Shaving Cream Activity – Messy Sensory Play

This fun shaving cream activity engages your child’s senses. This is such a great way to encourage creative play that allows them to stretch their imagination.

Sometimes, getting messy can be such fun! For these activities, they are best if you can set them up outside. They get to laugh and explore everything, and grown ups don’t have to worry because everything can just be sprayed down with a hose (kids included!).

A Taste Safe Alternative to this Shaving Cream Activity

If you are little one is still in the “puts everything in their mouth” stage, we have the perfect alternative to this shaving cream activity: How to Make Taste-Safe Foam for Sensory Play! It is made with a taste safe base, but is equally as colorful and fun! This is such a fun messy activity that babies and toddlers will love!

All activities should be supervised by an adult. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links.

Skills: Sensory Play

Ages: 3 Years +

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Watch the Video to See This Shaving Cream Activity in Action

My three kids all had a blast! They played so well together. Their personalities sure came out with it. Some of them loved splatting it and making a mess, others enjoyed filling up the cones with their pretend ice cream.

I love creating activities that are bright, colorful, and have different textures. The shaving cream in their play table is super soft – even the baby loved it! Of course, if you allow a toddler to play with it, watch them so they don’t try to eat it. A more toddler-friendly version of this is our taste-safe foam! Or, if you don’t mind the sugar, you could use whipped cream instead of shaving cream.

Watch the Video to See This Shaving Cream Activity in Action

My three kids all had a blast! They played so well together. Their personalities sure came out with it. Some of them loved splatting it and making a mess, others enjoyed filling up the cones with their pretend ice cream.

I love creating activities that are bright, colorful, and have different textures. The shaving cream in their play table is super soft – even the baby loved it! Of course, if you allow a toddler to play with it, watch them so they don’t try to eat it. A more toddler-friendly version of this is our taste-safe foam! (HYPER LINK) Or, if you don’t mind the sugar, you could use whipped cream instead of shaving cream.

Watch the video and check out how fun it is.

How To Make A Shaving Cream Cones Activity Center

There is no right or wrong way to do this. Make one color, make every color, or don’t use any color at all! But whatever color scheme you go with, one tip I suggest with any type of messy play, is to include a bin of water for washing hands. I have found this really lengthens the playing time.

For shaving cream choice, I always buy the cheap stuff – anything under a dollar! Concerned about the toxicity of shaving cream? The U.S. National Library of Medicine is a good resource for describing the minimal risks of playing with shaving cream. The most important takeaways are that shaving cream should not be consumed or put in the eyes.

Here’s the rest of the details on how I set up my shaving cream ice cream cone stations.

Materials

Shaving Cream

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1

For each color you want to make, mix shaving cream and liquid watercolor (or food coloring) in a bowl. Start with just a little splash of color and then increase depending on your preferred vibrancy!

Step 2

I then layered each color in a single bin.

Step 3

Fill another container up with water. Remember, whether your child enjoys mess or not, this is crucial for extending the length this activity is played to allow for washing hands off.

Step 4

Sit back and let them play!

Step 1

For each color you want to make, mix shaving cream and liquid watercolor (or food coloring) in a bowl. Start with just a little splash of color and then increase depending on your preferred vibrancy!

Step 2

I then layered each color in a single bin.

Step 3

Fill another container up with water. Remember, whether your child enjoys mess or not, this is crucial for extending the length this activity is played to allow for washing hands off.

Step 4

Sit back and let them play!

Educational Benefits of Sensory Play

Yes, even free creative play is beneficial for kids. You may not be teaching them colors or scientific facts, but this free play-time is engaging their minds and building new connections in their brain. You see, sensory play has been proven to encourage mental development in young children. They need time to just interact with their environment and let their imaginations run wild!

ice cream sensory play shaving cream activity sensory play for kids

Educational Benefits of Sensory Play

Yes, even free creative play is beneficial for kids. You may not be teaching them colors or scientific facts, but this free play-time is engaging their minds and building new connections in their brain. You see, sensory play has been proven to encourage mental development in young children. They need time to just interact with their environment and let their imaginations run wild!

Store-Bought Sensory Bins

Here are my top picks for ice cream themed imaginative play items you can buy.

Scoop and Serve

This wooden set is perfect for the ice cream lover! It comes with 28 pieces including ice cream flavors, toppings, cones, a cup, a menu, and the counter!

SHOP NOW

Life-Size Food Cart

This large scale imaginative play food cart is adorable! Plus it has two different food cart themes: sweets like ice cream, and snacks like pretzels and hot dogs!

SHOP NOW