Your child is bored, he is hot? Why not offer him to do a sensory activity with ice cream. We offer you 4, to make at home with next to nothing.
In summer, when temperatures soar, water sports are part of activities favorite of the children. It is well known, the youngest love to cool off and get wet at will, whether in a swimming pool, a body of water or even in a small basin in the garden. But sometimes, not all parents always have the opportunity to take them to a swimming pool, or even take them outside, especially during periods of high heat. And if you offered them to make sensory activities with ice cream (not the one to eat, we reassure you)?
This type of activity has it all. In addition to being particularly refreshing, these games based on ice cubes allow the child to enjoy while working her motor skills and her creativity. It is also a good way to keep them busy when ideas run out. The principle is all the more very simple. All you have to do is make ice cubes, so use water, specific molds and have a good freezer, and add a good dose of imagination to all that. Follow the guide, we show you what kind of activities you can build for your toddlers.
The glossy paint
Ice painting is a creative and sensory activity that allows the child to discover a new way of painting. The idea is to pour gouache paint into ice cube molds, plant a wooden stick in the middle of each square and then let them set for several hours in the freezer. It is best to prepare the activity the day before for the next day so that the ice cream is well set. From 3 years old.
Equipment :
- Water-based gouache paint
- A bowl and a spoon
- wooden sticks
- Silicone ice cube molds (easier to detach)
- Some water
- paint brushes
- white sheets
- aprons
The stages of realization:
1. In a bowl, mix gouache paint with a little water.
2. Pour the mixture into silicone molds.
3. Plant the wooden sticks in the middle in the silicone.
4. Place the molds in the freezer for several hours.
5. Remove the paint cubes from the moulds.
6. Your child just has to use them as paint brushes and have fun painting white sheets.
Attention with toddlers, as a precaution, it is important to supervise them when they use paint. To take less risk you can use paints with a good composition, adapted to the youngest age.
Trap flowers in ice
If you are looking for an activity to amaze your little one, this one is perfect! Simple and fun, just pick wild flowers in the wild and trap them in ice. From 5 years old.
Equipment :
- wildflowers
- An ice cube mold
- Some water
The stages of realization:
1. Pick wild flowers and place them in an ice cube tray.
2. Cover them with water.
3. Place the mold in the freezer for several hours.
4. Take out the mold, and unmold the flowery ice cubes.
5. Your child just has to admire and manipulate them.
Make homemade ice cream
This frosty sensory bin, like an ice floe, is sure to amuse your child! The idea is to make a huge block of ice, insert a few pebbles, wooden sticks and others to decorate it, and use it to play with your little one’s favorite animals (white bear, penguin etc.) . From 4 years old.
Equipment :
- A rectangular silicone mold
- Some water
- Small pebbles, pieces of wood and other decorative elements
- plastic animals
Preparation steps:
1. Make water in the silicone mold.
2. Insert pebbles, pieces of wood and the like.
3. Place the mold in the freezer for several hours.
4. Take out the mould, unmold it.
5. Your child will have in his hands a homemade ice pack on which he can let his favorite animals play.
Attention once melted to small elements, your child should not put them in the mouth.
Free the animals from the ice
“Free the animals from the ice!”, the activity lives up to its name. The goal: to break the ice with coarse salt, hot water (not hot) and small plastic hammers to free the trapped animals. What’s great about this activity is that you can adapt it to your toddler’s tastes. If he likes dinosaurs, you just have to use some plastic dinosaurs, or other insects or plants. From 5 years old.
Equipment :
- A silicone mold
- Some water
- Plastic animals or flowers
- Coarse salt
- A bowl with hot water
- Small pipettes and spoons
- plastic hammers for kids
The stages of realization:
1. In the mould, arrange the plastic animals and pour cold water halfway up.
2. Place the mold in the freezer for several hours, best all day.
3. On day one, take the mold out of the freezer.
4. Prepare a bowl of hot water, a bowl with coarse salt.
5. All your child has to do is use the coarse salt and hot water, place them on the ice, wait for it to melt and take their little plastic hammer to break the remaining ice.
Since September 2021, Lisa has joined the Aufeminin team. Little by little she specialized in subjects related to parenthood. Curious and passionate about writing, she likes to tell …