This mitten craft, inspired by The Mitten, by Jan Brett, is a fun winter art project for toddlers and preschoolers. Photo updates by the Editorial Team.
Updated December 2024
You might find as winter begins and we all get a little stir-crazy indoors, you need a gazillion ideas to keep myself (and the kiddos) from getting too bored.
I hope this ends up being a fun one you try. It’s perfect for the youngest artists and is one the entire family can enjoy together.
We love Jan Brett’s book The Mitten, so we decided to create some of our own mittens. We used one of our favorite painting techniques: watercolor resist with crayons or oil pastels.
Mitten Craft for Preschoolers
MATERIALS
- watercolor paper
- watercolor paint (or liquid watercolors)
- pen or marker
- scissors
- crayons or oil pastels
- paint brush and cup of water
INSTRUCTIONS
- Trace mittens
First, trace your child’s hand on the paper several times to make mittens. We made 8 mitten sets since there are 8 animals in The Mitten.
Trace over your mittens with a marker and then cut them out.
- Draw designs
Use crayons or oil pastels to draw designs on your mittens. We did lots of polka dots and wavy lines.
- Paint with watercolors
Then paint over the wax drawings with watercolors. Watch as the wax resists the paint, leaving vibrant colors.
- Let dry completely
Let your mittens dry completely, then hang them up for decoration.
Or you can use them to act out the story of The Mitten! We like hiding them around the house and seeing if we can find them.
This activity provided hours of fun for us on a wintry day. I hope it does the same for you!
More Winter Art Activities for Kids
- 13 Winter Crafts for Kids
- How to Make Tissue Paper Snowflakes Prints
- 31+ Days of Winter Activities for Kids (with Printable List!)
- 12 Winter Sensory Bins for Kids
- How To Make Paper Snowflakes with Coffee Filters
- How to Make Sticky Snowflakes for Kids
Want even more creative ideas?
Check out our Winter Fun Creativity pack!
Cozy up with some of our favorite wintertime activities for creative kids! This pack has 40 pages of winter-themed art activities that will keep your kids busy even on the snowiest day!
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