Snowman prompts by age
“Use this prompt” fills in the generator and sets the detail level. Every page is drawn fresh, so if one misses, change one detail and try again.
| For | Prompt | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Ages 2 to 5Simple | a big snowman and a little snowman holding hands, both with scarves and hats, big simple shapes, no background Two friendly figures made of big circles, easy to stay inside. |
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| Ages 3 to 6Simple | a snowman made of three plain circles with no face, no hat and no scarf, big simple shapes, no background A blank snowman: children draw the face, hat and scarf, then color them (see below). |
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| Ages 6 to 9Medium | a snowman in a snowy pine forest with a fox and a rabbit, clean bold outlines Two animals and a forest behind them, so the page lasts longer. |
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| Ages 9 to 12Medium | children rolling three big snowballs to build a snowman in a backyard, clean bold outlines The building steps in one picture, which pairs with the snow science below. |
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| Teens and adultsMedium | a row of five snowmen in different hats and scarves, each scarf with its own stripe or zigzag pattern, clean bold outlines Five scarves and five hats, each one a separate pattern to fill. |
Build a snowman on paper
The blank snowman prompt above gives every child the same three circles. What goes on them is up to the child:
- A face. A carrot nose, coal eyes, a smile of small stones: drawn in pencil first, then colored.
- Clothes. A hat, a scarf, mittens on stick arms. Scraps of fabric or yarn glued on make a scarf that stands out from the page.
- A crowd. Print at 4 pages per sheet in your printer settings for four small snowmen, and line them up along a wall.
Which snow makes the best snowman
Snow scientists sort snow into five classes by how much liquid water it holds, from dry to slush. Moist to wet snow is best for a snowman, according to a snow scientist at Montana State University: dry snow is like a loose powder that does not stick together, and slush is too fluid to hold a shape. Wet and moist snow falls at around 32°F (0°C), and the best storms for it are a degree or two either side of freezing (Smithsonian Magazine).
On a cold, dry day, build the snowman on paper instead, and try outside again when the temperature rises toward freezing.
The tallest snowman on record
Guinness World Records lists a snow woman built by residents of Bethel, Maine, and the towns around it. She stood 37.21 meters (122 feet 1 inch) tall, took a month to build and was finished on 26 February 2008 (Guinness World Records). Measure your own snowman, on paper or outside, and work out how many of them would have to stand on each other's heads to reach her.