Homemade chalk paint recipe

This homemade chalk paint recipe is ever so easy to make and gives a great sensory play material for kids art – indoors or out.

 

Homemade chalk paint recipe

I really like to offer children the opportunity to use materials they are familiar with, but in different ways. I think it gives them a better understanding of the properties of the materials, and helps them to see the creative possibilities. If your children are familiar with using chalk, or used to painting, this is great recipe to try to stretch them.

The only two ingredients you need to make this DIY paint recipe are chalk and water. We use a large stick of pavement chalk, and grate some of it into a container. Thinner pieces of chalk have a tendency to snap while the children are grating them, so this chunky type is better for this recipe.

 

 

Then all you need to do is add a little water. Just add a few drops at first – you can always add more if you need it, but it’s hard to remove the water if you add too much to begin with. Then simply stir your ingredients together to make your paint.

 

 

You can make as many different colours as you have shades of chalk, and your children might like to experiment with some colour mixing. What happens if they grate some blue and yellow chalk together – what colour paint do they get?

 

 

Another interesting aspect to notice is how the texture of the paint changes. When you first draw with it, it still has a very paint-like appearance, spreading easily and with a somewhat transparent quality.

 

 

Leave your art to dry for a while and then compare your picture. See how the paint is now more chalk-like, how it looks more like a solid block of colour, and how you can brush it way with your fingers or a cloth. You could ask them if they know what has made the texture change, and introduce the idea of evaporation.