Grab those watercolor paints and let’s paint on something new- ice cubes! Painting on ice is a fun and simple early painting experience!
Supplies for painting on ice…
Ice, you’ll need ice. And this project isn’t picky. We used ice cubes from the dispenser in our freezer, the easy way. Whether you have fancy round cubes of icicles from outside or chunks of ice from the driveway this project will for sure bring oohs and ahhs!
You’ll also need paint of some type. We used watercolors paints because they’re easy to get and easy to clean up. I supplied both liquid watercolors and the traditional cake watercolors. Both work well and supply a vibrant easy to move color!
You’ll need a few soft clean paint brushes. Supply a variety of sizes from tiny chunky. You could also use paint droppers, q-tips, foam brushes, or any alternative way of applying paint!
This process art activity will go more smoothly if the ice is contained. Choose a container with edges so that your little artists can paint and smoosh and swirl the ice cubes around without extending the mess! Pie plates, shallow bowls, servings dishes, or even up-cycled plastic packaging will be perfect for this!
The process of ice painting…
Painting on ice is a process art activity and here’s why! This activity will yield no lasting artwork. There’s nothing to hang on the fridge or send to Grandma’s house. There is no prescribed way to apply color. No specific end result is expected.
The beauty of a process art activity like this one is your kids are free! They’re free to move, to create, to mix, to have fun making! We tend to reserve this kind of art activity for the littles but artists of all ages can let loose and enjoy this- I promise!
Next steps for ice cube painting…
If your kiddos love this kind of open ended art experience be sure to check out this huge list of open ended art activities! If you have a kiddo with perfectionist tendencies these process art based experiences are a great way to get them to relax and make with zero expectations or judgments.
Do you want more easy art ideas for your littles ones?
- Use the same watercolor paints from this process and head outside into the cold for some snow painting!
- Try painting on foil for a new sensory experience!
- Tie dye paper towels for the easiest tie dye day you’ve ever had!
