Painting for Kids

How to Make Chalk Paint for Kids

Name: How to Make Chalk Paint
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1 cup cornstarch; 1 cup water

June 12, 2024

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Here’s our quick and easy recipe for how to make chalk paint. Make a batch and use it for a fun outdoor art activity for kids.

Updated May 2024

Each spring, we whip up a batch of chalk paint. For us, it’s the time of year where the snow has melted, the days are starting to warm up and it’s fun to move our art outdoors again.

This recipe for how to make chalk paint is super simple and uses equal parts cornstarch and water. (Coincidentally, these are also the ingredients for how to make oobleck, but uses a different ratio.)

How to Make Chalk Paint

MATERIALS

Cornstarch
Water
Containers
Whisk
Food coloring, liquid watercolors, or tempera paint

Time needed: 10 minutes

INSTRUCTIONS

Prep
To start with, find plastic or metal containers deep enough to mix the materials in the container directly. Gather a whisk, measuring cups, corn starch, and water.
Mix ingredients
Chalk paint is a 1 to 1 ratio of cornstarch to water, so this recipe is very adaptable. I like to mix up the paint colors directly in the containers, but you might choose to mix up a bigger batch, then pour the paint into the containers for coloring. The world is your oyster!

Scoop 1 cup cornstarch into a container. Add 1 cup water and whisk until thoroughly combined.

You’re looking for a liquid /runny consistency.
Add color
Now it’s time to add food coloring or paint. We add one color per container and often mix up a whole rainbow of colors!
Get painting!
Bring your chalk paint outside and have fun! You can use any kind of brushes – sponge brushes, large paintbrushes or traditional brushes.

Print out this easy recipe and keep it on hand any time you need it.

Chalk Paint Recipe

How to Make Chalk Paint

Author: Rachel Withers
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

Print Recipe

Description

Learn how to make chalk paint with two ingredients. Add coloring to create chalk paint for kids! This uses a 1-1 ration of water and cornstarch for easy adaptability.

Ingredients

Scale

1 cup cornstarch

1 cup water

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Instructions

This recipe calls for equal ratios of water and cornstarch. For mixing up 5 different colors, it’s easy to add 1 cup of cornstarch to 1 cup of water.
Mix vigorously until well combined, being sure to scrape the bottom of the container to fully incorporate the ingredients.
Now add food coloring or liquid watercolors as desired.
For additional colors, repeat steps 1–3 in a new container.

chalk painting for kids — Photo by Rachel Withers

And now it’s time to get started chalk painting!

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Outdoors, preschoolers, toddlers

Rachel Withers

Rachel is the Editorial Manager at The Artful Parent. She is passionate about engaging with kids through art, whether at art groups or through teaching photography at a local elementary school. Rachel lives in Portland, Maine, and loves going on adventures with her family. As a mother of two young kids, she is excited to explore how nature, art, and play combine in a child’s learning and development. Creating art with her kids and hosting a toddler art group are current highlights.

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