Easy Toddler Bear Tracks Painting Activity

Last Updated on January 3, 2025 by Sheryl Cooper

Inside: This toddler bear tracks painting activity is a great companion to the winter or hibernation theme!

January is our favorite time to talk about hibernation, placing extra focus on sleepy winter bears.

We create a bears’ den in the dramatic play area, use bear props while reading and singing during circle time, and enjoy painting bears at the art table.

Several years ago I added another fun art activity that involves dipping toy bears into paint and creating tracks.

It’s such a hit that it’s now in my January lesson plans every year!

After teaching toddlers for 25 years, there are a few things I am sure of, and one of them is that painting with toys will always be a hit.

Always!

Anytime I put some toys on the art table with a tray of paint, I get an instant group of interested children.

You might have seen these other toy painting ideas:

There’s something fun about painting in three dimension, where children learn how to paint on top, below, inside and around.

We’ve also painted bear paws on ice! Click here to see!

Painting three dimensional objects also strengthens toddler fine motor skills.

In the photos you will notice how our little artists need to use one hand to hold the bear while using the other hand to work the paintbrush.

At first it takes great concentration as they work both hands, but once they get the hang of it, they want to keep on going!

I love this activity because:

It’s loved by toddlers
It’s easy to set up
It requires few materials

So, let’s get started!

Easy Toddler Bear Tracks Painting Activity

Supplies:

Plastic Bears (these aren’t the same ones we used and might be a bit smaller)
Brown Tempera Paint
White Paper

As I said earlier, what I love about art activities such as this is the minimal amount of supplies needed!

Setting up the paper:

Group Activity

If you want this to be a group activity, cover the entire table with white paper (we have a roll of paper for these types of activities).

Tape the edges of the paper to the table so it doesn’t slide around.

Individual Activity

Place a sheet of paper on a tray. This can be for one child or multiple children. You will want a tray with paper for each child involved.

Setting up the paint:

You will want shallow containers that are big enough to hold at least one bear.

Squirt the brown paint into the tray and place a bear on top.

Note: If you need more paint during the process, we love using squeeze bottles. Since this is halfway through the school year and we have worked on squeezing, I sometimes hand the paint to the child to squeeze onto the tray. I stand close to supervise and decide when there is enough (because they will keep squeezing until the bottle is empty!).