Ice Activities for Summer
By Dawn Winkelmann, M.S, CCC-SLP
Speech Language Pathologist & Feeding Specialist for ezpz
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Summer is here and parents need some fun ideas to keep the kids entertained and cool during these hot months. If you want a summer alternative to packing up the kids and heading to the pool or beach, then you will love these simple homemade frozen activities.
Frozen Watercolor Painting
Is your child a budding artist or simply loves to paint? If so, they will love this art activity, especially the change in canvas. You guessed it…the new canvas is ice!
- Take the Happy Mat and fill the eyes and smile with water. Place the mat in the freezer (yes, all ezpz products are freezer safe!) and let the water freeze. Next, remove the Happy Mat from the freezer and show your kids the frozen smiley face. Finally, have your kiddos paint eyes, teeth, eyelashes and goofy expressions on the ice. To make this a multi-sensory activity, let the kids paint with their fingers, sponges and paint brushes. This ice art will have your kids rolling with laughter while keeping them cool!
- What you need: Happy Mat, water, watercolor, paint brushes
Frozen Friends
Is your child into Lego mini figures, unicorns, army men, bugs, zoo animals or dinosaurs? Then I have a frozen activity that is perfect for keeping little hands busy and minds entertained!
- Have your child fill up the Happy Bowl with cold water, pick out a few of their favorite miniatures and place them in the water. Next, place the Happy Bowl in the freezer for a few hours. Finally, remove the Happy Bowl, bend the sides of the silicone bowl and pop out your glacier. Your kids can watch the glacier melt in the sun, use kid-safe tools to chisel at the ice, or they can slowly pour warm water over the glacier to rescue their frozen friends!
- What you need: Happy Bowl, water, miniature characters / animals
Frozen Drinks
Keeping kids hydrated during the summer can be a daunting task. And if you have a picky drinker, summer break is that much harder. So, change up the plain old water routine and invite your kiddos to help you prepare this thirst quenching drink. Your picky drinker will love this fun variation on hydration!
- Make your child’s favorite flavored drink mix (e.g., Kool-Aid, lemonade, etc.) in a pitcher. Pour the mixture into the Mini Bowl and place it in the freezer. Once frozen, gently press the sides of the Mini Bowl and pop out the frozen drink. Then place it in a punch bowl with some sparkling water or bubbly soda for a kid-friendly happy hour!
- What you need: Mini Bowl, water, flavored drink mix, sparkling water
Frozen Popsicles
Your baby can join the frozen-themed fun, too! Keep baby hydrated with the ezpz Tiny Pop, which is a popsicle mold made for a baby’s developing mouth.
- Breast milk and formula popsicles are cold and refreshing, which provides sensory awareness (plus a happy and alert baby!). For babies 4 - 6 months of age, pour a ½ oz of breast milk or formula into the Tiny Pops and freeze.
- For babies 6+ months of age, try placing purees with some grated fruit into the mold and freeze. These cold textures are a great way to get baby to enjoy frozen treats with the rest of the family this summer!
- What you need: Tiny Pop, breast milk or formula, purees or grated fruit.
What ideas do you have to keep your baby or toddler cool this summer? Get our attention and share your favorite ezpz frozen activity with us by using the hashtag #ezpzfun.
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Dawn Winkelmann (M.S, CCC-SLP) is ezpz’s Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist and Feeding Specialist. She has 28 years of experience teaching parents and medical professionals how to start babies on solids safely and encourage toddlers to overcome picky eating tendencies. In addition, “Ms. Dawn” is the designer of our award-winning feeding products.