Need an activity for a cold day? Make these watercolor winter hats asap. Watercolor winter hats are a big win that helped us survive several days of being cooped up inside. – Less mess with watercolors, more time for creative play – and hot coffee. BOOM. This easy winter painting for kids is the bomb.
Related: Cold outside? Here are 40 fun winter activities for kids.

Why are watercolor winter hats so awesome?
This fun indoor activity starts with a bit of mystery (the white crayon) and allows my child to discover a secret pattern on the hat.
What do I mean? Let’s start with the setup. I found this idea from the One Little Project, and the activity had me at hello.
The white crayon trick
See those white lines? After outlining each winter hat with a black marker, I added a simple design using a white crayon. It’s the magic we need on a cold winter day.
As my child paints with his watercolors, the secret design is revealed. This differs from the snowman painting activity, but both use our favorite watercolors. (listed in supplies) Make a snowman from markers, paper, and glue if painting is not your jam!
Related: Want to paint without the mess? I like the way watercolors are easy to wipe up.
Set up
- Draw a few simple hats on your white paper with a black marker.
- Use your white crayon to design inside the winter hat. – Don’t overthink this. Simple lines, dots, and curves work great. An alternative is white oil pastel.
- Invite your preschooler (or BIG KID!) to come to paint over the hat to reveal its secret design.
Quick Tip: You can level-up this art activity using cut-out hats on heavy cardstock with white oil pastel. Hang the winter hat drawings on the window. This is similar to our tissue paper mitten activity.
Related: Aren’t these adorable? Here are 10 snowman craft ideas for kids.
Watercolor painting tip
Use a dropper to squirt water into each section of your watercolor paints before getting started. Genius right? Adding a little water to each section of the watercolor pallet will help get the paints ready to use.
Why is painting so great for kids? Here are 12 benefits of painting with children. If you are new to painting, check out how to paint with kids.
I like to paint to calm the chaos of the day. Painting takes a few extra steps to get set up, but once my toddler and preschooler dive in, I can hear the soft music humming in the background. I have a brilliant tip on how to paint with toddlers inside this post.
Supply list
Four supplies? Yep! I know it. That’s all it takes for an afternoon of fun. And I bet you already have the broken white crayon and black marker in your junk drawer. (wink, wink!)
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Markers
We love a 40-pack of markers. I like to keep these in our art cart for drawing and free play.
Watercolors
These watercolor paints make us so happy! Out of all the pallets we’ve tested, these are the brightest colors.
White Crayon
Need a new pack of crayons? Here is a jumbo crayon set to help with fine motor development with small hands and create more prominent lines for your winter hats.
White Paper Roll
A staple in our house is the white paper roll. This Melissa and Doug set is a great way to introduce Breakfast Invitations or add a few preschool activities to your day.
Keep painting
Once the secret patterns are revealed, your child can continue painting. Even better? Hand over the white crayon and have your child decorate more winter hats to paint again.
My boys painted well beyond my expected 10-minute window. – someone knew I needed a win!
All finished? Display the winter artwork with art frames or wooden hangers. (and no one is judging if it goes into the recycle bin instead)
More ways to use watercolor paints:
FAQ
These wintery ideas for kids are divided into four categories: outdoor snow play, winter art activities, indoor winter play ideas, and a winter book list.
I love this list of easy painting activities for kids for toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarteners. These paint-filled ideas are for kids to help with fun, play, fine motor skills, learning, and calming anxious feelings.
Press a little harder than you would if you were coloring a picture. The jumbo crayons are sturdy for art projects like this, so they don’t break from the pressure.