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28 Ice Play Ideas for kids!

Published: Apr 14, 2022 Β· Modified: Nov 6, 2023 by Morgan Β· This post may contain affiliate links Β·

Whether you are hot in the summer, want to talk about arctic animals, or are leaning into a cold winter, ice play is so fun! Here are tons of ice play ideas for kids!

We live in coastal South Carolina and the summers are HOT. But, I love spending the mornings outside with the kids.

We spend a LOT of time at our splash table, but even that can get hot some times. My solution? Add ice!

Ice play is silly, fun, and a great way to cool down in hot weather.

dinosaur ice dig activity with plastic spoons

Ice Play for kids

What do children learn when playing with ice?

Playing with ice is great for building fine motor skills! Kids learn to hold things, pick them up, and manipulate small objects.

Playing with ice is also great for the senses -

  • FEEL cold temperatures
  • SEE the ice as it melts
  • HEAR the ice bubble and crack as it melts!
  • TASTE the ice!
  • SMELL if the ice has a smell!

What can you play with ice?

You can play with ice as a part of a sensory activity, water play, or for imaginative exercises with arctic animals! You can do ice science and use ice to study simple science lessons like the water cyle.

Is it safe to play with ice?

You should always supervise small kids with ice, but ice itself is not dangerous to play with. The main risk is choking or if a kid threw an ice cube hard at another kid. Just my kids?

Ice and water can also be slippery and cause slip and falls. Be mindful!

Are ice cubes good for toddlers?

Toddlers love playing with melting ice cubes, but should always be supervised to be sure they don't put it in their mouths and choke.

Can babies play with ice cubes?

Babies can definitely play with and explore cold ice - but be sure to supervise them because ice cubes can be a choking hazard!

What are the benefits of sensory play?

Sensory experiences are great learning activities!

  • Helps develop fine motor skills
  • Teaches kids to be inquisitive
  • Can be paired with specific topics for targeted themed learning
  • Encourages scientific thinking
27 ice play activities for kids

Ice Play Ideas for kids!

Here are some of my favorite ice play activities for kids!

Some of these activities use ice specifically frozen (in an ice cube tray) for play, and some use ice just dumped out of your freezer's ice maker!

Ice Play Ideas for kids!

Here are tons ideas for fun and cheap ice play with your kids!

Dinosaur Ice Dig Excavation activity for preschoolers

Kids will love saving dinosaurs from the ice age with this simple dig activity!

Easy Iceberg sensory bin activity for kids

Make your own icebergs and let kids balance toys on them in a bin of water! This was a huge hit with my kids!

Photo Credit: www.teach-me-mommy.com

Ice & Rope Experiment

Practice fine motor skills while kids try to pick up an ice cube with a string!

Photo Credit: www.steampoweredfamily.com

Ice Fishing Science Experiment for Kids

Take your kids ice fishing at home with this fun and easy activity!

Photo Credit: taminglittlemonsters.com

Frozen Sand Sensory Bin for Kids

Take your ice dig to the next level with frozen sand!

Photo Credit: onlypassionatecuriosity.com

Science for Kids: Salt and Ice Experiments

Older kids will love experimenting with ice and the effect of salt on ice!

Photo Credit: www.thecrafttrain.com

Flower Ice Cube Sensory Play

Combine ice play with a nature hunt and freeze your finds for even more fun!

Photo Credit: taminglittlemonsters.com

Fine Motor Ice Transfer Activity for Kids

Grab two big bowls and let your kids move ice cubes back and forth. Simple, but so fun!

Photo Credit: picklebums.com

Polar Habitat Imaginative Play - Plus Book list and Craft ideas.

I LOVE this idea! Use penguin, polar bear, or any other arctic animal figures combined with ice for some arctic imaginative play!

Photo Credit: parentingchaos.com

Fizzy Fine Motor ABC’s

Freeze baking soda letters and make them fizz and pop!

Photo Credit: picklebums.com

Painting Ice

Freeze big blocks of ice and paint on them! Kids will love watching it drip and melt.

Photo Credit: busytoddler.com

Ice Painting: An Easy Summer Activity

An even easier way to paint ice is to fill a bin with ice from your ice maker - and let kids paint on it! The cubes slip around and create interesting paint swirls.

Photo Credit: busytoddler.com

Outdoor Colored Ice Bin for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Use ice cube trays to make a rainbow of ice cubes and then experiment with them!

Photo Credit: thimbleandtwig.com

Ice Scavenger Hunt: Outdoor Fun for Kids!

Y'all know I love a good scavenger hunt - freezing the finds in ice is a genius way to add a sense of urgency to the hunt - especially on a hot day!!

Photo Credit: www.craftsonsea.co.uk

Lego Ice Play

What's more fun than legos? ICE legos!! You will need a special mold to make these, but how much fun you will have!

Photo Credit: parentingchaos.com

Frozen ABC Chocolate Chalk

This recipe for frozen chocolate chalk is so creative - and perfect for a hot summer day outside!

Photo Credit: www.hellowonderful.co

Frozen Duck Animal Rescue Activity

Have rubber ducks on hand? Freeze them up and let your kids save them! This is a great activity for them to do while you make dinner or fold laundry nearby.

Photo Credit: littlebinsforlittlehands.com

Frozen Castles For Melting Summer Fun!

Ok, this is genius - dig into your beach toys and use a sandcastle mold to make a frozen castle! SUPER fun for kids to pair with little toys, too!

Photo Credit: parentingchaos.com

Frozen Water Bead Sensory Bin

Do your kids like water beads? They will LOVE frozen water beads!

Photo Credit: mommyevolution.com

Frost Experiment! Make Frost in Your Kitchen

This is kind of ice-adjacent, but teach your kids about frost with this fun experiment!

Photo Credit: www.messforless.net

Frozen Dinosaur Eggs for Kids

Another fun take on frozen dinosaurs is to freeze them in water balloons so your kids can help them "hatch" from ice eggs.

Photo Credit: www.messylittlemonster.com

Rainbow Ice Snow Activity for Kids - plus ideas for if you have no snow ideas too!)

Want to play with ice in the snow? Here's a cool rainbow ice snow painting idea!

Photo Credit: teachingideas.ca

Easy Science Experiments for Kids

Gather lots of small household items and freeze them in a ziplock bag. Kids will love digging them out!

Photo Credit: www.steampoweredfamily.com

Engineering An Ice Lantern – Winter STEM activity

Check out this fun project - making an ice lantern! So cool!!

Photo Credit: www.naturalbeachliving.com

Frozen Under the Sea Themed Activities Kids Love – Under the Sea Sensory Bin

Planning sea themed activities? Freeze up some (toy) fishies and get playing!

Photo Credit: www.naturalbeachliving.com

Ice Cube Painting Summer Art for Kids

Freeze food color water in popsicle molds to make these fun frozen paintbrushes!

Photo Credit: mommyevolution.com

Heat Wave Ice and Water Sensory Play

Freezing water in a bundt pan takes this ice activity to the next level!

Photo Credit: www.takethemoutside.com

Ice Suncatcher Ornaments – beautiful winter activity!

Another cool nature idea - make ice suncatchers to hang in the trees!

How are you playing with ice this summer?!

Thanks for reading!

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Morgan

Hey there, I'm Morgan, the creative mind behind CelebratingWithKids.com! As a parent of two lively little ones, I've made it my mission to turn ordinary days into extraordinary adventures, sharing playful activities, thoughtful toy reviews, and delightful printables to help families celebrate every moment together. πŸŽ‰πŸ‘¨β€πŸ‘©β€πŸ‘§β€πŸ‘¦πŸŽˆ

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