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March 9, 2015 By Hannah @ Eat, Drink and Save Money

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
. 18 Comments

Quick and Easy DIY Watercolor Paint Recipe for Toddlers

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Need any easy DIY to entertain your toddler? This DIY watercolor paint recipe is quick, easy, and inexpensive- my favorite combination for entertaining kids!

Make your own watercolor paints

How to make your own watercolor paints

There are a lot of different ways to make watercolor paints.

However, there aren’t a lot of different easy variations! This one from Martha Stewart requires you to let the paint set overnight. No thanks.

Then again, if you are looking for a real set of watercolor paints, follow Martha’s advice!

Why you should make kid friendly watercolors for toddlers

A standard set of Crayola watercolors are about $4.

While that price won’t break most people’s budget, why buy it when you can easily make it at home?

Another reason to make it at home is that you can control how much food coloring you use. I don’t know about you, but I don’t particularly want my toddler painting with super vibrant colors. Muted works just fine for me.

RELATED POST: How to Entertain Kids by Letting them get Bored

DIY watercolors for a easy and fun toddler activity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some DIY watercolor recipes are pretty intense

Have you seen the search engine results for DIY watercolor paint?

Some of these moms have way too much free time on their hands.  While I’d love to whip up watercolors using 8 household ingredients, I don’t have the time or patience to do all that for a kid who might not even like painting.

Another issue I found was that many of the recipes made a TON of paint.  This recipe makes a small amount so you can whip it up just for fun.

After searching on Pinterest and Google for what felt like an eternity during nap time (while I should have been doing laundry or something productive), I finally gave up and started experimenting on my own.

I came up with a recipe that makes one cup and perfectly fills one ice tray.  Not only is the DIY watercolor paint recipe the perfect size for one time use, it is super easy to make and clean up.   I also love this because the paint is wet instead of dry disks.  Perfect for small toddlers who can’t understand the concept of wetting a brush before dipping into disks of dry paint.


Watercolor paints are easy to make yourself. Save money and make them instead of buying them.

Quick and Easy DIY Watercolor Paint Recipe for Toddlers

  • 3/4 C. water
  • 1/4 C. light corn syrup
  • 1 tsp. corn starch
  • food coloring

Mix the water, corn syrup and corn starch together in a mixing bowl.

Pour into ice tray and add food coloring to your liking.

I did the traditional ROYGBIV. I only used one drop for each primary color, 1 each of R and Y to make orange, 1 each of B and R to make violet and then 2 of blue and 1 of red to make indigo.

Don’t want to make your own?

Check out these alternative options to buy instead:





MORE CHEAP AND EASY SENSORY ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

  • Homemade Edible Finger Paints for Toddlers
  • Water Sensory Play for Kids
  • Cheap Sensory Activities for Babies and Toddlers
  • Homemade Play Dough
  • Christmas Ornament Toddler Sensory Craft

DIY Edible finger paint recipe for toddlers

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Filed Under: Family Life on a Budget Tagged With: DIY watercolor recipe, toddler crafts, watercolor paint

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ashley @ Saving Money in your Twenties says

    March 9, 2015 at 10:51 am

    So cool, I never would have thought of making your own paints! You are a genius :) I think the one that can dry into hard disks is amazing– I selfishly hope you make that sometime so I can hear if it works, haha! (PS I totally didn’t know the difference between indigo and violet, either… whoops)

    Reply
  2. Ashley @ Saving Money in your Twenties says

    March 9, 2015 at 10:58 am

    Wait I weirdly just read another post about homemade kids paints?! What a weird coincidence to see both within 10 mins of each other, hahaha. Here it is– http://www.katheats.com/glow-with-the-flow she talks about a homemade paint that you can microwave for a few seconds and it hardens!

    Reply
    • Hannah @ Eat, Drink and Save Money says

      March 9, 2015 at 3:27 pm

      So funny! I read that this morning too. We must have the same morning blog reading routine.

      Reply
  3. Mari says

    March 9, 2015 at 12:32 pm

    Hannah, great share just passed it on to my girlfriend for her babies :)

    Reply
    • Hannah @ Eat, Drink and Save Money says

      March 9, 2015 at 3:26 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  4. Michelle says

    March 9, 2015 at 3:53 pm

    I love this recipe! I haven’t used watercolors in years, but I’m definitely getting back into it soon. Thank you for sharing! :-)

    Reply
  5. Arnab says

    March 9, 2015 at 4:01 pm

    Very cool. I was into painting and all a while back, but did not touch painting for sometime. Time to get back #ibabloggers

    Reply
  6. Miranda says

    March 9, 2015 at 4:05 pm

    This is such a great idea. As I was reading I started getting excited to see how exactly you did it!
    I love that it is a really simple recipe and that it doesn’t make too much. Even though I’m not a toddler nor a parent, this looks like a great idea for even myself if I’m ever in the mood! Thanks for the share.
    #ibabloggers

    Reply
  7. Sherri S says

    March 9, 2015 at 6:06 pm

    This is fantastic! I love making new things with stuff I already have and it’s super inexpensive too. My kids will love this idea. Thanks for the post! #ibabloggers

    Reply
  8. Becky says

    March 9, 2015 at 6:17 pm

    Such a great idea! I wish I would have thought of this when I had little ones around but I can certainly pass it on to my daughter’s-in-law. Thanks! #ibabloggers

    Reply
  9. Cathy says

    March 9, 2015 at 7:01 pm

    Love this! Pinning to use with my future grandchildren! #ibabloggers

    Reply
  10. Jennifer Abel says

    March 9, 2015 at 8:07 pm

    visiting from #IBA what a great idea, I wish I knew this when my kids were little , they cost me a fortune in paint!

    Reply
  11. Joanne T Ferguson says

    March 9, 2015 at 9:16 pm

    G’day This so reminds me of childhood fun!
    Cheers! Joanne
    #ibabloggers

    Reply
  12. Jackie says

    March 18, 2015 at 5:12 am

    This is so awesome! I’ve cooked up some fingerpaint for my daughter but have never done watercolors! I might follow your recipe soon! Thank you very much for this post! :)

    Reply
    • Hannah @ Eat, Drink and Save Money says

      March 18, 2015 at 9:48 am

      Thanks for stopping by! What’s your favorite fingerpaint recipe? Mine isn’t ever vibrant enough.

      Reply
  13. Sharon - Her Organized Chaos says

    March 20, 2015 at 11:47 pm

    This is such a great idea! I would never think to make my own water colors. Pinning and sharing. Thanks for sharing at Totally Terrific Tuesday last week. I’m excited to see what you have lined up this week!

    Sharon
    Her Organized Chaos

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. The Ultimate Pinterest Party, Week 48 #pinterest - Creative K Kids says:
    April 24, 2015 at 1:00 pm

    […] and Easy DIY Watercolor Paint Recipe for Toddlers from Eat, Drink, and Save Money received 11 clicks just from our party + a few more re-pins from those original […]

    Reply
  2. 10 Preschool Activities Using Household Items | Penny Pinching Peach says:
    September 4, 2015 at 7:37 am

    […] Quick and Easy DIY Watercolor Paint  Recipe For Toddlers […]

    Reply

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While I love saving money, I also have expensive taste and a passion for the environment. I firmly believe that you can live frugally while enjoying the finer things in life such as travel and high end products. I like fine foods and quality ingredients, I also enjoy spending money on fancy local coffee and kombucha. It’s all about the experience! Join me as I balance a budget and preserve our Earth, while enjoying the finer things in life.

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