Edible Art Activities

Here you'll find easy kids crafts using edible art supplies. Most of the ingredients are common household items and these kids food crafts are quick to make and fun! They also expose your child to language development, tactile stimulation and tactile discrimination. So don't ever think your little one is too young to start getting messy and getting arty!!

Play dough

Peanut Butter Play Dough

1 jar peanut butter

6 tsp honey

nonfat dry milk or milk plus flour to right consistency
Mix all together. You can decorate your creations with raisins, chocolate chips, coconut, etc.

Alternative to Peanut Butter Play Dough
1/2 cup peanut butter

2 Tbsp honey

1/2 cup flour
Mix all together. This is great for kids who want the peanut butter play dough but are allergic to milk found in other peanut butter play dough recipes.

Applesauce Cinnamon Dough

1/2 cup cinnamon

1/2 cup applesauce

1 plastic zip lock sandwich bag

Pour cinnamon and applesauce into zip lock bag. Seal bag and knead until mixture turns to dough. Allow your dough creations to air dry for 12 hours or until hard.

Suggestion: Use cookie cutters to make really great, very fragrant tree ornaments. Roll out dough between two sheets of wax paper. Don't roll out too thin (roll out dough to 1/4 to 1/2 inch in thickness).

Cream Cheese Play Dough

8 oz. package of cream cheese

1/2 cup non-fat dry milk

1 tablespoon honey crackers or bread slices

Combine cream cheese, milk and honey in a bowl and mix until well blended. Mold sculptures on was paper.

Storage: Unused portions MUST BE STORED in an airtight container and kept refrigerated! Because cream cheese is perishable, use the expiration date on the cream cheese package as your guide for how long you can keep this play dough.

Frosting Play Dough

1 can frosting (any flavor)

1-1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

Mix together until dough reaches desired consistency

Storage: When not using, MUST be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated. Next time you want to use it, let it come to room temperature for pliable dough.

Paints

Sticky Paint
2 Tbsp light corn syrup

4-6 drops food coloring
Mix corn syrup and food coloring together in a small bowl until well blended. This can be used with either a paint brush or as finger paint.

Scratch and Sniff Paints
1 Tbsp unsweetened powdered drink

mix 1Tbsp warm water
Mix water and drink mix together. With this recipe you can paint pictures of fruit that will really smell like fruit. Allow finished paintings to dry overnight before scratching and sniffing.

Chocolate Pudding Paint
1 large package instant chocolate pudding

2 cups ice cold water

Whisk instant pudding and water together in a bowl for 2 minutes. Refrigerate for 5 minutes. This makes a thin paint. If you want a thicker finger-paint texture, I just mix up chocolate pudding as per the instructions on the box or buy the canned ready-made pudding from the grocery store.

Vanilla Pudding Paint
1 large package instant vanilla pudding

2 cups ice cold water
Whisk instant pudding and water together in a bowl for 2 minutes. Refrigerate for 5 minutes. Divide the pudding paint into several small containers or a muffin tin and add different food coloring to each one. This makes a thin paint. If you want a thicker finger paint texture, just mix up the pudding as per package instructions or buy the canned, ready-made pudding in the grocery stores.

Jelly Finger Painting
1 package jelly

2 Tbsp hot water
Mix together in a small bowl being careful not to over mix. Let cool 5-10 minutes before using. Paint on tin foil for a neat effect.

Yoghurt Finger Paint
Plain yoghurt

Food coloring

Mix together.

Cornstarch Finger paint
3 cups water

1 cup cornstarch

food coloring
In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Dissolve cornstarch in a separate bowl with water. Remove boiling water from heat and add cornstarch mixture. Return to heat, stirring constantly. Boil until the mixture is clear and thick (about 1 minute). Remove from heat.
As the mixture is cooling, divide into separate bowls and add food coloring. Let the children carefully mix in the coloring.
Hints:
Add 1 tbsp of glycerin to make the mixture shiny. You can find glycerin in most pharmacies.

Milk Paint

Bread
Dixie cups
Milk
Food Coloring
Paint Brushes

Use a tablespoon or two of milk and a couple of drops of food coloring to create "milk paints" in Dixie cups, as many different colors as you want. Allow child to use paints to decorate slices of bread (don't allow bread to become too soggy). When done, toast as usual. Let child eat their creation! Toppings are optional.