Painting Ice: A “Cool” Sensory Activity for Toddlers and Preschoolers
Painting ice? It may sound weird, but this is such a fun activity for your toddlers to do! Whether it’s a snow day or just a regular Saturday, this project will not only keep your toddler entertained (for at least a few minutes :D), but it is also sensory play that will encourage your little one to explore and unleash their inner creativity!
There’s no need to make a special trip to the crafts store for this activity as you probably have all of the needed materials already. Don’t you love it when you have all of the materials needed for an arts and crafts project?
Materials:
- Toddler/Preschooler
- Ice
- Non-toxic, washable paint
- Large bin
- Paintbrush
Ice, Ice Baby
Fill up your large bin with lots of ice. The more the better! Remy was instantly curious on what I was doing with the sound of the ice hitting the bin and he came toddling over, wanting to help. Put a towel under the bin and other materials to help contain the mess. Try using an old egg carton to put the paint in. This not only keeps the different paint colors separate, but it also makes clean up super easy – just toss it when you’re done!
Tip: Spread a towel underneath the work station for easy cleanup!
Before you let your little one go wild with painting on ice, dress them so they can reach their full painting potential! Either strip them down to their diaper or put their smock on. We have five of these smocks from Ikea and we love them for projects like these, but they’re also great for baby led weaning!
Time to paint
Now it’s time to paint! You may have to show your toddler or preschooler what to do at first. Remy was a little confused and actually started eating the ice. 😀
But Remy couldn’t stop once he got started! He loved mixing the colors and then watching the paint actually freeze on the ice cubes. Remy explored both the wet paint and the frozen paint and felt the difference in the textures. He was so interested in touching the hardened paint and compared it to the wet paint on his fingers.
This sensory play allows your child to explore the feeling of “cold” and also the action of “melting”! I love incorporating an aspect of learning in all the projects that we do with Remy as it just makes learning natural and fun! Even our English bulldog, Juggernaut, was so amazed by Remy’s artistic skill!
Let your little one paint as much they want! You can refill the ice and paint as needed, even changing up the paint colors to make it more colorful. Unfortunately, there’s no souvenir for you to keep after your toddler is done painting, but take a photos make for great memories, especially if they are seen having fun doing this activity.
While there is no souvenir, this makes for easy clean up. Once your toddler is done, just dump the ice in the sink/bathtub, allow it to melt and that’s it! After Remy was done, he turned the activity into a stacking game with the paint tubs!
Overall, this painting ice activity is so simple and so much fun that you should add it to your rotating list of activities for kids. It takes no time to set up and will keep your little explorers entertained at least for a little bit! What do you think? Would you do this with your toddler or preschooler? What other activities are on your list of things to do with kids?
