Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds

Playful Learning Ideas for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Ice Painting for Kids

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You know those days when you just want a super simple activity to keep the kids busy? Those days when you just want to open the cabinet and pull out 1 or 2 items that will just WOW them while you go read a book? (Okay, or make dinner, clean house, pay bills …) Well, actually, this activity is pulled out of the freezer. Hello, ice painting for kids!

 

Ice painting is loved any time of the year! Indoors, outdoors, at home and at school.

 

In the winter it can tie in with a snow theme and in the summer it can be added to a cool outdoor activity on a hot day. We’ve done this activity at the beginning of the school year, when we were introducing our preschoolers to watercolors and different textures, and we’ve done it in the spring during our nature science unit. It’s probably one of the most simplest painting activities around, and yet it is always popular with kids.
It’s a favorite go-to activity any time!

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Ice Painting for Kids

What you will need:

  • A large piece of ice, frozen in your choice of plastic container
  •  Watercolors
  • A plastic tray to catch the puddles


painting on ice

Setting it up:

Pour water in your plastic container and allow it to freeze overnight. (One for each child, or for the amount of children who can fit at your art table at one time.) Right before starting this activity, remove the ice from the container onto a tray. Place watercolors on the tray next to the ice, along with a paintbrush.

Tip: Have a few of these ice blocks in your freezer at all times. This way they will be handy at that last minute when the kids have extra energy, or when a playdate needs some extra fun. 

painting on ice

 

 The process:

Invite your children to brush the watercolors on top of the ice block.

painting on ice

 

 Observe:

Notice what happens with the watercolors as the ice starts melting. The texture starts changing, as do the colors.

 painting on ice

 

 
painting on ice

 

painting on ice

 

When finished:

Either leave it as is, or press a piece of paper on top to make a print. Then, simply place the ice in the sink to melt. Clean up is a breeze!

 

 More activities:

20 Fun Toddler Activities for Home

Teaching Squares to Toddlers

Easy and Fun Shape Art

 



 

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Comments

  7. Any tips on the easiest way to remove the ice from the plastic dishes/containers? I’m imagining that being tricky! Am I thinking too much into it? 🙂

    • Hi Sara! After we took the trays from the freezer, we ran warm water over them to melt the ice a bit. They then slid out of the trays.