Looking for a really easy outdoor activity for toddlers and preschoolers? Try making an ice table sensory bin. This simple sensory activity is perfect on warm sunny days when kids need a little boost to get outside.
What is an ice table sensory bin?
Why would I actually put sand in my sand table?!
That’s just so last summer (insert laugh cry emoji here). Instead, turning it into an ice table sensory bin perfect for beating the heat.
Okay, so maybe I’m not as cool as I sound and maybe, actually, the origins of this activity are rooted in error. As in, someone (wink wink) clogged the ice maker and the ice needed to be dumped.
But I’m not about to let good ice go to waste, not when there are toddlers who need activities.
So I grabbed the bin, headed outside, and dumped the whole thing into my sand/water table.
And that is the origin story of my ice table sensory bin.
RELATED: Looking for a list of the best 50+ outdoor activities for kids? Check out this exceptionally well curated list.
Looking for more structure each day?
Check out Playing Preschool: Busy Toddler’s 190-day at-home activities program
The Supplies and the Set-up
Busy Toddler is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more about these links in my disclosure policy.
- Sand table – this one is just perfect. Simple and perfect.
- Small colanders – the ones we used aren’t sold anymore but these are similar
- Slotted spoons
- Traffic cones as a make shift bucket
- Sand castle buckets as actual buckets
Obviously, I didn’t just ice-dump-and-run, I added in a few extra touches to make this a real, true, I gave it my best, activity.
I added in a little water – just enough to make the ice float. With the extra water, you suddenly have the option to scoop and sift.
Which is why I added in slotted spoons and colanders; my kids added in the buckets because those kids really know how to take an activity and make it just right for them.
RELATED: Hoping for more activities with water and ice? Check out my list of 20+ activities.
Why a simple ice bin is magical
An activity like this doesn’t need a ton of direction. In fact, once I added in the extra supplies, it kinds of was a dump-and-run activity because I wanted it to be about them and their ideas.
If I hang to close in or interfere, it messes up the whole kid-play-dynamics. And since play is the work of childhood, hanging back and watching that play from the shadows might as well be the work of motherhood.
Make your kids an ice table sensory bin – it’s easy. It’s fun. It’s totally worth the 2 minutes of prep time to give them something awesome to do on a summer day.
What are kids learning in this activity?
We never have to justify play with what kids are learning. Play is learning and can stand on its own without us dissecting it.
But it is fun to consider what kids are learning or what skills they’re developing when they play. In this ice table sensory bin, my kids were:
- Exploring scientific concepts (sinking, melting, solids, liquids)
- Engaging in tactile learning
- Cooperative play
- Imaginative play
What age is an ice table sensory bin best for?
With all activities, toys, and things for kids: lets avoid considering ages as the sole decision making tool for something’s validity.
The individual child and the interests of that child are a far greater indicator than their age.
And in the case of something like an ice cube sensory bin, there’s also ice cube safety to juggle. Make sure that you are comfortable with your child playing with ice cubes and that you employ excellent supervision when trying this activity.
Susie Allison, M. Ed
Owner, Creator
Susie Allison is the creator of Busy Toddler and has more than 2 million followers on Instagram. A former teacher and early childhood education advocate, Susie’s parenting book “Busy Toddler’s Guide to Actual Parenting” is available on Amazon.