Ice Cream is such a fun theme to do in the classroom and is perfect for summer or learning the letter I! Here are some fun math, literacy, science, social skills, fine motor, and sensory activities to do with your preschoolers!
Ice Cream Dough
This dough is so much fun and looks and smells like ice cream!
Ice Cream Sprinkles Fine Motor Activity
This is such a fun fine motor activity! Print out pictures of ice cream and cut up pipe cleaners to make “sprinkles”. Children can use fine motor tools like tweezers to pick up the sprinkles and put it on the ice cream. Add a dice or number cards and they can count the sprinkles they put on the ice cream.
Ice Cream Cone Light Table Activity
Draw ice cream cones on transparent paper and use transparent dot counters to make ice cream scoops! You can also add numbers on the cones and have the students put that many dots on top of the cones.
Ice Cream Dot Markers and Worksheets
How fun are these ice cream flavor dot markers?! We love using these with letter I and Ice Cream Dot Worksheets. Click on the pictures to take you to each set of dot marker worksheets.
Ice Cream Imaginative Play
Add ice cream toys like these to your class kitchen for imaginative play! My students love pretending to work at an ice cream store and enjoy taking orders and making the ice cream for their friends.
Make Ice Cream!
We love making ice cream in our class. You can use an ice cream maker or make them in bags. We made ice cream during Halloween, so we used some fun Halloween sprinkles!
Making ice cream in a bag is a fun and easy DIY method, often done with kids! You just need a few simple ingredients and two resealable plastic bags (one small and one large). Here’s a basic recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Ice
- 1/2 cup salt (rock salt or kosher salt works best)
Instructions:
- Prepare the Ice Cream Mix:
- In a bowl, combine the heavy cream, whole milk, sugar, and vanilla extract. Stir well until the sugar is dissolved.
- Pour the Mixture into a Small Bag:
- Carefully pour the ice cream mixture into a small resealable plastic bag. Seal it tightly, making sure there’s no air inside.
- Prepare the Ice Bag:
- Fill a large resealable plastic bag halfway with ice, then add the salt on top of the ice.
- Place the Small Bag in the Large Bag:
- Put the small bag with the ice cream mixture inside the larger bag filled with ice and salt. Seal the large bag tightly.
- Shake the Bag:
- Shake the bags vigorously for about 5-10 minutes. You might want to wrap the bag in a towel or wear gloves because the bag will get very cold!
- Check the Ice Cream:
- After shaking, check the consistency of the ice cream. It should be thick and creamy. If it’s not quite there yet, keep shaking for a few more minutes.
- Serve:
- Once the ice cream has reached your desired consistency, carefully remove the small bag from the large one. Scoop the ice cream into bowls or cones, and enjoy!
Ice Cream Math and Literacy Activity printables can be found here!
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