Travis has surprised me recently, more into messy, hands-on activities than educational ones, but I’m more than happy to indulge him. What could be a better, more rewarding mess for tots than pudding paint? When you’re done playing, you’ll have a portion left over for a tasty snack!

I made vanilla pudding from European Gourmet Organic’s mix. It was easy to whip up in the evening, and then I let it chill overnight.

When we were ready to play, Travis helped me divide the pudding into 4 containers – 3 to color and 1 to set aside for snack time! He was practically shaking with excitement when I asked him to help me add food coloring – we used the yellow, red, and green from Color Kitchen.

To my surprise, he was way more into just playing with the pudding than painting with it, even though I laid down paintbrushes and paper.

Instead, he loved pouring the pudding from one cup to the other and seeing what colors he made, scooping it out with a teaspoon, and stirring it.

Inevitably, he also dipped his fingers in!

When this led to clean-up in the bath, we decided why not… and brought in the remainder of the pudding paint to paint the tub. It was easy to rinse off with water and a quick wipe after!

Finally, it was time to enjoy the final pudding portion as a snack, resulting in huge smiles. A great activity all around. If we do it again, I’ll be curious to see if he’s more into the painting itself!

What does your child like to do with pudding paint? Please share in the comments!