Ice & Salt Sensory Play for Valentine’s Day

I always love a good sensory play activity and Valentine’s is no different! I also love when you can combine sensory play with a little science like we did in the Ice & Salt Sensory Play for Valentines Day. This sensory activity combines melting ice, vibrant pinks and red and of course hands-on play! The perfect way to keep little ones engaged this season.

Why You’ll Love this Sensory Bin

You’ll live Ice & Salt Sensory Bin because it is the perfect mix of learning and play. Kids can experiment with color mixing, melting ice with salt and work on their fine motor skills. You can also discuss temperature absorption and chemical reactions with older kids. Finally this sensory play idea is amazing too because it is super easy to set!

Materials

• Sensory bin
• Ice cube
• Water
• Food coloring
• Red and pink hearts
• Cupcake tray
• Salt scooper

How to Set Up Ice & Salt Sensory Play for Valentine’s Day

Freeze the Ice Cubes

1. Start by place plastic red and pink hearts in an ice cube tray. I used used hearts I purchased at the dollar store. Fill the tray with water and add a drop of food coloring (either pink or red) into each square. Leave a few clear.
2. Place the tray in the fridge over night to freeze.

Make Colored Salt

1. Place a cup of table salt in a ziplock bag. Add a few drop of pink food coloring. Seal the bag and mix until the color is evenly distributed.
2. Repeat for red.

Prepare the Sensory Bin

1. Place the colored heart ice cubes in a large sensory bin or tray.
2. Place the colored salt into a muffin tin. Add some white salt as well.
3. Optional: scatter red and pink hearts around the ice cubes.

Free the Hearts

1. Let your child scoop and sprinkle salt onto the ice to watch it melt.
2. Optional: add droppers and small cups of water so your child can add water and see it speeds up the melting process.
3. Let your child experiment with adding more salt and mixing colors from the melting ice.
4. They can sort the hearts once they are free.

Tips for Success

• Cover table with a table cloth or old towel to contain the mess.
• Talk about the science (see more below). Ask them what they see, hear and feel as the ice melts.
• Optional: Try different types of salt from table salt to rock salt.

Science Behind Ice & Salt Sensory Play

When you sprinkle salt on ice, it melts faster because salt lowers the freezing point of water. Normally, ice melts when it gets warm, but salt makes it melt even when it’s still cold!

That’s why people put salt on icy roads in the winter—it helps melt the ice so cars don’t slip. When you do this in your sensory bin, you’ll see the ice start to crack and melt right away. If you listen closely, you might even hear little crackling sounds as the ice reacts to the salt. It’s like a tiny science experiment right in front of your eyes!