Skittles Art for Kids: How to Make Skittles Paint

This fun and easy Skittles art activity shows kids how to make homemade Skittles paint and use it to create a simple color wheel. It’s a hands-on way to explore color mixing using supplies you likely already have.

This activity works well at home, in classroom art centers, or on rainy days, and it’s a favorite because it’s colorful, low-prep, and engaging.

Make Skittles Art With Homemade Paint

In this Skittles painting activity, kids dissolve candy in water to create vibrant, watercolor-style paint. Then they use paint to explore primary and secondary colors as they create their own artwork.

👉 This project pairs especially well with basic color mixing and color wheel activities for kids.

What Is a Color Wheel? (Quick Explanation)

A color wheel is a visual tool that shows how colors relate to one another. It is traditionally based on the primary colors: red, yellow, and blue.

When primary colors are mixed together, they create secondary colors:

• Red + Yellow = Orange
• Blue + Yellow = Green
• Red + Blue = Purple

Using Skittles paint makes these color changes easy to see and fun to experiment with.

Supplies Needed

• Art paper
• Skittles candy
• Water
• Paintbrush
• Color wheel printable

How to Make Skittles Paint Art

STEP 1: Print out the color wheel template (or use blank paper).

STEP 2: Place two Skittles of the same color into about ½ teaspoon of water.
Let the candy dissolve for 5 minutes to create paint.

💡 Tip: Mix different colored Skittles together to make secondary colors as needed.

STEP 3: Use a paintbrush to paint the color wheel.
Start with red and work your way around the circle clockwise.

Kids can experiment with:

• different color combinations
• adding more or less water
• painting freely after completing the wheel

A Little Color Wheel History (Kid-Friendly)

The first color wheel was introduced in the 17th century by Sir Isaac Newton while studying light and the visible spectrum. His work helped explain why we see color the way we do—and why rainbows appear.

Today, the color wheel is still used in art to help artists understand color relationships and mixing.

Explore More Color Art Activities

This Skittles painting activity is a fun way to explore the element of color. You can continue learning about color with more hands-on art projects designed for kids.

👉 Explore more color-based art projects for kids here.