Ice activities are always the perfect way for kids to cool down on a hot day. This Ice Sensory Bin is simple, fun, and packed full of learning. Young toddler and preschoolers will love spending an entire afternoon finding all the different ways to play with some basic ice cubes.
If you want to make your Summer themed lessons a breeze, then check out the Summer Activity Pack. It’s filled with math and literacy centers, fine motor activities and arts and crafts templates. All of which are aligned with preschool learning standards. Check it out today.
Disclosure: Adult supervision is required for all activities at all times. Some of the links provided in this blog are affiliate links. I will be paid a small commission if you use this link to make a purchase.
More Summer Themed Sensory Activities
I love playing with water on a hot summer day, and I’m sure that you and your kids are the same. You can either try one of these 35 Water Sensory Bins for Summer, or any of these other low prep summer themed sensory activities. There’s something for kids of all ages, you’ll love these new ideas.
- Hammering Frozen Water Beads
- Frozen Sand Sensory Bin
- Sun Sensory Bin
- Hot and Cold Sensory Bottles
- Frozen Shaving Cream Sensory Play
For more ideas, take a look at these 25 Summer sensory activities.
Materials Needed
- A large plastic tub
- Ice cube tray
- Ice cubes
- Sensory bin tools (cups, spoons, bowls, etc)
How to Make an Ice Sensory Bin
1. Make the ice
You can either use store bought ice, or make your own for this sensory activity. If you are going to make your own ice cubes, then you can also try adding a couple of different things to your ice block tray before you freeze them. For example, you can:
- Add pom poms to the trays
- Add small toys to the ice for a themed sensory bin (you may need something bigger, like muffin tins, for this idea)
- Make rainbow ice, by adding food coloring to the water first.
2. Place the ice in a large container
I used only basic ice cubes for my ice cube sensory bin. I also included some bowls, spoons and different types of tongs for my kids to play with.
3. Enjoy playing
Now you get to see all the fun ways your kids can think of using the materials in this ice bin.
Different Ways to Play
1. Scoop and Pour
Using all of the different tools, move ice from one container to another. This is a great way for young children to develop fine motor skills (the muscles in their little hands and fingers).
2. Building walls
One thing my kids loved was trying to make their own little ice igloo or wall. Balancing the cubes on top of each other became more tricky as the ice melt, but that just added to the fun learning.
3. Making pictures
We also used the ice to make pictures. Here you can see my son’s version of a car. This was so much fun to do because we had never tried this type of free play with ice before. Making pictures has now become one of our favorite ways to play with the different sensory bin fillers we try.
4. Add in warm water
The main attraction of this sensory play activity is temperature, not texture. If it’s a hot summer’s day and you want to engage in some water play, then add a little bit of warm water to your tub of ice. Your kids will see how the ice melts and makes the warm water cold again.
You can even add food coloring to the warm water if you like. Watching the ice float around in blue water will look just like icebergs, and you can then add in some polar bears and penguins for an imaginative play session.
5. Color Sorting Rainbow Ice
If you have decided to make ice in the different colors of the rainbow, you can also do a simple sorting activity. Just group all of the same colors into one pile. This is a simple math activity that even toddlers and preschoolers can do.
Are you going to make this Ice Sensory Bin for your kids?
Don’t forget to pin the idea for later.
