25 Cool Ice Cream Crafts for Kids

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Whether you’re planning a summer craft day, an ice cream party, or just want something colorful and fun to keep little hands busy, these ice cream crafts for kids are the perfect mix of creative and cool. From puffy paint to paper plates to pretend play setups, each one is simple to make and totally adorable.

This list is packed with bright, happy ideas that work for toddlers, preschoolers, and big kids too — no sugar rush required.

Why You’ll Love These Ice Cream Crafts

Simple to set up. Most of these crafts use materials you probably have at home.
Perfect for summer (or anytime!). They’re bright, playful, and keep kids happily busy.
Encourage creativity. Kids can decorate, squish, and create however they want!
Easy to modify. Adjust them for toddlers, preschoolers, or even older siblings.

Table Of Contents

Why You’ll Love These Ice Cream Crafts
Ice Cream Crafts and Activities
More Summer Crafts & Activities

Ice Cream Crafts and Activities

1. Paper Ice Cream Craft

Grab some construction paper and create your own scoops, cones, and sprinkles — the possibilities are endless. Kids can stack as many scoops as they want and decorate them however they like!

2. Ice Cream Water Table

Add real or pretend ice cream scoops, cups, and cones to your water table for some splishy-splashy pretend play. It’s messy, sensory, and so much fun.

3. Puffy Paint Ice Cream Craft

Mix shaving cream, glue, and paint to make fluffy scoops that dry puffy and soft. It’s a tactile dream for toddlers and preschoolers!

4. Ice Cream Cone Volcanoes

This craft-meets-science activity uses baking soda and vinegar inside a pretend cone — and yes, it erupts! Kids will love watching their ice cream “explode.”

5. Ice Cream Window Counting

Who doesn’t love ice cream on a warm day? Here we’re taking the sweetness of ice cream and blending it with a fun and educational window Ice Cream counting activity for kids!

6. Pom Pom Ice Cream Garland Craft

String together pom pom “scoops” and paper cones for a sweet garland that’s perfect for party decorations or just because. Totally adorable and great for practicing fine motor skills.

7. Potato Stamp Ice Cream Cone Craft

Get ready to scoop up some creativity with a delightful ice cream cone craft using an unexpected tool: a potato!

8. Cotton Pad Ice Cream Craft

Cotton pads make the perfect fluffy scoops for this easy ice cream craft. Let kids glue them onto paper cones for a soft, textural project.

9. Counting Ice Cream Sprinkles Activity

Counting Ice Cream Sprinkles is a fun activity that will have your little one practicing their counting and making an ice cream masterpiece.

10. Cupcake Liner Ice Cream Craft

Cupcake liners become colorful scoops of ice cream in this sweet and simple craft. Let kids stack them up high and add sprinkles with markers or stickers.

11. Sponge Painted Ice Cream Craft

Create a colorful sponged painted ice cream cone craft with this easy summer craft for kids! A fun craft for kids of all ages!

12. Handprint Ice Cream Cone Craft

Use your child’s handprint to create a cone, then top it with paper scoops or pom poms. A keepsake craft that’s as cute as it is fun.

13. Fizzy Ice Cream Shop Sensory Bin

Create this super fun and engaging Fizzy Ice Cream Shop Sensory Bin for your kids this summer using common household ingredients!

14. Handprint Ice Cream Craft

This version flips the handprint upside down to become a scoop of ice cream! Add paper toppings and a cherry on top for maximum cuteness.

15. Scrape Painted Ice Cream Craft

Check out this fun craft for summer! Make a cool looking ice cream craft using this STEAM scrape painting technique!

16. Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag Recipe

Ice Cream in a Bag Recipe for Kids is a super easy recipe for kids that only takes 15 minutes! Make delicious ice cream at home this summer!

17. Pom Pom Necklace Craft

Create a wearable treat by turning pom poms into tiny ice cream charms on a string. It’s colorful, crafty jewelry your kids will actually want to wear.

18. Ice Cream Cone Counting

Here is a quick and easy toddler or preschooler activity! Count ice cream cone scoops their fingerprints!

19. Potato Masher Ice Cream Craft

Potato Masher Ice Cream Cone craft is an easy and fun summertime kids’ craft! The perfect activity for a rainy summer day!

20. Paper Plate Ice Cream Craft

Cut a paper plate into a cone shape and let kids add pom poms, paint, or paper scoops for a big, fun ice cream cone.

21. Ice Cream Coloring Pages

To add an extra sprinkle of joy to your little ones’ summer activities, we have curated a collection of free printable ice cream coloring pages.

22. Paper Plate Popsicle Craft

Brighten things up with colorful paper plate popsicles — just cut, paint, and glue on a popsicle stick. Fun for summer pretend play or decorating the art wall!

23. Sponge Popsicle Craft

Cut sponges into popsicle shapes and paint them in bright colors for a fun texture twist. These dry into soft, squishy pretend treats.

24. Ice Cream Decorating Craft

Set up a tray of craft “toppings” like sequins, buttons, and pom poms and let kids decorate their paper ice cream cones any way they want.

25. Torn Paper Ice Cream Craft

Rip up scraps of construction paper and glue them into scoops and cones for a fun fine motor craft. It’s colorful, tactile, and totally open-ended.

More Summer Crafts & Activities

Looking for more summer activity ideas? Check out of these other round-ups for more ways to stay busy this summer:

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

Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids image

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

Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids image

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.

Why You’ll Love These Ice Cream Crafts