These DIY ice cube paints are a chilly and colorful summer boredom buster that lets kids create vibrant watercolor art with simple supplies!

ice cube paints in a tray and watercolor rainbow art.

Ice Cube Painting

Summer is here and while I’m excited to have a break from our busy school schedule, that also means there are a lot of hours in the day to keep the kids busy.

If you’re looking for creative ways to beat the heat and keep energetic kiddos entertained, I’ve got a fun activity to share that is perfect for hot summer days! Forget the screen time, because we’re about to make some seriously cool (literally!) art with these DIY Ice Cube Paints.

I took a picnic blanket outside and the girls and I had so much fun creating watercolor art as the ice cubes melted. This is an activity I can see us doing again and again!

Ice cube painting is a combination of messy play and sensory fun, and trust me, your little artists are going to LOVE it too. Ready to dive into some colorful, chilly creativity? Let’s get started!

Supply List

For your convenience, I’ve included shop-able ad links to supplies used to make our sidewalk paint recipe; read our full disclosure policy here.

Silicone Ice Cube Tray (using a flexible silicone tray will make it easier to pop out the ice cubes without cracking them)
Water
Food Coloring
Popsicle Sticks (we cut them in half, so for a 14-cube ice tray, you’d need 7 popsicle sticks)

Instructions

To Prep: Place a silicone ice cube tray on top of a baking sheet. This will help keep the ice cube tray from bending or spilling when moving it in and out of the freezer.

Fill a silicone ice cube tray with water.
Add several drops of food coloring to each cube and stir.
Freeze for 10-15 minutes, until slushy in consistency.
Remove from freezer and place one popsicle stick half in each cube. Return to freezer until the ice is frozen solid.

4 step photo collage showing how to make ice cube paints.

Video Demo:

Prep Tips

Freezing the Paints – When freezing the paints, I found it easiest to insert the popsicle sticks when the mixture was in a semi-frozen or slushy state. If it’s completely liquid, the sticks won’t stand upright. The slushy consistency provides just enough substance to hold them in place.
Paint On – We used watercolor paper, because these ice cube paints are very similar in consistency to regular watercolor paints. Watercolor paper will help soak up some of the moisture and is designed for painting with something very wet like this activity. However, you really could use any type of construction paper or even paint outside on a wooden fence or sidewalk. (Just be sure to rinse away whatever you don’t want to stay on the pavement or fence until the next big rain!)
Storage – You can keep the ice cube paints in the tray in the freezer until ready to use. If there are any leftover, you can re-freeze and use again.

More Outdoor Art Activities For Kids

How to Make Ice Cube Paints (Printable Instructions)

If you tried this activity and loved it too, please rate it! We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

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