This paint the snow activity (aka: coloring snow or squirt bottle painting) is a super fun way to spend a snow day with kids. You can paint snow as an outdoor winter art activity or use it for inside snow theme activities for kids! Definitely add this to your snow play activities, snow day art activities, January painting ideas, winter lessons for preschoolers, or art with food coloring ideas!
Fun Paint The Snow Activity For Winter Ideas
Painting the snow is an easy winter kids activity that you can do as an indoor snow activity or a fun snow day idea (Painting snow for toddlers or preschoolers makes a fun sensory activity, too.) This best snow paint recipe is so easy to make and great for snow ideas for home, school classroom snow spray painting, or a winter youth group activity!
What kind of paint do you use to paint snow?
Food coloring snow is an easy way to paint in the cold (and snow color paint is a simple recipe!).
Snow Paint Ingredients:
- Water
- Food coloring (different colors of choice for food color spray paint)
- Spray bottles
- Paint brushes (optional)
- Stencils (optional)
- Paint cups (optional)
KEEP SCROLLING for the full snow activity directions, more tip ingredients to make snow paint, and fun snow painting ideas! Making DIY color snow spray for snow art activities is super easy! All ages will love this — from preschool activities, toddler ideas, and even fun teen snow ideas!
Can you paint snow?
Yes, painting with snow is a thing! You can easily paint snow using a food coloring mixture, spray bottles (for spray paint on snow), and even stencils. Or, use paint brushes and food color in paint cups for snows painting instead of food coloring spray paint.
WINTER ACTIVITY TIP: Before a snowstorm, make a painting in the snow kit with all the snow paint supplies for coloring the snow. Then you have them on hand when snow falls! (Also check out: How To Make A Snow Day Survival Kit to go along with your snow painting kit.)
Snow Paint Ideas
Creative cold snow day ideas:
- Use spray bottles to make abstract snow paintings
- Paint faces or clothes onto snowmen (or make a tie dye snowman)
- Use plastic stencils to make snow pictures and snow scenes (snowflake stencils are great!) for easy easy snow spray art
- Paint a rainbow in the snow with bright snow colors
- Use wide paint brushes to paint directly on snow outside
- Put snow on a cookie sheet, smooth it down, and paint a “framed” snow picture
- Use squirt bottles with snow food coloring to make lines in the snow or write your name in the snow
- Make tie dye with spray paint and water on snow
- Color snowballs before you throw them
- Draw a target in the snow for snowball games
Read on for more tips on how to make snow painting (snows painting with spray bottles) and easy spray painting activity when it’s snowing…
How To Make Snow Paint (How To Paint Real Snow)
Painting the snow for kids is a creative snow art activity and a winter idea for indoors or snowy day outdoor idea. It’s a quick and easy snow day activity for kids that they’ll always remember!
IMPORTANT ACTIVITY TIP: Food coloring makes great winter snow paint color and a simple snow paint for crafts, but may stain. Be sure that you protect any areas or clothing while doing this snow paint activity.
Snow Painting Indoors
If you’re looking for fun things to do with snow inside, add this to your winter list!
You can get fun and creative with snow inside by making your own painting in the snow kit so you’re all set for snow painting with food coloring and other items when the time comes.
I love this as an indoor winter snow painting preschool idea!
Here’s how to color snow for winter play inside. (A recipe for snow paint is super simple!)
Snow painting easy indoor activity:
- Protect the activity area (your table, floor, etc.) with plastic trash bags.
- Gather snow on a cookie sheet or long baking sheet. (I like using cooking sheets because they’re thin and the baking sheet lip makes a frame around the snow picture!)
- Smooth out snow on top to make an even painting space for easy snow painting. DON’T MAKE THE SNOW TOO PACKED DOWN or the snow coloring won’t melt into it.
- Mix different food colorings and water in small spray bottles like this and / or paint cups.
- Use fun stencils, spray bottles, and paint brushes with paint cups to make snow pictures! (These cups are perfect and you can even save the leftovers for painting activities over several days.)
- If it’s cold, place your painted snow pictures outside to save them or just dump the snow back into the yard when you’re finished! (Don’t forget to snap pics of your paintings with snow and art in the snow before they melt!)
You can even make glitter snow paint by adding in some colorful glitter (or even sugar sprinkles)!
SNOW ACTIVITY TIP: Stencils like this make awesome snow painting pictures to use with spray snow paint! However, you can just make simple winter paintings with dots and lines!
MORE SNOW KIDS ACTIVITIES AFTER PAINTING IN SNOW:
Homemade Chocolate Frosty With Snow
Snow Activity Ideas for Winter Fun or Snow Days
What To Make With Real Snow For Kids
Snow Painting Outdoors
Here’s how to paint snow outside (aka: make spray paint for snow) for snow painting craft or art…
To make snow spray paint:
- Fill small sprayer bottles with water.
- In each water bottle, place drops of food coloring. (Use as many drops of food coloring as it takes to make vibrant colors on snow. The more drops you use the better the food color snow will likely show up.)
- Replace bottle sprayer top and tighten. Shake vigorously to mix the water and food coloring. (Kids will have a lot of fun with this part!)
- Suit up and head outside. Use the spray bottles to make different pictures in the snow!
- Add in stencils to spray on for specific snow images and spray painting snow.
- Have fun and enjoy your snow’s painting! (Don’t forget to have some homemade hot chocolate when you come back in to warm up!)
Although you don’t need need special paint for snow, your kids may have fun with this snow paint for kids outside/ snow art paint as a snow color kit.
How do toddlers paint in snow?
Painting snow is a great toddler play activity idea for winter. The best way for toddlers to paint in the snow is to bring snow indoors in a bin or a baking sheet (especially if it is a really cold day). Then, toddlers can use paintbrushes and paint cups filled with water and food coloring to make pictures in the snow! Makes a great winter fine motor skills activity, too!
Painting with spray bottle may be more difficult for little hands, so try using thicker paintbrushes and water food coloring mixure for your toddler or preschooler snow art project / food color art.
Remember: snow and food coloring can be messy for little hands as a snow painting activity! Protect clothes and areas around for this snow paint craft or include art aprons as part of a snow coloring kit.
Best Snow Books For Kids
Whether you’re looking for books about snow for toddlers or snow books for preschoolers read aloud, or even winter children’s book for older ages and fun children’s books about snow, you’ll love these snowy books!
Best Children’s Picture Books About Snow:
- A Thing Called Snow
- Snowy Day
- A Magical Winter
- Snowscape: A Winter Pop-Up
- Snow Falls
- Rami’s Snow Day
Painting on snow is such a great boredom-buster winter activity, especially when kids are getting cabin fever! Who knew a simple snow drawing could be so fun?! Definitely add this snowed in paint activity for children (snow paint preschool and up)!
