Inside: Looking for an simple yet super fun gingerbread man painting activity? Brush paint on gingerbread shaped ice with watercolors! Easy for toddlers and preschoolers.
We just finished our last week before winter break.
That means finishing our gifts, making our homemade gift bags, practicing songs for our singalong ….
We needed something calm.
And ice painting is always a fun, calm activity!
So fun that I’m finding ways to include it in many of our themes! It started with our basic ice painting, then our heart-shaped ice painting, and, most recently, our Christmas tree ice painting.
Every single time it’s a hit.
We like that!
Super Fun Gingerbread Man Painting {On Ice!}
This idea didn’t come to me until I found a gingerbread cake pan.
I just knew it would be a perfect addition to our ice painting collection. Add some watercolors and you are good to go!
How to set this gingerbread activity up:
Fill pan with water and freeze. You will need one frozen gingerbread for each child. (We only had one cake pan, so as each gingerbread was frozen, we removed it from the pan, placed in freezer, and started again until we had 10 frozen pieces.)
Right before inviting the children to participate, place trays on the table along with the watercolors. (We pre-moistened our watercolors by adding a drop of water on each oval.)
Place the frozen gingerbread on the trays.
Invite the children to place their paintbrushes into the paint and then onto the frozen gingerbread.
I love how the details showed up as they were covered in paint!
As the ice starts melting, the colors will mix. Some of the children might notice that when 2 colors met, a third color was made!
Several of our children painted the entire piece, so we asked if they wanted us to wash the paint off so they could start again. This was quite exciting for them!
Simply carry the tray with the gingerbread ice to the sink and run cold water over it, removing the watercolors.
Then take it back to the table to start again!
This could be a solution if you don’t have enough gingerbread ice for each child. As one child finishes, wash off the watercolors and then invite another child to paint on it.
Just remember that the ice will be melting!
I just had to get some photos before they were placed in the sink to thaw.
Super fun, super easy, and clean up is a breeze.
Simply dump all the gingerbread ice pieces into the sink to thaw. Done!
More Holiday Process Art
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Gingerbread Man Theme Preschool Classroom Lesson Plans
Fun science investigations, literacy activities, math games and more. Plus printable lesson plans for a Gingerbread Man Preschool Theme.
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- 1-Page Weekly Lesson Plan Grid with Activity Ideas for Whole Group, Literacy, Math, and Science each day
- Alternate Editable Weekly Grids for 4-day, 3-day, and 2-day programs
- 5 Daily Lesson Plan Sheets with Activity Directions and Materials List
- 2-Page Center Descriptions
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Click Here for More Information
I have a question. Instead of watercolor painting for the ice painting could regular washable paint be used?
Hi Casey! I haven’t tried it, but since the ice will be melting while the paint is being applied, it should work. Let me know if you try it, and what results you had. I’m curious!