Invite your little ones to learn, explore, and have tons of fun with this super cute and hands-on
Ice Cream Pretend Play! We love sensory activities so we blended two of our kid's favourite things into one super fun and delightful activity. It's perfect for kids who love sensory activities and also enjoy making crafts. Believe me, kids are going to be thrilled with this cute ice cream craft!
Hint-Hint: If you are a huge fan of sensory play but not so much of the messy side of it, you’ve hit the jackpot with this activity! Our ice cream play is totally messy-free, but just as fun and hands-on as more messy alternatives.
If you feel like getting a little more messy you could try making playdough ice creams using our
Cake Mix Paydough instead of using pom-poms!
We are major fans of sensory play at home, as you probably know by now. So, it is not a surprise that when the days started to get warmer and the demands for ice cream began I put two and two together and came up with this cute sensory play idea.
Sensory play is a vital part of the development of our little ones. Young children try to make sense of the world around them by exploring everything with their senses and I'm sure as a parent you have seen it first hand. But one major part of this is to allow our little one's imagination and creativity to run wild and fun sensory plays like this ice cream craft is simply perfect for this.
Ice Cream Craft for Pretend Play
Ice cream craft supplies:
- Sugar cones
- Extra-large pom poms in a variety of colours
- Sugar sprinkles
- Ribbon, yarn, or string, thick
Ice cream craft instructions:
STEP 1: Set your craft station!
Little ones will want to be fully involved in making and playing with this cute ice cream craft. To start, lay all the supplies out in an eye catching way and then invite your child to make their first ice cream cone! Let them pick a sugar cone first.
STEP 2: Add the pom-pom.
Now pick an extra large and fluffy pom-pom. This will be the pretended ice cream so having a few of them in different bright colours is a plus. Different colours can represent different flavours. You don't need anything complicated to create the ice cream, just tuck the pomp-pom into your cone until you feel it's secure enough.
STEP 3: Add some syrup.
Ice cream is not truly ice cream (at least kid-approved ice cream!) unless it has icing or syrup! For this craft, you can use draping ribbon or yarn and add it around your pom-pom to create the same visual effect.
STEP 4: Candy sprinkles.
Finish this ice cream with an extra delicious-step! Sprinkle in some candy sprinkles on top of the pompom. YUM!
STEP 5: Pretend Play Time!
Little ones can take the ice cream cones apart and start over again and again by playing with different pom-pom colours and different ribbons and sprinkles arrangements.
If you want to take the entire thing even further you can also set up a pretend-play ice cream shop and encourage your kids to 'sell' their ice cream! They'll have a blast.
STEP 6: Store away!
Don't forget to store the materials away in a sealed container or supply box, you'll want to keep everything ready to go for the next ice cream pretend play session!
I adore this summer pretend play activity, it allows kids to unlock their imagination completely whilst working on many other skills. This ice cream craft is so much fun for toddlers and preschoolers thanks to the process of making the ice cream cones with super sensory-encouraging materials like the fluffy puffs! We hope you enjoy and have tons of fun with your little ones!
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