Bubble Bath Bathtub Paint

Make paint from bubble bath and paint the bathtub!

(E was 32 months old.)

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To make Bubble Bath Bathtub Paint, you’ll need:

How to make Bubble Bath Bathtub Paint:

Simply combine cornstarch and bubble bath and mix well. Pour into separate containers {I used a muffin tin that’s seen muffins once and all kinds of paint many many times 😉 } and add a few drops of food coloring to each. Our bubble bath was pink but it didn’t hurt the vibrancy of the colors at all.

As an experiment, I used a bit of orange and strawberry Kool Aid to color and scent the last two cups in the bottom row. The color was just as good as with food coloring, and it smelled great. {Use cherry if you want a more intense red.}

Vibrant bubble bath paint.

This was the third type of bathtub paint we tried over a few days, as E kept asking to paint in the bathtub. {The first day, we used plain tempera, the second day fizzy shaving cream paint (article to come). }

On this day, I made the paint as outlined above, carried it to the bathroom and set it on the edge of the bathtub to give E more room to maneuver in there.

Naturally, as she was climbing in, this happened:

Spilled bubble bath paint all over the bathtub.

I love the image but overall not quite what I’d had in mind 😉

E didn’t really know what to make of it but I encouraged her to get in anyway.

She hesitated, then asked for a paper towel – and started cleaning it up a bit 😉

Cleaning up the spilled bathtub paint.

After it was cleaned up a little, she asked for water in the bathtub.

With both other types of paint, we didn’t put water into the tub until it was time for clean up to focus more on the act of painting on different surfaces. I think it was wise making it a true bath activity in this case because the bubble bath made the floor of the bathtub pretty slippery. {If you don’t actually dump all the paint like we did, using a dry bathtub shouldn’t be a problem but that’s up to you to decide.}

Once all that was taken care of, E finally felt comfortable painting. She started out using a paintbrush,

Painted edge of the bathtub.
Painting on the side of the tub.

then got her hands in there

Making dots with both hands at once.
Hand painting the edge of the tub.

before trying out a bath pouf.

Painting the edge of the tub with a bath pouf.

The bubble bath made the paint foam which was extra fun.

Bubble bath paint foaming up.
Making it foam more.

Just like cornstarch based liquid sidewalk chalk, this paint is most vibrant if you drip it.

Finished dot marker artwork.

When E noticed that, she asked for a spoon

and did some splatter painting, including this lovely arc halfway on the wall 😉 Despite what it looks like, she had excellent aim and kept it all in the tiled area.

Trying to blow paint again.

When she was done, we had the ultimate simple clean up. With just a light rinse, all the paint was gone, not a stain in sight.

What I learned:

  • You can easily use colored bubble bath, the food coloring and/or Kool Aid should cover it up. {For all I know, there may be black bubble bath out there that wouldn’t work but you should be fine with most standard brands 😉 }
  • Thanks to the bubble bath, the food coloring didn’t stain at all, despite how vibrant the colors were.
  • Dripping the paint makes it show up more intensely.
  • If you get too much paint on the floor, it will become quite slippery, and you may be better off putting water into the tub.

Additional suggestions:

  • Use shower gel or shampoo instead of bubble bath for the same effect. If the scent of the base liquid is too strong, the scenting might not work, though.
  • Try this paint on other surfaces like cardboard, or even in place of liquid sidewalk chalk on concrete or asphalt.

Have your kids painted with bubble bath before? What’s their favorite bathtub entertainment? Tell me about it in the comments!

For more bathtub fun for kids, check out these ideas!

Glow Sticks in the Bathtub

Eucalyptus Bath Paint

Quick Bath Paint

Water Beads Bath by Best Toys 4 Toddlers

Quick Recycled Bath Time Sail Boats by Powerful Mothering

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5 Comments

  1. Kelly Foster says:

    Hi! I made this for my girls today, and they really had a blast! Unfortunately, one of them had a nasty reaction to it on her skin. She got some on her face and belly and developed a dark rash 🙁 not sure if that is from the food coloring? Corn starch? No idea 🙁

    1. Oh no, that sounds horrible! I’m no expert but assuming she didn’t have a reaction to the bubble bath, I’d think you may wanna look at the food coloring. I hope she’s feeling better now!