Snow Painting Activity
Snow days are the perfect excuse to dress up warm and get outdoors. Why not take advantage of a snow day and show your kids how to paint with snow? With a few household supplies, your kids can create their own snow art! If you don’t live in an area with snow, make and decorate a colorful ice sculpture with this alternative activity.
Your kids can paint on snow wherever there is snow on the ground. Painting on snow would work particularly well in Aomori City in Japan, which is the snowiest place in the world. The city receives about 312 inches of snow each year!
Supplies:
- Food coloring in various colors
- Tap water
- Plastic containers
- Assorted paintbrushes
- Spray bottles (optional)
- Dropper bottles (optional)
How to Make Snow Art:
Step 1: Fill the containers, spray bottles and/or dropper bottles with cold water.
Step 2: Add a few drops of food coloring, using one container or bottle for each color. Be sure to add enough food coloring to make the paint visible on snow.
Step 3: Take the paint outside and encourage your kids to get creative. If using paint brushes, remind your kids that painting on snow requires a light touch. Show your kids how to mix primary colors to make secondary colors. Have them paint pictures, write out messages or create mazes, treasure maps and hopscotch patterns in the snow. If you have enough snow, help your kids to build a snowman or snow fort and decorate it with snow paint.
Snow is at its best for painting when it’s firm and crisp. Light, fluffy snow may cling to your kids’ paintbrushes, making it more difficult to transfer the paint off the paint brushes and onto the snow.
If there’s too much snow in your yard or it’s too cold to stay outside for long periods, consider filling a shallow baking tray with snow and bringing it inside so that your kids can paint on snow in the comfort of your home. Alternatively, fill ice cube trays with snow and add a few drops of food coloring to each compartment to create snow paint. Once the snow is melted, your kids can create pictures on paper with snow paint.
If your child loves hands-on activities, check out our Early Explorers (ages 3-5) and World Edition (ages 6-10) subscriptions for exciting projects, crafts, and more each month! Shop here.