If there is one activity that I can recommend to you, it's this! They are fun, engaging, use materials you have at home & can be prepped way ahead of time.
Benefits of Frozen Activities:
Strengthen fine motor skills.
Increase opportunities for language & vocabulary.
Practice self-regulation skills.
Work on cause and effect.
Allow opportunities to problem solve.
Exposure to temperature and science topics.
Purposeful ways to practice socials skills (waiting, using manners, taking turns, sharing).
Bilateral Coordination (using both sides of the body).
Materials:
Ice cube tray or bowl
Trinkets that can be frozen
Sensory tray or bowl
Tools to rescue the objects
Step 1: grab a plastic or metal bowl, an ice cube tray, a silicone mold or a cake/baking pan.
Step 2: Add in your favorite trinkets (plastic animals or figurines, legos, gems, pom Poms, shells, rocks, alphabet letters- literally anything) & add water. Food coloring is optional, a few drops go a long way.
Step 3: freeze for a few hours (length will depend on size and shape that you use.)
Step 4: when frozen, place in a sensory tray or bowl, add medicine droppers, pipettes, squirt bottles or wooden mallets. Also add a few cups or a bowl or warm water.
Step 5: rescue your treasures!! Squirt, squeeze & bang away until they are free of the ice!
Items you can freeze:
Pom Poms
Small legos
Gems
Plastic dinosaurs, animals, unicorns etc
Shells, rocks, sticks
Flowers or leaves
Pipe cleaners
Plastic letters or numbers or shapes
Buttons
Using an ice cube tray is an easy way to make frozen treasures. You can pop them in the freezer the night before and pull out a few at a time. These are a hit during playdates!!
Using a metal or plastic bowl is a quick and easy way to make a large frozen treasure. Toss everything you want into the bowl & fill with water. You can also add a few drops of food coloring, but it isn't necessary.
The items may float or sink to the bottom, depending on weight. If you want to hold items down, you can put a smaller, heavier bowl on top to weight things down as they freeze. The larger the bowl, the longer it will take to freeze. I suggest doing them at night before bed so they're ready in the morning.
Do you have flowers that are wilted and heading to the trash? Freeze them! Not only are they SO beautiful, but once everything melts, it turns into nature soup! The kiddos can dump & scoop & pour & play; its two activities in one!!
Tools that you can add into your frozen fun:
Tweezers
Tongs
Squirt bottle
Medicine dropper
Wooden mallet
Pipette
Measuring cups/spoons
The possibilities for FUN are endless. You can learn & play & create all through simple materials!!
Always monitor young children in or around water. Smal objects can be choking hazards. You get to decide what is safe and manageable in your home.