When doing art with kids, one thing we need to remember is that the LESS structured it is, the MORE their creativity shines! As Teacher Tom once said, “It is not our job to be creative, it’s the kid’s” This line stuck with me and I always remember this when doing an art activity with the kids.
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Last year, I came across this ICE PAINTING activity while browsing some blogs. There were several blogs with this activity and I felt really curious to try it out. So, when we were on the topic of HANDS, we taught the kids about the opposites HOT and COLD and did some ice painting ourselves. Unfortunately, instead of following the materials shared online, we decided to use some poster paint. (haha) We filled the ice trays with poster paint, eager for the following day’s activity. Big mistake. We didn’t realize it, but putting too much poster paint in the ice tray and very little water meant there was nothing to freeze.
Hence, instead of ice painting, we told the kids we were painting with COLD PAINT instead. It was still a fun experience for them though so I wouldn’t consider it a complete failure. After all, it’s the PROCESS that’s more important than the PRODUCT.
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This year, we decided to give it another go, but this time, we used some FOOD COLORING. and it was a HUGE success! 
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What you will need:
- Ice trays
- Food coloring
- Water
- Cloth
- Plastic cup
- Plates or flat containers to put the ice after it is frozen
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Step 1: Mix the food coloring with the water in a separate cup. The more food coloring, the darker the shade when you use it to paint later on.
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Step 2: Freeze! Leave it for at least 3 hours or overnight, depending on your freezer
Don’t they look cool? They even look yummy enough to eat!
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Step 3: Take the ice out of the ice tray and put it on the plate so the kids have the freedom to get it on their own.
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Step 4: Start painting! We decided to use a piece of white cloth rather than a piece of paper to prevent sagging.
The kids had so much fun and kept laughing while painting! They had to let go of the ice several times ‘coz they were freezing!
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Step 6: Hang to dry
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Step 7: Display or reuse for another art activity!
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This looks fun! a nice activity for the kids! thanks for this post!
Not Your Ordinary Beauty Queen
The cloth is a great alternative to paper. My toddlers painted(more of doodled) with colored ice cubes also last summer. We used kitchen tongs to hold the ice cubes. Aside from the food color, I also added a few drops of vinegar to the water before freezing. I read somewhere that it makes the colors more vibrant.
Really? Thanks for the tip about the vinegar! Will definitely try that out next time!
This is a good activity for the kids. Thank you very much for sharing. I’d like to try that with my daughter. She’ll love it for sure.
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