29 Winter Drawing Ideas for Kids With Snow Days, Cozy Animals and Hot Cocoa

Winter drawing ideas are the best kind of snow day project, because you do not need to go outside to enjoy the snow. Grab some paper, a black marker and your crayons, and you can draw a whole snowy world right at the kitchen table: cozy animals, kids in puffy coats, hot cocoa with steam curling up, and skates on the ice.

Every idea below uses big simple shapes you can draw with thick, bold outlines and then fill in with bright flat color. Work through them in order if you like, from the easiest scenes to the ones with a little more going on, or just flip down and pick whichever picture makes you smile first.

Start with the easiest kind of winter drawing ideas: a kid standing still with one arm stretched up and a mitten turned palm-up to catch a snowflake. Draw the head as a big circle first, then a puffy oval body below it, like a snowman shape, and two simple boot shapes at the bottom.

Use your black marker for the outline of the coat, hood, mittens and boots before you add any color, so every shape has a clear bold edge. Draw three or four big six-point snowflakes falling around the kid, and make one land right on the mitten.

If the arm looks too stiff, bend it slightly at the elbow instead of drawing it straight up, which makes the pose feel more like a real catch. Fill the coat with one bright color and the hat and mittens with a second color so the outfit pops against the white paper.

If you do not have a black marker, a dark crayon pressed hard works almost as well for the outline.

Palette: Sky Blue,Cherry Red,Snow White,Mustard Yellow

Move from a kid in the snow to a little bear warming up inside with a mug of cocoa. Draw a round bear head with two small round ears, then a chunky oval body sitting down, and give the bear a long striped scarf wrapped around its neck.

Outline the mug as a simple cup shape held in both paws, then add two or three wavy lines rising from the top for steam. Outline everything in black first, then color the bear brown, the scarf in two alternating colors, and the cocoa a warm tan with tiny white dots for marshmallows.

If the ears end up too small to see over the head circle, draw them slightly bigger and higher up, since little rounded triangles read better as bear ears than tiny bumps. For a cocoa scene with even more detail, this guide to hot chocolate drawing has extra mug and marshmallow ideas to borrow.

Swap the mug for a simple bowl shape if drawing a handle feels tricky.

Palette: Chestnut Brown,Cocoa Tan,Candy Red,Forest Green

After a bear with a scarf, try a cat with a hat: draw a round cat head with two pointy triangle ears, then stack a simple curved body shape underneath, sitting like a loaf. Pull the knit hat down over the ears, leaving just the tips poking out, and add a round pom-pom on top.

Draw the cat facing sideways toward a window shape in the background so it looks like the cat is watching snow fall outside. Outline the whole cat and window in black, then fill the cat with one solid color and the hat with a contrasting stripe pattern.

Whiskers are the easiest part to mess up, so draw them last with three short straight lines on each side, after the face is already colored in. If stripes on the hat feel fiddly, color the hat one flat color instead and just add a pom-pom.

For more cold-weather hat shapes to practice, the hat drawing ideas page has plenty of knit styles.

Palette: Charcoal Grey,Mustard Yellow,Sky Blue,Snow White

Give the next drawing some motion: a girl ice skating with both arms stretched straight out to the sides for balance. Draw the head and body first, then the legs in a wide skating stance, one knee bent and one leg trailing back, with simple boot-shaped skates and a straight blade line underneath each one.

This is a good spot to use a proportion trick: the arms span should look about as wide as the whole body is tall, so the pose does not look cramped. Outline the figure and the ice patch under her in black, then add a few curved scratch marks on the ice to show she has been skating in circles.

If the arms look uneven, draw a light guideline straight across the shoulders first and build both arms from that same line. Color the coat and scarf in bright colors and leave the ice itself white or very pale blue.

Palette: Hot Pink,Ice Blue,Navy Blue,Snow White

Keep the energy going with a dog leaping sideways into a big mound of snow. Draw the dog mid-jump with all four legs tucked up or stretched out, ears flying, and mouth open in a happy grin, then draw the snow pile as one big lumpy white mound under its paws.

Work out from the body: head and body first in one connected outline, then legs, then the tail curling up behind. Outline the snow pile with a few bumpy curves rather than a smooth circle so it looks soft and pillowy, and scatter three or four small snow splashes flying up around the dog.

If the jump pose looks flat, angle the whole body on a slight diagonal line instead of drawing it straight across the page, which instantly makes it read as mid-air. Color the dog in warm brown or black patches and leave the snow pile white with a thin blue outline.

Palette: Warm Brown,Snow White,Sky Blue,Charcoal Grey

Draw the dog on a diagonal line through the middle of the page before adding legs or ears, it is the fastest way to make a jump look like a jump.

Slow the pace down with a quieter scene: a little round bird perched on a snowy bird feeder. Draw the feeder first as a simple box shape on a post, with a peaked roof and a thin layer of snow on top drawn as one wavy white line along every edge.

Then draw the bird as one round body shape with a smaller round head, a small triangle beak, and two thin stick legs gripping the feeder’s edge. Outline both the feeder and bird in black before adding color, and scatter a few seeds as small dots on the feeder tray.

Eye level matters here: draw the feeder roofline at the same height as the bird’s eye so the bird looks like it is standing right on the ledge, not floating above it. If a peaked roof feels tricky, draw a flat roof instead, it still reads clearly as a feeder.

Palette: Cardinal Red,Chestnut Brown,Snow White,Charcoal Grey

Bring the scene indoors for a cozy one: a kid tucked into bed, head on the pillow, looking sideways out a window at the snow falling outside. Draw the bed first as a simple rectangle with a blanket shape and a round pillow, then add the kid’s head and one visible arm resting on top of the blanket.

Draw the window as a square divided into four smaller panes with a simple crossbar, and fill the glass with pale blue and a few white snowflake dots. Outline the whole room in black before coloring, keeping the blanket pattern simple, just stripes or dots rather than anything busy.

If the bed looks too flat, add one short diagonal line at the corner to suggest the edge of the mattress, which gives it just enough depth. For more cozy indoor scenes like this, the reading painting ideas page has a similar sleepy mood.

Palette: Dusty Pink,Sky Blue,Snow White,Warm Brown

Head out onto the ice for a seal sliding along on its belly. Draw the seal as one long rounded teardrop shape lying flat, with two small flipper shapes poking out at the sides and a round head with big round eyes at the front.

Draw the ice underneath as a flat pale blue shape with a few straight crack lines, then add two or three short curved lines trailing behind the seal’s tail to show it is sliding fast. Outline the seal and ice in black first, then fill the seal with one smooth grey or silver color.

If the body looks too round and blobby, stretch the teardrop shape longer and flatter, since seals are built low and long rather than ball-shaped. Add a few white highlight patches by simply leaving small unshaded gaps in the color instead of trying to blend anything.

Palette: Silver Grey,Ice Blue,Charcoal Grey,Snow White

Zoom in close for a tiny mouse curled up asleep inside a dropped mitten. Draw the mitten first, a simple thumb-and-mitten shape lying on its side in the snow, then tuck a small round mouse body inside the opening with its tail curling out the end.

Draw the mouse’s eyes closed as two short curved lines and give it two small round ears peeking over the mitten’s edge. Outline both shapes in black, then color the mitten in one bright color with a contrasting cuff stripe, and leave the mouse a soft grey or brown.

If the mouse disappears too much inside the mitten, draw the mitten opening a little wider so more of the mouse’s body and face stay visible. Add a few snowflakes around the mitten and a soft white snow mound underneath it to show where it landed.

Palette: Cherry Red,Soft Grey,Snow White,Mustard Yellow

Add two figures moving together: a kid in a red hat walking a puppy on a leash through the snow. Draw the kid first, standing or mid-step, then draw the puppy slightly ahead, pulling the leash taut between them in one curved line.

Outline the kid’s hat, coat and boots in black, then the puppy’s round head, floppy ears and short wagging tail, keeping both figures simple blocky shapes rather than anything detailed. Draw a few footprint pairs behind them in the snow to show the path they have walked.

If the leash line looks stiff, curve it slightly instead of drawing it perfectly straight, which makes the pulling motion feel more alive. Color the kid’s hat and coat in two bright colors and keep the puppy one warm solid color so the two figures stay easy to tell apart.

Palette: Cherry Red,Navy Blue,Chestnut Brown,Snow White

Slow right down for a quiet moment: a deer standing still in an open snowy field. Draw the body as one rounded rectangle on four thin straight legs, then add a long curved neck and a small head with two tall simple antler shapes if you want a buck, or leave them off for a doe.

Keep the background almost empty, just a flat white field and maybe one small bare tree far off to one side, since the stillness is the whole point of this one. Outline the deer in black, then fill it with one warm brown and a lighter patch under the belly and around the tail.

If the legs look too thin to hold the body up, widen them slightly where they meet the belly, which grounds the whole pose. Add three or four small dot-shaped hoofprints behind the deer in the snow for a finished touch.

Palette: Warm Brown,Cream,Snow White,Charcoal Grey

Keep the calm going with an owl asleep inside a tree hollow covered in snow. Draw the tree trunk first as one tall simple shape with a round hollow cut into the middle, then draw the owl as a big round body tucked right into that opening, eyes closed with two short curved lines.

Give the owl two small pointed ear tufts and fold its wings close around its body rather than drawing them spread out, since a sleeping owl should look compact and round. Outline the tree, hollow and owl in black, then pile a thick white snow cap along the top edge of the trunk.

If the owl looks lost inside the hollow, make the hollow opening a bit smaller so the owl’s body fills most of it. Color the owl in warm brown with a lighter chest patch, and keep the tree bark plain, just a few vertical lines rather than a busy texture.

Palette: Warm Brown,Cream,Snow White,Charcoal Grey

Go bigger and bolder with a moose wrapped in a scarf so long it trails almost to the ground. Draw the moose’s body as one large rounded shape on four sturdy legs, then its head with a long droopy snout and two wide flat antler shapes spreading out to each side.

Wrap the scarf around the neck in one looping outline, then let the two ends hang down long on either side, striped in alternating colors. Outline everything in black before filling in color, keeping the moose one solid brown and the scarf the brightest colors in the whole picture.

If the antlers look too spindly, draw them as flat paddle shapes rather than thin branching lines, which is both easier to draw and closer to how a moose’s antlers actually look. Stand the moose in a plain patch of snow with no other background details competing with that long scarf.

Palette: Chestnut Brown,Cherry Red,Mustard Yellow,Snow White

Dive under the frozen surface for a narwhal gliding below a thick sheet of ice. Draw the ice first as one wide flat shape across the top of the page with a jagged bottom edge, then draw the narwhal’s long rounded body underneath with its single straight tusk pointing forward.

Add a curved tail and one small flipper, then a few bubble circles rising up from its back toward the ice above. Outline everything in black, then color the water a deep blue behind the narwhal so its grey body and pale tusk stand out clearly.

If the tusk looks too thin and fragile, draw it slightly thicker than feels natural, since a bold tusk reads much better at this simple style than a hairline one. For more icy animal scenes in this cold palette, the snow leopard drawing ideas have a similar frosty feel.

Palette: Ocean Blue,Silver Grey,Ice Blue,Snow White

Bring things back to a small, friendly scale with a squirrel sitting up in the snow holding one acorn in both paws. Draw the body as a round sitting shape first, then the big bushy tail curling up behind it like a question mark, and finally the small head with round ears and two big round eyes.

Draw the acorn as a simple oval with a scalloped cap on top, held right in front of the squirrel’s chest between both front paws. Outline everything in black, then color the squirrel in warm brown with a lighter belly patch, and the acorn in tan and a darker brown cap.

If the tail looks flat, add two or three curved lines inside it following its outline, which gives it a sense of fluffiness without any real shading. Scatter two or three small white snow mounds around the squirrel’s feet to finish the scene.

Palette: Chestnut Brown,Cream,Mustard Yellow,Snow White

Switch back to a kid for a close-up winter moment: a girl in earmuffs cupping both hands near her mouth and blowing on them to warm up. Draw the head and earmuffs first, two round pads connected by a curved band over the hair, then bring both hands up close to the face in simple mitten-shaped fists.

Draw three or four short curved lines coming from her mouth to show her warm breath in the cold air, the same way you would draw steam from a mug. Outline the whole figure in black, then color the earmuffs and coat in two bright matching colors so they read as one cheerful outfit.

If the hands look too small compared to the head, make a quick size check by holding up your pencil next to the drawing, the hands should be roughly as wide as one eye is tall. Pink or red cheeks added with light crayon circles finish the cold-weather feeling.

Palette: Dusty Pink,Mustard Yellow,Snow White,Charcoal Grey

Return indoors for one more cozy bedroom scene: a teddy bear tucked under a blanket right beside a window with snow falling outside. Draw the bed as a simple rectangle shape first, then the teddy bear’s round head and body peeking out from under the blanket, with both round ears and a little stitched smile.

Draw the window behind the bed with a few panes and some pale blue snowflakes dotted across the glass. Outline the bed, bear and window in black before coloring, keeping the blanket in one warm solid color with a simple striped or dotted edge.

If the bear and the blanket blend together too much, outline the blanket’s top edge with a slightly thicker line so it clearly sits on top of the bear rather than blending into its fur. For more sleepy indoor company pieces, the book doodles page has a similar quiet bedtime mood.

Palette: Warm Brown,Dusty Pink,Sky Blue,Snow White

Time for some noisy fun: a kid stomping through deep snow in a pair of big bright yellow boots. Draw the boots first, extra large and rounded compared to the legs, since oversized boots are what make this picture funny and easy to draw.

Build the rest of the body up from the boots, bending one knee high in a stomping step, and show snow spraying up around both feet with a few short curved lines and small white clumps. Outline everything in black, then color the boots the brightest yellow you have, with the coat and hat in contrasting colors.

If the stomping pose looks too stiff, lift the back leg’s heel slightly off the ground instead of keeping both feet flat, which gives the whole figure some bounce. Keep the background simple, just a flat stretch of white snow with the spray marks doing all the work.

Palette: Mustard Yellow,Cherry Red,Navy Blue,Snow White

Add a bit of comedy with a duck caught mid-slip on a frozen pond. Draw the duck’s body as one round oval shape first, then tilt the head and wings slightly off balance, with the two webbed feet splayed out in opposite directions to show it is losing its footing.

Draw the pond as a flat pale blue oval with a few straight crack lines running through it, and add two or three short motion lines around the duck’s feet to show the slide. Outline everything in black, then color the duck bright yellow or white with an orange beak and feet.

If the slipping pose looks too calm, exaggerate the tilt of the body further off center and widen the gap between the two feet, since a bigger wobble reads as funnier at this simple style. One raised wing for balance finishes the comic feel.

Palette: Mustard Yellow,Burnt Orange,Ice Blue,Snow White

Head back to the arctic for a walrus perched on a floating chunk of ice, one flipper raised in a friendly wave. Draw the ice floe first as a flat white shape floating on blue water, then build the walrus’s big rounded body on top of it, with two long curved tusks pointing down from its face.

Raise one front flipper up in a wave and keep the other resting on the ice for balance. Outline the walrus and ice floe in black, then color the walrus a warm pinkish grey with darker grey tusks, and keep the water a deep solid blue behind it.

If the tusks look too thin to notice, thicken them and curve them slightly inward, which is closer to a real walrus shape and much easier to see at a glance. A few small whisker dots around the snout add a nice finishing detail without any extra difficulty.

Palette: Dusty Rose,Ocean Blue,Snow White,Charcoal Grey

Bring the energy back up with a cat leaping after a single snowflake drifting through the yard. Draw the cat mid-leap with its back arched, front paws reaching up and tail flicking out behind for balance, then draw one large snowflake just out of reach above its paws.

Here is the quick version for ten minutes: outline the cat and snowflake in black, fill the cat with one flat color, and stop there with a plain white background. For the forty-minute version, add a fenced yard line behind the cat, a few smaller snowflakes drifting down, and simple paw prints trailing across the snow.

If the leap looks flat, raise the back feet off the ground and stretch the front legs higher than feels natural, since cats exaggerate their jumps more than most animals when drawn this simply. Keep the snowflake extra large so it stays the clear focus of the chase.

Palette: Charcoal Grey,Sky Blue,Snow White,Mustard Yellow

Move from a cat’s leap to a puppy’s pull: a husky puppy harnessed to a tiny sled, straining forward with its tongue out. Draw the puppy’s body leaning hard into the harness line, legs spread wide in a running stance, then draw the sled behind it as two simple curved runners under a small flat platform.

Draw the harness as one simple strap loop around the chest connecting to a straight line that leads back to the sled, and keep the sled empty or add one small gift box on top. Outline everything in black, then color the puppy in classic grey and white husky patches with bright blue eyes.

If the pulling motion looks weak, angle the puppy’s whole body forward on a diagonal and stretch the back legs further behind it, since that forward lean is what sells the effort. Swap the harness strap for a simple rope line if the loop shape feels tricky to connect.

Palette: Charcoal Grey,Snow White,Sky Blue,Cherry Red

Slow back down for one of the quietest winter drawing ideas on this list: a big bear curled up asleep inside a cave for the whole winter. Draw the cave first as one rounded arch shape with a dark opening, then tuck the bear’s curled body inside it, nose tucked under one paw and eyes closed.

Draw a thick blanket of snow sitting on top of the rocky arch and a few icicles hanging along the cave’s opening. Outline the cave and bear in black, then color the bear a deep brown, the cave rock a muted grey, and keep the snow and icicles bright white for contrast.

If the bear looks lost in the dark cave opening, lighten the inside of the cave just slightly so the bear’s shape still stands out clearly against it. For more sleepy cozy scenes in a similar mood, the winter coloring pages have gentle quiet subjects like this one.

Palette: Chestnut Brown,Stone Grey,Snow White,Ice Blue

Head back outside for a pony standing in the snow wearing its own winter blanket, the kind that wraps around its back and chest. Draw the pony’s body first on four sturdy legs, then its head with a gentle curved neck and a simple mane falling to one side, before adding the blanket as one wide shape draped over its back and secured with a strap across the chest.

Outline the pony and blanket in black, then color the pony a warm brown or cream and the blanket in a bold solid color with a simple stripe along the edge. Stand the pony in a plain snowy field so the blanket’s bright color stands out clearly.

If the blanket looks like it is floating above the body, extend its outline slightly further down each side so it clearly wraps around and touches the pony’s legs. A puff of white breath near the nose adds a nice cold-weather touch.

Palette: Cream,Cherry Red,Snow White,Charcoal Grey

Bring the scene back inside for a warm lunch moment: a kid sitting at a table with a big bowl of soup, spoon lifted halfway to the mouth, steam curling up from the bowl. Draw the bowl first as a simple rounded shape on the table, then the kid’s head and shoulders behind it, with one arm bent holding the spoon.

Draw three or four wavy lines rising from the soup the same way you drew steam from the cocoa mug earlier, since that same simple trick works for any hot food or drink. Outline everything in black, then color the soup orange or red, the bowl white or blue, and the kid’s sweater a bright contrasting color.

If the spoon looks awkward in the hand, simplify it to just an oval on a stick rather than trying to draw real spoon details. For more cozy kitchen scenes to pair with this one, the kitchen drawing ideas page has warm winter meals too.

Palette: Burnt Orange,Sky Blue,Snow White,Cherry Red

Keep the cozy mood going with a kid sitting cross-legged, wrapped up to the chin in a big blanket, holding an open book in two hands. Draw the blanket first as one large rounded shape covering the whole body, then add just the head poking out the top and two hands peeking out the front to hold the book open.

Draw the book as a simple open V-shape with a straight line down the middle for the spine, resting on the lap. Outline everything in black, then color the blanket in a cozy pattern of stripes or dots and keep the book plain white or cream so it stands out against the busier blanket.

If the hands look odd holding the book, simplify them to simple rounded shapes gripping each side rather than drawing individual fingers. For more reading-themed ideas to pair with this one, check the book doodles page for extra book shapes.

Palette: Dusty Rose,Mustard Yellow,Cream,Charcoal Grey

Pick the pace back up with a girl in a pink coat skiing down a small snowy hill, poles out to each side for balance. Draw the hill first as one simple curved slope across the lower half of the page, then place the girl partway down it, leaning slightly forward with two thin ski shapes under her boots and two pole lines angled out behind her.

Outline the hill, girl and skis in black, then add a few small bumps of snow spraying from the back of the skis to show she is moving fast. Color the coat and hat bright pink, the hill plain white, and leave a strip of pale blue sky at the very top of the page.

If the lean looks too upright, tilt the whole upper body further forward over the skis, since a steeper lean reads as more speed even in a simple drawing. Draw the ski tips pointing slightly upward at the front for an easy, confident finish.

Palette: Hot Pink,Snow White,Sky Blue,Charcoal Grey

Add a playful touch with a kid holding a long icicle straight up in one hand, waving it like a magic wand with little sparkle marks around the tip. Draw the kid’s body and raised arm first, then draw the icicle as one long tapering triangle shape gripped in the fist, pointed end up.

Draw three or four small star or sparkle shapes around the icicle’s tip to give it that magic wand feeling. Outline everything in black, then color the icicle pale blue with a thin white highlight line down one side, and give the kid a bright coat color that contrasts with the icy blue.

If the icicle looks too short to notice, lengthen it well past the hand, close to half the height of the whole figure, since a dramatically long icicle is what makes the wand idea work. One big open-mouthed smile finishes the playful feeling.

Palette: Ice Blue,Snow White,Cherry Red,Mustard Yellow

Close the list with a little hare caught mid-hop across a stretch of fresh, untouched snow. Draw the hare’s body as one long rounded shape stretched out low to the ground, with the back legs tucked up high behind it and the front paws reaching forward, then add two tall ears leaning back from the head.

Draw a few simple paw prints trailing behind the hare to show the path it has already hopped across. Outline the hare and prints in black, then color the hare white or pale grey so it almost blends into the snow, with just the black outline and two pink ear tips standing out.

If the hop looks too stiff, stretch the back legs further up behind the body and tuck the front paws in closer together, since that longer stretch is what makes a hop look springy rather than standing still. One bright blue sky strip at the top finishes this last cheerful snow day scene.

Palette: Snow White,Soft Grey,Dusty Pink,Sky Blue

What to Do Next

Pick whichever winter drawing idea made you smile most and grab a plain sheet of white paper to start. Sketch the big shapes lightly first, go over them with a bold black outline, then fill everything in with bright color, and you will have a finished snow day picture before cocoa gets cold.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the easiest winter drawing idea for a young child to start with?

A kid catching snowflakes on a mitten is the easiest start, since it uses only big round shapes for the head, coat and mittens with no tricky details to copy.

What materials work best for winter drawing ideas for kids?

A black marker for bold outlines plus washable crayons or markers for flat color works best, since thick outlines are easy for small hands to fill in neatly.

How do you make winter drawings look less flat and simple?

Add motion lines, steam lines or small snowflakes around the subject, since those extra marks give a simple flat drawing more life without adding real shading.

Can these winter drawing ideas be colored with only crayons and no markers?

Yes, crayons work for every idea on this list, just press firmly for the black outlines and fill in with flat color the same way you would with markers.

How long does each winter drawing idea take to finish?

Most of these drawings take fifteen to thirty minutes for a child working at a relaxed pace, which makes every idea easy to finish in one sitting.