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How to Make Puffy Paint for Kids

by Jean Van't Hul
October 24, 2024
puffy paint featured

Learn how to make puffy paint for kids that is actually puffy! This recipe is super easy to make and so much fun to create with.

Updated November 2024

We’ve made so many kinds of puffy paints over the years. We have five recipes that we like to make but this recipe is our favorite.

We love it because it is very easy to make. It only needs a few ingredients (which you probably already have on hand) and it doesn’t require a microwave, like our microwave puffy paint (another favorite recipe, but not always convenient to make).

Best of all, this puffy paint puffs up before your eyes and stays puffy to the touch.

Here’s a video showing it in action! And don’t forget to scroll down for the recipe!

How to Make Puffy Paint

MATERIALS

Instructions

  1. Measure out your ingredients

    Add all the ingredients, except for any coloring, into a large mixing bowl.

    making puffy paint

  2. Mix your ingredients

    Combine the shaving cream, flour and glue together without over mixing. (You want to keep the air bubbles in the shaving cream.)

    stirring puffy paint

  3. Divide your mixture and add color

    Pour the white paint mixture between 3 to 4 small bowls and add a few squirts of food coloring or paint to each bowl, stirring in, but again being careful not to over mix.

    stirring in color to puffy paint

    Note: If you want to keep all or some of the puffy paint white (for making clouds, snowmen, or for working on black poster board, for example), then you can skip this step.

    adding color to puffy paint

  4. Spoon the paint into sandwich bags

    Seal each bag (add duct tape as well to help keep it closed if your kids are extra vigorous squeezers), then cut a small corner off.

  5. Start painting!

    Squeeze the foam paint through the small hole onto your paper or board, making lines, dots, and designs as desired.

    puffy paint

    Note: A squeeze bottle works, too, but it is easier to squeeze out and use all of the puffy paint when it is in a bag and there is no clean-up of squeeze bottles necessary.

  6. Let your painting dry overnight

    You’ll notice the foam paint gets even puffier as it dries and sets.



    And it is still puffy to the touch even after it dries!

    puffy paint rainbows

We’ve tried this project on both black and white paper and can’t decide which we like better!

This project was fun and relatively easy for preschoolers. And it’s a great project to do during the holidays: think pumpkins at Halloween, trees at Christmas, and hearts on Valentine’s Day! We definitely think you should give it a try!

puffy paint christmas tree
Photo by Andrea Martelle

More Fun Paint Ideas for Kids

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How to Make Puffy Paint for Kids How to Make Puffy Paint for Kids How to Make Puffy Paint for Kids

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