If your toddler is anything like mine, then you know their favorite word might just be “again!” And when it comes to easy, exciting play ideas—ice activities are the kind of “again and again” fun that never gets old.
This list is packed with cool, simple, and totally toddler-friendly ice activities that are perfect for sensory play, fine motor practice, messy art, and even early science. Whether you’re melting, smashing, painting, or scooping, there’s something magical about adding ice to playtime—especially on hot summer days.
From frozen pom pom soup and ice painting to fizzy science bins and icy scavenger hunts, these ideas are super low-prep and packed with play-based learning. Most of them use supplies you already have (like ice cube trays, water, food coloring, and toys), and they’re easy to tweak for toddlers or preschoolers.
So whether you’re pulling out the water table or just filling a bin in the backyard, these frozen activities will buy you time, cool down your kiddos, and make playtime a whole lot more fun.
Ready to check out the coolest list of activities ever? Let’s do it—just don’t forget a towel and maybe an extra popsicle for you.
Ice Activities for Kids
Ice Ducks
Drop some tiny rubber ducks into an ice cube tray, freeze them, and let the kids rescue their duck friends with warm water and tools! It’s the perfect mix of sensory fun, fine motor work, and imaginative play.
Fizzy Ice
Turn regular ice play into a bubbling science experiment by adding baking soda before freezing and then dropping vinegar over the top. Kids will love the fizzy reactions as the ice melts and bubbles burst with color!
Ice Cube Proprioception Jump and Smash
Place ice cubes on the ground and let kids jump and smash them. This activity promotes gross motor skills and provides proprioceptive input.
Icy Letters
Freeze magnetic letters in ice and let kids melt them to reveal the alphabet, combining sensory play with literacy learning.
Ice Cube Painting
Use ice cubes as paintbrushes or freeze paint into cubes for a chilly art session, exploring color mixing and melting.
Construction Site Ice Painting
Freeze toy construction vehicles in ice and let kids “rescue” them, combining imaginative play with sensory exploration.
Ice Painting
Freeze Jello into cubes and use them for painting. As they melt, they release vibrant colors and delightful scents.
Jello Ice Painting
Combine flower dissection, ice melting, and water play for a comprehensive sensory and science experience.
We’re Going on an ICY Bear Hunt
Create a frozen landscape and hide toy bears for kids to find, enhancing storytelling and sensory skills.
Ice Hands
Freeze water in glove molds to create icy hands. Kids can explore the shapes and sensations as they melt.
Frozen Penguin and Pom Pom Sensory Bin
Combine frozen penguin toys and pom poms in a bin for a themed sensory adventure.
Ice Kitchen Water Table
Add ice cubes to a water table along with kitchen utensils for imaginative cooking play.
Painting Ice
Freeze paint in an ice cube tray for a quick and fun summer art activity kids of all ages will enjoy!
Ice Cube Scoop
Provide scoops and tongs for kids to transfer ice cubes between containers, enhancing coordination.
Ice Rocks Sensory Bin
Freeze rocks in water and let kids excavate them, combining sensory play with science exploration.
Frozen Dinosaur Egg Excavation Ice Science Activity
Encapsulate toy dinosaurs in ice “eggs” and let kids melt or chip them out, fostering curiosity and patience.
Frozen Pom Poms
Similar to the soup, freeze pom poms for tactile exploration, promoting fine motor skills.
Ice Sensory Play
Provide various ice shapes and sizes for open-ended sensory exploration.
Ice Smash
Let kids smash ice cubes with safe tools, releasing energy and exploring cause and effect.
Coloured Ice Play
Freeze colored water into cubes for vibrant sensory play and color recognition.
Ice STEM Engineering Challenge
Challenge kids to build structures using ice cubes, exploring balance and design.
Chalk Ice
Freeze chalk-infused water for colorful sidewalk art that melts away.
Frozen Caps
Freeze bottle caps in water for small-scale sensory play and sorting activities.
Frozen Lego
Encapsulate Lego pieces in ice and let kids melt them to build, combining construction and sensory play.
Icy Magnets Science Play
Freeze magnetic items and let kids discover them using magnets, introducing basic physics concepts.
Popsicle Color Mixing Sensory Bin
Melt colored ice pops in water and observe the color changes, enhancing understanding of color theory.
Icy Ocean Sensory Bin and Ice Melt
Create an ocean-themed bin with blue ice cubes and sea creature toys for imaginative play.
Frozen Ocean Sensory Fun
Similar to the ocean bin, add frozen elements to enhance the sensory experience.
Flower Ice Cube Sensory Play
Freeze flower petals in ice cubes for a fragrant and colorful sensory activity.
Ice Lanterns
Create decorative lanterns by freezing water in molds with added decorations, then place a light inside.
Frozen Themed Sensory Bin
Inspired by the movie, create a bin with icy elements and Frozen-themed toys for imaginative play.
Sight Word Ice Excavation
Freeze sight word cards in ice and have kids melt them to read, combining literacy and sensory play.
Ice Fishing Science Experiment
Use salt and string to “catch” ice cubes, demonstrating scientific principles.
Ice Excavation
Freeze small toys in large ice blocks and let kids excavate them using tools and warm water.
Frozen Fractal Ice Art & Sensory Play
Create intricate patterns in ice and observe them as they melt, combining art and science.
Frozen Sand Sensory Bin
Freeze sand and let kids explore the texture as it thaws, combining tactile and temperature sensations.
Painting an Icy Snowman
Freeze a snowman shape and let kids paint it as it melts, combining art and sensory play.
Frozen Sun Catcher Ice Ornaments
Freeze water with decorations in molds and hang them outside as temporary ornaments.
Ice Scavenger Hunt
Hide small items in ice cubes and have kids find and melt them, promoting observation and patience.
Summer Ice Art Scene
Create a scene using ice cubes of various colors and shapes, then watch it transform as it melts.
Ice Sensory Play with Flower Confetti
Freeze flower confetti in ice for a delicate and colorful sensory experience.
Polar Ice Fishing
Simulate ice fishing using magnetic rods and frozen fish shapes, combining play and coordination.
Ice Cream in a Bag Recipe
Make real ice cream using a bag and ice, teaching kids about freezing points and patience.
How to Make Frozen Sidewalk Chalk
Freeze chalk mixtures for a cool twist on sidewalk art.
Icy Eye Monsters Sensory Play
Create ice cubes with googly eyes for a fun and silly sensory activity.
Colorful Ice Boats
Freeze colored water in boat molds and let them sail in a tub, combining art and science.
Frozen Pom Pom Soup
Freeze colorful pom poms in water to create “soup” cubes. Kids can scoop, stir, and melt them, enhancing fine motor skills and color recognition.
Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers
There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!
But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.
Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.
Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!
These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!
Click here for more information: Play2Learn
Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids
Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.
Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids
Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.
Find out more and grab your copy here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids
Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.
- 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
- Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
- Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.
Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!
Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.
TV Show: Curious Crafting
I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.
Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!
Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.
In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.
Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.
This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.
