Sensory Play :: Colored Ice Cubes

Entertaining babies and little ones can be tricky in the heat of summer but I recently came up with a fun summer sensory play idea for Tate: colored ice cubes on a string.  These frozen cubes are so simple to create but they make water playtime {either in a bathtub or a pool or even on the high chair tray} lots of fun!  The bright colors, the cold temperature, and the ability to swing them around are all fun attributes for baby.  They do melt quickly but that’s part of the fun too!

To make the colored ice cubes put water in an ice cube tray {experiment with different ice cube shapes or large jumbo cubes if you like}, add one drop of food coloring to each cube {leave some clear if you want and use a variety of colors to increase the appeal}, then place a thick piece of yarn or string through the liquid, pushing it down so it will be sure to freeze into the cubes.  The thicker the yarn, the easier it will be for the little one to grasp it.

Once the cubes are frozen, your little one will have an ice cube train to play with in the pool.

My little one loved pulling the cubes around with the string and watching the colors swirl in the pool water before they melted away.

So simple but it brought lots of fun sensory play for an almost-one-year-old and helped entertain her while the other kids played and swam in the pool.

As with all water activities, supervise little ones constantly during playtime and be sure to take the string away after the cubes have melted to avoid any accidents.

For another creative project for baby, be sure to check out these homemade teething biscuits that are sure to be a hit with your little one!