How to use marshmallows for a cute preschool winter art project

Where we are, it’s extremely cold; therefore this creative guest post from Jamie at Hand Made Kids Art is so fitting! It’s a fun way for us to continue our tot school even with a new baby around and learn about snow and the cold weather. Keep reading to find more on how to enjoy this preschool winter art project for yourself!

And check out our winter resource guide for parents that include more activities!

Combine Math and Art and create a snowman using paint and marshmallows! This simple yet engaging activity introduces your child to painting with marshmallows and how to paint a snowman. Add math challenges along the way to encourage and stretch their creative thinking.

Materials for Preschool Winter Art Project:

• Marshmallows
• Toothpicks
• White Washable Paint and Paint Palette
• Colored Construction Paper
• Oil Pastels or Markers

Don’t forget to check out the FREE get active indoors challenge!

Winter-Themed Art Tutorial:

Adult Prep: Before introducing the activity to your child pour the paint on your palette and poke the toothpicks into the marshmallows. If you fear putting out paint for your little one, be sure to read our top 10 tips for painting with young artists.

Step 1: Ask your child what shape creates a snowman? How many shapes do you need to build a snowman?

Step 2: Let your child experiment with dipping the marshmallow into the paint and then stamping on the paper. Challenge your child to explore how to build their own snowman with the paint.

Step 3: Once the paper has completely dried go back and add snowman details, such as a hat, scarf, arms, facial features and a carrot nose.

Step 4: Display the artwork!

Teacher Notes:
Introduce math concepts while painting by discussing the shape the marshmallow leaves on the page (circle or oval). By repeating the circle on the paper your child is creating a pattern. For a math extension, try challenging them to make a pattern of snowmen on the page or ask if they can create a small, medium, and large snowmen.

Let your child have time to explore and paint with the marshmallows. It may take them a bit to figure out how they can make their snowman. If your child has no interest in painting snowmen it is just as beneficial to let them explore leaving marks on the paper. After all it is fun to paint with a new tool like toothpicks and marshmallows. Exploring how to make marks (or even scribble) is a developmental stage for preschoolers.

It is the process not the end product that is important with this activity.

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More from and About Jamie at Hand Made Kids Art

Jamie is a certified Art Instructor having taught children of all ages. In addition to inspiring young minds and creating for Hand Made Kids Art, she is a busy mom of 3 children. Hand Made Kids Art focuses on quick, easy and inspiring art activities for kids. It doesn’t matter if you only have 5 minutes or 20 minutes, you can find time to create art with your children with Hand Made Kids Art. Follow along with our art adventures at Hand Made Kids Art, Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

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More Winter Art activities here at ALLterNATIVElearning