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Make today the day for some winter art projects!
You know what I love about winter? I love peeking through the curtains in the chill of the morning before the house is awake and gazing out over a field of freshly fallen snow, glistening and twinkling in the moonlight.
That’s probably my favorite scene in winter.
But once the house is awake, and I’m bustling about with pancakes and coffee in hand, it’s hard to stop for a moment to gaze on the wonder. Don’t lose the wonder of the winter season.
Whether you live in an area that has snow or not, make time for some snow-themed winter art projects. These simple creations help us grasp that wonder a moment longer and enjoy it the whole year through.
Today, I want to share some of my absolute favorite mediums to create art for kids of all ages. These simple ideas are so much fun that even your older children will love them!
I know what you’re thinking, can’t you just use paint for winter art projects? Of course you can (and I’ll even start with that usual staple so I don’t scare you)…but the world of art and winter art creations involves so much more than store bought paint.
Cool Winter Art Projects
Homemade Paint
Did you know you can make your own paint out of almost anything? It’s true.
Yes, you can use store bought oil based paints, water colors, acrylic paint, tempura paint, etc.
But, you can also have some fun MAKING your own paint. I loved creating icy salt paint (click the link for the full tutorial) for George when he was a toddler. He had a blast using Epsom Salt and glue to create the sparkliest snowflakes ever!
Another winter art craft we’ve enjoyed is coloring the snow. Using just spray bottles, water, and food coloring, your entire yard can become a canvas for little imaginations to be unleashed on. The possibilities are endless with color snow spray.
Plus, painting is a great way to teach fine motor skills, too – so this fun winter craft is a great way to hit two birds with one stone.
Pro tip: use paper plates to act as a paint palette! You can even get the small plates as those are perfect for little hands to hold and carry with them! Another option is to use construction paper to hold the paint!
And let’s not forget using snow as a medium for winter art projects either. Creating snow faces on tree trunks is another creative use of snow for your little artists. Learn more about it in my 32 Snow Activities for Kids This Winter. It’s the first idea in the list. The younger children especially love this and think it’s a great idea!
Resist Painting
The concept of resist painting happens when something is drawn or created using a clear medium (more about that in a minute) and then painted over the entire canvas or paper to reveal a hidden design or picture. It’s amazing, and for kids it’s almost magical! To them, an invisible picture appears, and they don’t know how it happened.
These ideas come in so handy any time of the year, but in keeping with our winter art projects theme, I want to focus on snowflakes for winter. One of the most basic snowflake concepts is tape resist snowflake art, which uses painter’s tape in the shape of a simple snowflake taped to heavy paper or a tile.
Once the child paints the picture, the tape can be removed to reveal white, dainty snowflakes. My list of Creative Snowflake Art Ideas in 30+ Easy Snowflake Crafts Kids Will Love to Make includes a variety of resist painting including tape resist, watercolor resist, and oil pastel resist…all for creating the most gorgeous snowflakes you’ve ever seen.
Crayon resist is another art variant a hands-on mom shared with me that we used to create easy winter landscapes. All resist paintings are easy, fun, and gorgeous. Give them a try this winter, and see if you’re hooked. This simple project is also very loved by older kids!
Puffy Paint Art
Puffy paint is a “must have” for your art bin. Not only is it easy to find in any arts and crafts store, it’s inexpensive and has so many uses.
It can be used for some super fun art ideas like a puffy paint polar bear face found in my Winter Animal Crafts list. This one is a really great craft for a snowy day!
You can also use it to make your own window clings.
Did you know puffy paint makes fantastic window clings?
Yep, it does! Try the glittery snowflake window clings (#4 in my list) from my 12 Snowy Indoor Activities for Kids This Winter.
Can’t resist one last winter art idea. If you don’t have puffy paint on hand, try making your own with the 30-second puffy snowflake art project.
This one comes in #14 on my Creative Snowflake Art Ideas and is actually amazing because it uses kitchen staples everyone owns and the microwave to create the cutest snowflake winter art craft.
Homemade Art Prints
Helping your child make his own art print has never been easier. Yes, you can use store bought stampers, but why bother?
Instead, pull out some marshmallows or even let your kids use their fingers and toes to create adorable homemade art prints.
Marshmallow snowman prints are a perfect addition to your winter art crafts list. Not only will your kids enjoy munching on marshmallows as they create their masterpieces, but they can also use the round large and mini marshmallows dipped in paint to create their own stampers. The circles are perfect for a snowman’s body and charcoal face. (I also love to add googly eyes!)
Stamp art doesn’t always have to include a stamper. Let your child BE the stamper.
These creative footprint and handprint penguins take homemade art prints to a whole new level. By putting the paint on just the outside of the child’s foot or hand, the white space on the paper becomes the penguin’s belly.
The beauty of any art project is allowing your creativity to run wild.
You and your children have so much to explore no matter the medium you choose with these winter art projects.
Make today the day for some winter art creations!
