It doesn’t matter what time of year it is playing with colored ice is always a hit with kids. But in summertime, a water bin filled with colored ice cubes is just the best for cooling sensory play for kids of all ages. Making colored ice cubes is perfect for keeping the kids cool and refreshed on a hot, summer day!

Coloured Ice Activity Bin - colored ice cubes floating in water and how to make colored ice cubes from Kids Activities Blog — Let’s make colored ice cubes for sensory play outside!

Ice Cubes & Kids Makes Summer Time Fun

Summer is awesome and so are the fun summer activities to keep your kids cool and having fun in the backyard!

Related: More fun summer activities

One of our favorite ways to pass a warm summer morning is to make colored ice cubes and add them to a big bucket of cold water.

It keeps everyone cool, and it’s so much fun to scoop, pour, mix and stir while the ice cubes slowly release their color into the water.

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Ice Play with Colored Ice Cubes

freeze colored water for colored ice play - Kids Activities Blog - ice cube trays filled with colored water frozen — Let’s make colorful ice cubes!

Supplies Needed to Make Colored Ice Cubes

ice cube trays – or you could use small plastic cups and containers to make the ice
cold water
food coloring – if you prefer natural food coloring alternatives <–check that out
Baking sheet
Plastic storage bags
storage container, large bucket or water table (a large salad or trifle bowl works well too)
bowls and cups
various kitchen instruments: scoops, funnels, tongs, spoons, basters, ladles, sieves and strainers, etc.

Thrift shops and second-hand stores are great places for picking up ice cube trays in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Popsicle molds and small, shaped plastic containers are super for this too.

How to Make Colored Ice for Sensory Play

Colored Water Ice Cubes frozen in ice trays - Kids Activities Blog — Our frozen colored ice cubes are such bright colors!

Step 1

It’s best to start freezing your ice several days in advance so you’ll have lots on hand for your activity.

Step 2

I fill several ice cube trays and small plastic containers with water, add a drop or two of food colouring to each section, and load them all onto a baking sheet.

Step 3

I place the baking sheet into the freezer and freeze until solid which usually takes about 8 hours.

Step 4

I transfer the colored cubes into a plastic bag which stays in the freezer, and I begin again.

Repeat Until You Have As Many Colored Ice Cubes as You Desire

I’ll do this over and over until I’ve accumulated a supply of several hundred colored ice cubes. This way, the kids can enjoy a whole morning of play!

stirring coloured ice in a bowl of water — Grab a large spoon and stir the cold water filled with colorful ice cubes.

Ice Play Sensory Activity

When we’re ready to play I take a large, clear storage bin out to a shady area of the yard and I fill it with very cold water.

The colder your water is, the longer your ice cubes will last. The colored ice cubes will make the water even colder.

You’ll be surprised at how long the ice will last, even on a hot day.

scooping and pouring from coloured ice activity bin — Ladles, cupcake liners, ice cube trays and more for fun colorful water and ice play.

I set the kids up with all kinds of kitchen utensils and instruments: large and small bowls for scooping the ice into, ladles, sieves, tongs, wooden spoons etc.

Anything goes really.

I just rummage through my kitchen drawers and cupboards until I’ve come up with a wide variety of instruments for them to play and experiment with.

Let’s Play with Colored Ice Cubes

Dump in a batch of ice, and let the fun begin!

My guys can spend an entire morning playing with an activity bin like this:

They scoop, they pour, they strain, they sort.
The mix potions and they make soups, ladling out bowls for everyone and pouring their concoctions from one container to the next.

kids playing with coloured ice — Kids can make their own colorful creations with the melting ice cubes.

It’s fun to watch the colour leach out of the ice cubes and colour the water as they play.