Nothing is better than a spur of the moment toddler activity especially when that activity ends up being one of the best ever.
Ok so maybe this isn’t going to win any activity award, but Ice Bath Fun won a lot in my book for the amount of independent quiet time my toddler spent totally engaged in this activity.
Independent quiet time is gold around here, so this activity is worth roughly $1,935,403.28 to me. Super rough estimate.
Setting up an ice bath sensory activity for your toddler is a piece of cake. Cold cake.
Materials:
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It’s not rocket science to set up this cold sensory activity. I took our trusty project BFF, aka under the bed storage tub, and literally dumped the entire ice maker into it. I wanted my toddler to be able to play with the ice, listen to the sound as it clinks together, and experience the cold of it.
I also added just a smidge of water so everything would be floating and there would be an option to separate ice from water.
I gave my toddler slotted spoons, ladles, our favorite tiny colanders and off he went. He had more fun straining the ice cubes then anything else. There’s something magical in separating the water from the ice that seems to capture his attention.
Eventually, as with 99.9% of all our toddler activities, the food coloring came out and we started adding colors to different containers in the tub. My toddler had a mission to make brown water – ick – but mission accomplished by the end so good job Sam.
There’s actually a lot of learning going on in Ice Bath Fun. My toddler is practicing pouring and transferring skills, and he’s learning about ice cubes – their properties, as well as the relationship between water and ice.
Ice Bath Fun is a terrific activity because it can be done inside or outside, summer or winter. These photos are from doing it in the winter time, inside our kitchen. To clean it up, we just transferred the ice to the sink and then poured out the water. In the summer, it’s even easier simple: Play it outside and dump it where it sits.
This activity is magic. And it holds toddler attention for a magical amount of time too. Like the amount of time to actually get some housework done or make a grocery list. Something about the ice really captures my toddler’s attention. I hope it does the same for you!
Does your toddler enjoy cold sensory like ice bath fun?
Mirela says
An ice bath is probably what kids like the most. Pouring water from a mug to the mug, stiring tea in the water or splashing with water is great fun. I haven’t play with ice cubes yet but I think that this isn’t a problem. Eventually ice will melt. An additional entertainment is wiping the floor dry because it’s wet everywhere.
Brittney says
What a great idea to add a new texture/temperature to playing with water (which my son already adores). I can’t wait to try this. Thanks for the idea.