[Childcare] Recommended for summer and winter! Ice play ideas
Mysterious ice that freezes and melts.
In early childhood education, it can also be used as a fun play material for children.
Here, we introduce ice play activities that are enjoyable to try at nursery schools and kindergartens.
From painting with ice to treasure hunts, there are plenty of activities that spark children’s curiosity.
In the cold winter, it’s great to play with ice made indoors, and in the hot summer, touching cold ice to feel cool is also recommended! Incorporate a variety of ice play activities into your program and enjoy a wonderful time together with the children!
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[Childcare] Recommended for summer and winter! Ice play ideas (21–30)
Pool stick fountain & shower
Here’s a fun water play idea for hot summer days using a pool noodle! Secure one end of the noodle tightly to a garden hose with tape, and poke several small holes in the other end.
When you turn on the water, it sprays out of the noodle like a fountain.
Kids will have a blast chasing the spray and running through it! They can also run around, try to catch the water with their hands, and enjoy the sensory experience.
Be sure an adult supervises at all times and that you play on a non-slip surface for safety.
It’s like a little shower—highly recommended as a super fun summer activity!
So cold! Sensory play
Cool sensory play is a summertime classic.
When you touch something cold, the summer heat won’t bother you as much.
Speaking of sensory play, slime is a staple, but there’s also moon sand play and making pretend ice treats from ice.
Don’t just enjoy the finished results—take the opportunity to have fun with the making process, too.
For slime, gradually mix borax solution into liquid laundry glue.
To make moon sand, combine flour with baby oil.
For the ice treats, prepare colored water in various hues, insert popsicle sticks, and freeze them.
Indoor ice play
Put small toys and water into an ice tray and freeze to make ice.
Once the ice is ready, transfer the cubes to another container and try pouring water over them or rubbing them with your hands to rescue the toys.
You can use plain water, or add paint or food coloring—it’s highly recommended.
As the ice melts, you’ll get colored water, and it’s also fun to see how the colors mix and change into new ones.
Wanting to get the toys out will inspire kids to think in different ways.
It’ll be exciting to see what ideas they come up with.
Colored water & ice play
Playing with colored water can involve using paint or plants and flowers, but this time let’s try using tissue paper.
Tear the tissue paper into small pieces, put them in a clear paper cup, and pour in water.
Then, mix it with a spoon, kneading it gently to make colored water.
Prepare tissue paper in various colors and enjoy each color on its own or the shades you get by mixing them.
Once your colored water is ready, how about everyone playing juice shop together? You’ll surely have a beautiful lineup of colorful “juices.”
Summer at-home activities using dry ice
It’s like magic! Here are some ideas for summer at-home play using dry ice.
The bubbling white “smoke” from dry ice is fascinating for kids, isn’t it? This time, let’s try playing with dry ice.
You’ll need a cup filled with water, dry ice, bubble solution, straws, and so on.
If you blow bubbles onto the cup with dry ice in it, it’s fun to watch the foamy bubbles puff up and expand! When using dry ice, be sure to ventilate well and avoid touching the dry ice directly.
Butterflies drawn with colored ice water
Also great as a sensory play activity! Here’s an idea for painting butterflies using ice made from colored water.
It’s a highly recommended sensory play activity! The chill of the ice combined with the vivid colors will engage children’s senses, making the creative process fun.
As they watch the ice melt, they can enjoy the way the colors spread, making it a fulfilling activity.
It’s also nice to do on warm days out on the terrace or in the playground.
A wonderful idea to enjoy both coolness and art!
Ice play
A great indoor activity for summer is “ice play”! Just touching ice is fun and cooling enough, but if you have time, try adding a little twist.
When you freeze water, place leaves, flowers, or small toys in it as well.
That way, children won’t just touch the ice—they’ll also think about how to melt it and get the items out as they play.
Be sure to choose objects that are safe even if they end up in a child’s mouth!