My nephew isn’t quite a year old yet, but his artistic parents sense that he is ready to express himself through finger paints–probably because of the messes he makes when left alone with a bowl of cereal. And while real paint isn’t a great idea for a child who wants to taste test everything, there are lots of fun and colorful finger paint recipes for edible finger paints that are just as much fun for sampling as they are for painting.

At top, our own Stacie at One Hungry Mama shows how easy it is to use thick plain Greek yogurt to make a super-easy (and nutritious!) yogurt based finger paint for kids who are old enough to tolerate milk products.

Pureed banana, kiwi, and blueberries get a dash of food coloring (natural food coloring if you prefer) to create vibrant and edible colors as seen in this post about Edible Paint for Babies at Hands On As We Grow.

This Edible Finger Paint recipe at Laughing Kids Learn uses cornstarch (called “cornflour” in this recipe) to make a thicker, stickier paint, making this activity as much a sensory experience for children as a creative one.

If your toddler is old enough, thick and sticky sweetened condensed milk makes for a luscious Homemade Milk Paint recipes described at Learn Play Imagine. This is an easy way to introduce lots of colors and even show older kids how two colors blend to make a new one.

Finally, I can’t resist the idea of using apple pie filling and spice to create a delicious-smelling finger-paint puree for little fingers to explore. I’m thinking this recipe at Blog Me Mom is a great pone to get us all in the mood for fall.

Before trying any of these edible finger paint recipes, please make sure your child is old enough to eat the ingredients in each recipe and has not had an allergic reaction to anything in the past. Also, instead of trying to keep any masterpieces made with perishables, take a photo and archive it with an app like Artkive, instead and toss the original before your child’s work starts to get stinky.