We have been having so much fun learning and playing with ice cream toppings! It’s the perfect time of year to put together all of our ice cream theme activities, and you don’t want to miss this super simple Ice Cream Toppings Sensory Bin. The sensory bin will entertain toddlers and preschoolers (even my school-age kids got into the fun!) while they practice scooping, pouring, and fine motor skills during pretend play. Who wouldn’t want to play in pretend sprinkles? I know lots of preschoolers who would!
affiliate links included in this post.
Ice Cream Toppings Sensory Bin
Our sensory bin full of ice cream toppings is inviting to young children because it’s full of sprinkles! Ok, they are absolutely pretend sprinkles, but if you are brave enough, use the real thing for sure.
The supplies are simple. Here’s what you need:
- plastic bin with lid
- rainbow rice
- pom poms
- fine motor tools
- ice cream theme sand toys or pretend food toys
I have a supply of rainbow colored rice that has been around for a while now. We use it at home and my preschoolers love it. Making rainbow colored rice isn’t hard, but takes some time. You could always just dye your rice one color if you are in a time crunch.
Basically, you pour rice into a reusable freezer bag, add a few drops of liquid watercolor or food dye, and a few drops of rubbing alcohol. Zip the bag so it’s completely sealed and squish it all around until the rice is covered in color. Add more color if needed. Dump out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to dry.
The rice “sprinkles” is the base for the Ice Cream Toppings Sensory Bin. Fill the container you are using to the desired depth. For younger kids, go with less rice. This way, less will end up outside of the container!
We added in red pom poms for our cherries along with our favorite fine motor tools, and our set of ice cream sand toys that we grabbed from IKEA.
Then the fun began!
There was scooping.
There was pinching and squeezing and fine motor muscles were strengthened.
And there were tons of ice cream treats created!
Some of those treats were sold to others, some were eaten immediately, and sadly some were even accidentally dropped. But don’t worry, no one got any ice cream on themselves!
Do we have you hooked on ice cream yet? We are loving summer around here and just loving our other ice cream themed activities.
Ice Cream & Sprinkles Alphabet Writing Tray
Ice Cream Counting Play Dough Mats
Leave a Reply