Ice Play Activities

Summertime in Brisbane is a wonderful time to enjoy the sunshine of our gorgeous state, however some days Brisbane Kids just need some cooling down play. If your children are tired of playing in the sprinkler and you are looking for some fun and playful ideas, then check out these cool ways with ice this summer.

NOTE – When working with coloured ice, the food colouring will stain children’s hands and clothing. Make sure your children are in play clothes if using food colouring.

Ice and Spoon Race

A twist on an old classic this game will have your Brisbane Kids in laughter trying to keep the slippery ice from sliding off their spoon.

You Will Need:

• Ice cubes
• A spoon

Place ice on your child’s spoon and set a basic course. And all that’s left is to yell go! Children love egg and spoon races and this is a sure winner.

Sensory Ice and Sea Scene

Children love to get their hands dirty or wet and this activity also encourages imaginative play and scientific discussions. Who lives where it’s cold? How do they keep warm? What is ice?

You Will Need:

• A balloon
• A container
• Plastic ice cream containers or bowls
• Animals, shells, plastic fish, pebbles (anything to do with the ocean)
• Blue food colouring

Take the balloon and drop some food colouring of your choice into the balloon. We used a medicine dropper for accuracy and less mess. We used blue as we were doing a Polar Ice Cap theme, but any colour will add to the experience. Or leave this step out if you want a clear ball of ice.

Fill the balloon with water. Don’t over fill or make too big. Tie off and then place the water-filled balloon, tie side down into your freezer. Leave for 12 hours. For this activity, it is best to prepare the night before.

After freezing for 10-12 hours, take the balloon out of the freezer and remove the balloon. This will leave a solid ice ball with a hole in the middle.

Pour one inch of water into the large container, and add food colouring to the water if desired. Then place the ice balls in bowls into the water (this will keep them from rolling around) and add animals etc.

Let the play begin. This activity is a wonderful cool down activity and will have your Brisbane Kids experiencing adventures in the arctic. The cold ice also adds to the sensory play, as they rub their fingers and palms over the smooth cold ice balls. Animals can hide in the ice caves (hollow ice centres). Polar bears and penguins roam across the wintery landscape. Brrr… the adventures are chilly!!!

Ice Sculptures

Have you got an avid builder in your home? Perhaps a child who loves Lego? Or even an artist? Ice sculptures are a wonderful way of keeping cool in summer whilst letting those creative juices flow. Your Brisbane Kids can build ice sculptures, create patterns or pictures using coloured blocks of ice.

You Will Need:

• Assorted plastic ware in different shapes and sizes
• Food Colouring
• Water

Drop a few drips of food colouring into your chosen plastic containers. We used plastic divided plates, plastic cups, a plastic juicer and rectangle plastic containers. Next fill the containers at different depths and place in the freezer overnight. To remove the ice run the base of the container under water and the ice will pop straight out.

Builders and artists alike will love creating different ice sculptures. Can you build them up high? Don’t let them fall!! Can you make a butterfly? The possibilities are endless.

Ice Castles

For days when a beach trip is out of the question but children long for building castles an activity of ice castles may be the go.

You Will Need:

• Plastic cups
• Food Colouring
• Water

Fill plastic cups with water and add a few drops of food colouring to each cup. Place in freezer overnight. To use simple run the cups base under water and the ice will fall out.

Set up on a flat surface or the grass. Show your child how the ice can be used to stack up like a sand castle or line up for a wall. This activity can be added to with items such as shells or their favourite plastic figurines or animals. Let their imaginations run wild in on a cold beach. Or play out scenes from Disney’s latest hit Frozen—“Let it go!  Let it go!”.

Sensory Ice and Shaving Cream Play

What could be more fun than two wonderful textures and temperatures than ice and shaving cream? Brisbane Kids will love squishing the cream through their fingers whilst the ice cools their hands. Ice fish swim through a sea of white foam.

You Will Need:

• Shaving Cream
• A Tray
• Ice cubes  (we found a fish shaped tray at Kmart for $2)
• Food colouring – if desired.

Fill the ice tray with water. If you would like the ice to be coloured I would suggest use a measuring cup and add food colouring to the water and then tip into the tray so the colour is mixed well. Place in freezer until frozen. Cover the tray in shaving cream, nice and thick. Pop out the ice cubes into the shaving cream and let the fun begin.

This is a great tactile cool down activity. Your Brisbane Kid will use their sense of touch and enjoy the smooth, squishy texture of the shaving cream mixed with the cold, slippery and hard texture of the ice. A great play idea for young children and toddlers.

Mini Igloos | Ice Wall

Nothing says cold like an igloo. This cool down play idea lets your Brisbane Kids build their very own miniature Igloo.

You Will Need:

• Ice Cubes
• Food Colouring (optional)
• Plastic Toys (optional)

Fill ice trays with water or add food colouring to tray for coloured ice blocks. Freeze and then pop out cubes. Use a flat surface to build up an igloo or ice wall. Add plastic animals or toys to the scene. Animals could be hibernating from the winter or plastic people could be playing in the snow hiding behind an ice wall. Snowball fight anyone?!

Ice Painting

Little Brisbane artists will love painting with ice and creating a water colour master piece.

You Will Need:

• Water based paints
• Ice Cube Tray
• Craft sticks

Mix the water based paint with water and carefully fill the ice cube tray. Place craft sticks into the paint and freeze. To remove from the ice tray fill a baking tray with warm water and place the ice tray base down into the water to soften the ice. Carefully remove the ice paint cubes. You can leave the cubes in the tray for ease of use whilst painting.

Now your Brisbane Kid is ready to paint in a whole new way. Gently rub the ice cubes over your paper or canvas. A cool new way to paint!

Ice Hands

Have you got a fashionista in your Brisbane home? Ice Hands are a fun way to let your child’s inner fashion diva out and keep cool this summer.

You Will Need:

• Plastic jewellery
• A Plastic glove
• Food Colouring (optional)

Carefully fill the plastic glove with water (add food colouring before filling if required). Tie off the glove and place in the freezer overnight or for 8 hours. Make sure you do not over fill the glove as the fingers will be too fat to place rings on. To remove the glove, gentle slice a hole in the glove with a knife and then peel the glove off. Set up on a flat surface with plastic jewellery. You may need to prop the hand against a hard surface (but if you have coloured the hand then remember the colour will come off on whatever you prop it against).

Let the decorating begin. Rings on its fingers and bracelets to match, accessorizing has never been this cool.

NOTE: Ice fingers break very easily!

For more great summer fun ideas, check out our Fun with Water and Kids ideas, along with 22 Ways to Stay Cool this Summer.