Teaching Mama

playing, creating, and learning at home

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

facebook twitter pinterest instagram googleplus email bloglovin
  • Home
  • About
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy
    • Meet the Team
  • Baby
  • Toddlers
    • Sensory Play
    • Fine Motor Skills
    • Gross Motor Skills
    • Toys
  • Preschoolers
    • Homeschooling
    • Alphabet
      • Printable Alphabet Packets
    • Fine Motor Skills
    • Gross Motor Skills
    • Math
    • Music
    • Reading
      • Book Activities
    • Science
    • Technology
  • Motherhood
    • Thoughts on Life
    • Faith
    • Parenting
  • Contact
  • My Store
    • Your Account
    • Cart
    • Checkout
  • Course

Alphabet Ice Excavation Activity

by Angela Thayer 2 Comments

If you’re looking for an alphabet activity to do outdoors, this is it! This alphabet ice excavation activity is sure to be a hit with your child. My son (3.5 years old) absolutely loved this activity and he keeps asking to do it again! The best part of this activity is that it’s SIMPLE!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. See more details here.

Here’s what you need for this activity:

  • magnetic letters (the ones I used are found here)
  • bowl
  • water
  • squirt bottles (or something similar)
  • garage door (optional)

To begin, place the alphabet letters in a bowl and fill it with water. Then place the bowl in the freezer. Wait a few hours until it’s a solid block.

Let the block thaw for a few minutes and then the ice should be easy to pop out of the bowl. We set ours on a tray, but you don’t have to.

ice block with alphabet letters

Before doing the activity, ask your child what ideas they have for getting the letters out. Try out their ideas. If they need some help, you can try pouring warm water into squirt bottles and then squirt at the ice block.

squirting the ice block

You’ll see that it doesn’t too long for the ice to start melting.

I love this set of alphabet letters. They are foam, so they are soft. The consonants are blue, the vowels are red, and ‘y’ is purple.

Once the letters are out, set them in a pile. If your child is old enough, they can practice putting the letters in alphabetical order. You can do this on the ground or on a tray. We decided to do it our garage door, since it is also magnetic!

alphabetical order - with magnets

We sang the alphabet song to help us when we my son was stuck.

Isn’t it cool how the magnetic alphabet letters stick to the garage door? Working on a vertical surface is really good for a young child. It helps build a stronger core in the child, as well as many other benefits.

This activity is great for practicing fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, letter recognition, and ABC order. I hope you’ll try this activity with your little one!

Related Posts

  • Summer Bingo PrintableSummer Bingo Printable
  • Sight Word Reader for the Word “Away”Sight Word Reader for the Word “Away”
  • Preschool Math 101Preschool Math 101
  • Fall Math Packet for PreschoolersFall Math Packet for Preschoolers
  • H is for Horses — Letter H PrintablesH is for Horses — Letter H Printables
  • Mother’s Day Letter – Free PrintableMother’s Day Letter – Free Printable

Sharing is caring!

51shares
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Alphabet, Preschool, Summer Activities

Comments

  1. Chelsea says
    May 24, 2018 at 9:25 am

    This is so cool!!!! I love, love LOVE your ideas. Thank you.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Stay COOL With These Ice Activities! | Mrs. A's Room says:
    July 14, 2018 at 6:02 am

    […] Sneak in some literacy skills this summer with this alphabet ice excavation from Teaching Mama. […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




CommentLuv badgeShow more posts
about teaching mama
sensory play crafts printables fall winter spring summer

Search Teaching Mama

Archives

Copyright © 2021 Teaching Mama · Privacy Policy · Disclosure

51shares