This ice toys activity is so much fun and will keep your kids busy! Kids of all ages will have fun with these ice toys, hammering them, hitting them, and breaking them to get the surprise from inside of them! This is a great activity in any season, but definitely an outside activity.
An Easy Prep Activity: Freeze Your Kid’s Toys
What happens when you freeze toys? Well, if your kids want their toys back, they’re going to have to figure a way to get them out of ice!
If you’re looking for a boredom buster, and some time to yourself, this ice activity is perfect for entertaining kids and keeping them busy.
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Related: Check out this fun Dinosaur Dig activity!
Supplies Needed For This Toy Freezing Activity
How To Set Up This Activity To Make Ice Toys
Step 1
The night before, ask your kiddo to gather up some plastic toys and figurines that they’d like to see trapped in ice. This step is important, because it gives your kids a heads up about what’s going to happen.
Step 2
Put the toys in the cups and bins.
Step 3
Put water over them until the toy is fully covered.
Step 4
Leave in the freezer overnight until the ice is solid.
Step 5
Let the toys sit out for a few minutes until you’re able to get the toys out.
Notes:
Using silicone cups will also work for easy removal as well as putting plastic wrap down first.
Letting Your Kids Help You Choose Which Toys To Freeze
If you don’t ask for their help in choosing toys, you may experience what I did when I first attempted this activity: cries of, “what happened to my toys? why are they stuck in ice?” Yeah, not the effect you want to have!
Our next attempt at freezing toys went a lot more smoothly, because, hey, I gave them a warning. Plus, they participated in choosing the toys they wanted to see frozen.
You might be wondering: what do I freeze the toys in? Ice cube trays are typically too shallow. Rather, use small dishes or plastic Tupperware that allows you to completely cover the toys in water.
How Will the Kids Save Their Toys?
Once the toys are frozen in blocks of ice, let the kids have at it! Depending on the weather, you can let them chip away at the ice outside or in. (But if you’re inside, be sure to have towels handy).
You can give give them a spoon to get them started like one father did in the U.K. But, hint: the spoon will not work. Your kids will have to get creative. What will they try to get their toys free? Maybe dropping the ice on the ground? Or hacking away at it with another toy?
While they’re busy trying to figure out how to save their frozen toys, you’ll get some blissful time to yourself. Plus, I’m not kidding when I say that my oldest has literally spent an hour trying to “save” her toys. She has an absolute blast trying to figure out how to get them out. So in addition to being entertained by this activity, she’s also forced to think outside the box and get creative.
Kids Getting Frustrated With The Ice Toys?
If time goes by and the ice hasn’t melted, the toys are still trapped, and your kid gets frustrated? First, ask them if there’s anything else they think they can use. If they can’t, drop those ice cubed toys into an outdoor water table or a glass of water. Voila! Now this fun activity is also a science experiment, since it’ll teach your kids how to make ice disappear.
Materials
- Plastic Cups, Bowls, Bins, or Recyclables
- Water
- Plastic Toys
- Toy Hammers and Toy Tools
Instructions
- The night before, ask your kiddo to gather up some plastic toys and figurines that they’d like to see trapped in ice.
- Put the toys in the cups and bins.
- Put water over them until the toy is fully covered.
- Leave in the freezer overnight until the ice is solid.
- Let the toys sit out for a few minutes until you’re able to get the toys out.
Notes
Using silicone cups will also work for easy removal as well as putting plastic wrap down first.
More Fun Ice Activities From Kids Activities Blog
What toys will your kids freeze — and save — first?