)
- Water (household)
- 3 drop Paint or food color
- 1 piece Cups or small bowls for the paste (household)
- 1 piece Spoon or stick for stirring (household)
- 1 sheet Cardstock paper
- 1 piece Old card (e.g. plastic gift or loyalty card) for spreading (optional) (household)
- 1 piece Bamboo skewer (optional) (household)
- 1 piece Bow from a party gift bag (optional) (household)
- 1 piece Fork (optional) (household)

## Substitutions
- Instead of bamboo skewer: Fingers (The author says fingers are good enough if you are uncomfortable with sharp objects. Her toddler used her fingers.)
- Instead of spreading card: Hands (Smearing the paste on with hands makes it a fantastic sensory experience.)

## Safety
- Bamboo skewers are sharp. Supervise closely, or skip them and use fingers. The author says fingers are good enough if you are uncomfortable with sharp objects.
- The paste is not a snack. Raw flour and paint should not be eaten, so watch toddlers who mouth materials.
- Supervise messy and sensory play at all times.
- The decorative bow on the skewer is a small part. Keep it out of the mouths of young toddlers.
- Paint and food color can stain hands and clothes. Use smocks and cover the table.

## Before you start
- Optional: decorate a bamboo skewer with a bow from a party gift bag to make a colorful 'pencil'.

## Steps
1. Add water to a bowl of cornflour, a little at a time, to make a watery paste.
2. Add a few drops of paint or food color and stir.
3. Spread the paste over a sheet of cardstock with an old card, or smear it on with your hands.
4. Keep going until the paper has a generous, solid coating.
5. Draw lines and shapes in the paste with your fingers.
6. Press your hands into the paste to make handprints.
7. Drag a fork through the paste to make patterns.
8. Write letters with the bamboo skewer, holding it like a pencil.
9. Try writing a whole word, like 'wow'.

## Tips
- When the interest to write or mark make wanes, it is simple to bring back the lost zeal with a fun new writing surface.
- Use cornflour, not cornstarch. Cornstarch and water gives you oobleck. Cornflour is very fine and not as sticky.
- Spreading with a card is a different but equally great experience. It takes a good deal of manual dexterity to hold the card at the right angle, so toddlers might need help.
- The skewer was a wonderful tool to write with because it pretty much mimicked a pencil.
- For kids who need a little encouragement to write, this works simply because it is not a pencil. Accessorize the writing tool to match the child's interests.
- The paper did not rip because it had a pretty solid coating of corn flour paste.
- For toddlers, sensory writing is the best way to encourage mark making and pre-writing.

## The original post by TurkeyMom (2013)

It’s great to write on a paper with a pen and all. Everyone once in a while when the interest to write/mark make wanes it is simple to bring back the lost zeal with a fun new writing surface. We have used [**salt trays**](https://www.funlittles.com/homemade-christmas-cards/) and [**corn meal**](https://www.funlittles.com/sensory-activities-for-kids/) as a writing surface to aid pre school writing and even toddler mark making. Today sensory writing activity involves corn flour paste Make a watery paste by adding water to a bowl of **cornflour (not cornstarch)** When you add water to cornstarch you get oobleck/goop. This is cornflour and is very fine and not as sticky as cornstarch. Cornflour comes in 2 colors: yellow and white. Once you have cornflour paste ready add a few drops of paint/food color to spice things up.


That’s your material for this writing surface. Armed with the paste the kids started preparing the surface. They used cards to apply the paste on a sheet of cardstock paper. You can make this a **f**a**ntastic sensory experience by having the kids use their hands to start smearing paste on the paper**. By using a card, it creates a different yet equally great experience of using a card as a painting tool. It also requires a good deal of manual dexterity to hold the card at a certain angle to get the paste fully on the paper. Toddlers might need help.

 Once the paper has been generously applied with the corn flour paste, it is time to get writing. We used fingers and bamboo skewers. If you are uncomfortable with sharp objects, fingers are good enough. I **decorated a bamboo skewer with a bow from a party gift bag** and make the “pencil” a bit colorful. My toddler had a fun time mark making using her fingers. At her age, sensory writing is the best way to encourage mark making and pre-writing.

 We also made handprints on the paste.

 We also explored patterning with a fork on the paste and saw it make beautiful patterns on the paper.



We "wrote" some more and I noticed that the skewer was a wonderful tool to write because it pretty much **mimicked a pencil.**

 For kids who need a little bit of encouragement to write, this kind of writing equipment would be great simply because it is not a pencil. Accessorize the writing equipment to match the child’s interests.Note: the paper did not rip because it had a pretty solid coating of corn flour paste



My preschooler was kind of excited enough to actually write "wow". That was pretty funny



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