Need a quick toddler activity? You got it, friend!
Inside this post, I’ll share exactly how emptying out your freezer can entertain your toddler in minutes. Yes, really.
Ready for some easy fun? Let’s go!
Full disclosure: my ice maker is always jammed.
As much as I try to keep up on all the things I have to do, I somehow always manage to forget to clean that darn freezer of mine.
Luckily, this activity takes care of that chore for me.
The bonus??
It helps to entertain my toddler in the process. And, I guarantee this will entertain your toddler too while you clean out your ice too! Win/win!!
Before I send you off, let’s chat about why this is an activity you should do with your toddler in the first place…
Firstly, this is a Sensory Activity
- We know that children learn through their senses, so adding cold ice to an activity is extra engaging for their senses! That means that this icy cold play can be VERY engaging for some kids and not so engaging for others. If your child isn’t a fan of the cold ice, try wearing gloves while they play to stay warm.
Secondly, this Activity Fosters Fine Motor Skills
- Secondly, we know that children (especially boys) are going into kindergarten with a lack of fine motor skills. Fine motor skills are the precusor for super important tasks they’ll need to do in kindergarten like cutting, gluing, writing, and even dressing themselves! So, developing these fine motor skills NOW will greatly benefit your child when they go to school.
Thirdly, (<–yep, that’s a thing) this Toddler Activity is Open-Ended
Open-ended play means that there isn’t “one task” they need to complete like a worksheet. Instead, this activity can lead to a multiple ways to play – may be the ice becomes fish that they have to catch or ice trucks that slide across the blue ocean floor. Whatver it is, your child can lead this activity in multiple directions because it’s open-ended. In other words, their imagination can take over which means the play will last longer!
Supplies For This Ice Activity for Toddlers
- The ice jammed in your freezer 😉
- A bin and a bowl
- An egg carton or ice tray
- Tongs (affiliate link to what I would suggest for little hands on Amazon) or a spoon
- Blue food coloring (optional)
How to Make this Icy Grab Toddler Activity
- Put your bowl into the bin. I added a little bit of water to my bin along with some blue food coloring. This just added a little color to the bin. 🙂
- Dump your ice into the bowl.
- Set your egg carton or ice tray into the main bin.
- Show your toddler how to “grab” or try to catch the ice with the tongs and transfer the ice into the egg carton/ice tray.
Tip: I love using the egg carton or ice tray here because it gives kids an obvious place to transfer the ice into.
The best part?
When everything melts, you have a water bin to play with. Y
ay for activities that keep the play going!
Need more water activities for your toddler? Try making frozen nature soup!
Hey! What tongs are you using? We tried to do a similar activity with tongs and blocks a couple weeks ago, but it was a total fail because our tongs were just too big for my young toddler. Yours look a lot more appropriately sized.
Hey Danielle, these tongs are actually quite big, but my son is like a tong ninja. It’s definitely his tool of choice! But, we started out using mini tongs when he was a baby/toddler. Try searching “mini tongs” on Amazon and look for the seven-inch tongs. Those are perfect for little hands! Hope that helps. 🙂
Oh! Danielle, I just double checked this photo and you’re right! These are the seven inch tongs that we have. I just added an amazon link above.
Thanks so much!!