What your Preschooler will Learn about Sun Painting:

- The suns rays (UV rays) are so strong that they can actually change the color of paper

- The importance of wearing sun-block, hats and sunglasses on hot, bright days

What you Need for Sun Painting:

- A dark piece of construction paper such as black, green, blue, purple or a very dark red

- A sunny spot

- Thin cardboard that can be cut with scissors

- Holiday cookie cutters

- A pen

- Decorative supplies such as paints, chalk, crayons and markers, glitter, glue etc.

What To Do for Sun Painting:

Step one: Have your preschooler choose a few holiday cookie cutters. Trace around the cookie cutters with a pen. If your preschooler is old enough and has enough dexterity, feel free to have them do this. Step two: Cut the cardboard along the tracings. Depending on the scissors and the thickness of the cardboard, an adult may need to do the cutting.

Step three: Place the piece of cardboard on your dark construction paper wherever you want the holiday design to be.

Step four: Leave your piece of construction paper out in the sun for at least a few hours. The sun will fade the paper not covered by the cardboard, leaving the dark colored holiday design behind.

Step five: Have your preschooler decorate their sun painting however they want. Let them use their imagination and any decorative supplies you have to create a special Holiday card for a loved one.

Suggestions:

Start this activity as soon as the sun hits your sunny spot. Depending on your region, this preschool weather experiment may take a couple of days during the winter.

Variations:

You do not have to use a cookie cutter to create your holiday patterns. Feel free to use free-hand or whatever you want to create your holiday patterns.

You're not just limited to creating holiday cards with sun painting. Have your preschooler make holiday gift tags for all of those holiday gifts you're giving to friends and family.

Hi! I'm Theresa Halvorsen, the preschool science and nature writer for Preschoolrock.com. I have twin boys and am blown away by their fascination with preschool science and how the world works around them. I am always looking for fun and simple science activities so preschoolers can learn about science and the natural world. Please contact me with any suggestions, ideas or questions you have about this site.

Helpful Tips for Parents

• Outdoor science (nature observation, weather tracking, garden study) is as rigorous as lab science and has the added benefit of physical activity and environmental connection.

• Use correct scientific vocabulary from the start: observe, predict, experiment, hypothesis, result, evidence. Children absorb vocabulary in context without explicit teaching.

• Accept wrong predictions gracefully — "Interesting! The result was different from what we predicted. Why do you think that happened?" Models scientific resilience.

• Connect science observations to real-world applications: "This is why bridges are built this way" or "This is how your body does that." Application makes science relevant.

Frequently Asked Questions

At what age can preschoolers do science experiments?

Simple science exploration begins in infancy — dropping objects (gravity), banging surfaces (acoustics), mouthing materials (texture and taste). By age 2, children engage meaningfully with water play, sand science, and simple mixing experiments. Between ages 3–5, children can follow simple experimental protocols: predict, observe, record, and discuss results. The scientific method — hypothesis, experiment, conclusion — is accessible at age 4 with appropriate support. The best preschool science is the child's own curiosity, not a formal curriculum.

My preschooler loses interest in the experiment before it's done. What do I do?

Most preschool attention spans support 5–15 minutes of structured science activity. Design experiments with quick visible results — the baking soda + vinegar reaction, the pepper + soap demonstration, the oobleck — rather than long-waiting experiments as a first experience. Save multi-day experiments (crystal growing, plant sprouting) for when the child has developed patience and the routine of checking daily has been established through previous successful experiments. End an experiment early rather than forcing continuation — a positive incomplete experience invites return more than a forced completion.

Related reading: See also our weather science and our bubble experiments for more ideas on this topic.

🎓 Skills Your Child Will Develop

• 🌍 Nature Literacy — Learning the names, habits, and relationships of plants, animals, and natural phenomena builds the nature literacy that connects children to the living world and lays the groundwork for environmental stewardship.
• 💬 Science Vocabulary — Science introduces children to precise vocabulary — observe, predict, hypothesis, dissolve, absorb, transparent — that dramatically expands language range and supports the academic vocabulary children need in school.
• 🏗️ Engineering Thinking — Testing structures, materials, and designs to see what works develops engineering intuition — the practical understanding of forces, materials, and design that underlies all physical construction and problem solving.
• 🔄 Flexible Thinking — When an experiment produces an unexpected result, children practice adapting their thinking — a form of cognitive flexibility that makes them more resilient learners across all subjects.

Use sun painting to create holiday cards that are not only a fun holiday activity but educational as well. Using the sun you'll create patterns onto construction paper that you and your preschooler can turn into holiday cards. With this fun preschool weather experiment your preschooler will learn about the strength of the sun and why their plastic toys tend to fade if left outside.