As we welcome the warm weather and bright sun, it’s time to introduce our little ones to fun and engaging activities that will not only keep them entertained but also inspire their curiosity and creativity.
Today, We’ve got a super fun, simple, and exciting activity for your junior archaeologists: Dinosaur Ice Excavation!
Supplies for Dinosaur Ice Rescue Game For Kids
Before we dive in, let’s quickly gather all the supplies we need:
- An ice tray
- Mini dinosaur toys (I found these adorable ones here)
- Water
- A container – We find the shallow trofast bins from Ikea work great for any kind of sensory play activity like this.
- Stones, a toy hammer or a water dropper / pipette
- Optional: A poster board, mat or tray for outdoor use. With lots of kids, you could set this up on a large tuff tray outside, or with just one child I love the Ikea Smula trays. They are super affordable and basic, easy to clean, and perfect as a space for crafts or sensory play for just one child.
Getting Started
The prep is pretty easy. Simply place one dino in each section of the ice tray. I let part of the dinosaur (like its tail) stick out a bit. This gave the little hands something to grasp onto when they started their expedition.
We used regular ice cube trays. If you prefer, you can also use a bowl and freeze all the dinosaurs together into one big block rather than individual ones.
Next, fill the tray with water, then pop it into the freezer until solid. Talk about suspense building as the kids wait for their ice age to begin!
Dino Unearth Time
Once your dino ice cubes are ready, take them out from the freezer. For this part, I suggest taking it outdoors. The little ones will enjoy the sun, and you won’t have to mop up the melted ice!
Place the frozen dinosaur ice cubes into a bin or a large container, and let the excavation begin!
The kids can use stones or their toy hammers to chip away the ice and reveal the dinosaurs.
Some Fun Ideas for the Dino Ice Activity
- Make it a contest: see who can free their dinosaur the fastest or who can do it without breaking any dinosaur parts.
- Use it as a teaching moment: discuss the different types of dinosaurs, what era they lived in, or how archaeologists work to discover the past.
- Color Coding Contest: Before freezing, color the water with food dye, matching the color to the type of dinosaur. Once frozen, the kids can guess what type of dinosaur is hidden within based on the color. This not only tests their dinosaur knowledge but also their color recognition skills!
- Dino Storytelling: Encourage your children to create a story about the dinosaur they’ve just excavated. Where did it live? What did it eat? Did it have any dinosaur friends? This is a great way to promote creativity and language skills.
- Role-Playing: Have the kids pretend they’re real archaeologists. They can dress up with hats, vests, and use makeshift tools. You can even set up a little ‘campsite’ for their expedition. This makes the activity more immersive and fun!
- Ice Age Survival: Discuss the concept of the Ice Age and how creatures had to adapt to survive. You could also explain how the Ice Age affected the earth’s climate and geography.
- Dinosaur Arts and Crafts: Once all the dinosaurs are freed, use them for an arts and crafts session. Kids can make a habitat for their dinosaurs out of cardboard, paint, and other craft supplies. Or they can draw or paint portraits of their dinosaurs, or make their own paper plate dinosaur.
- Dinosaur Movie Night: Finish the day with a family-friendly dinosaur-themed movie like The Good Dinosaur. This can reinforce what the kids have learned during the day and make for a great family bonding experience.
Check out our list of ways to play with toy dinosaurs for even more inspiration.
Remember, the key to these activities is keeping them interactive and fun. You’ll be surprised how much learning can happen when the kids are engaged and enjoying themselves!
What I absolutely love about this activity is the suspense and the discovery – it’s a little bit science, a little bit history, and a whole lot of fun! Plus, it’s a perfect way to cool down on a hot day!
Don’t forget to capture those wide-eyed, triumphant moments when they finally free their prehistoric friends. It’s sure to be a summer memory you’ll cherish.
Step by Step How To Set Up Dinosaur Ice Rescue Activity
This easy summer sensory play activity is fun for kids of all ages, from toddlers, to preschoolers and up.
If you want to mix up the theme, simply swap out the dinosaurs for something else and continue with the rest of the instructions. You could rescue little animals, lego minifigures, gems and jewels or whatever you fancy.
Ice rescue is such an easy to set up game, which keeps kids busy and happily entertained for quite a while so with all these variations it will easily become a go to option over the hot summer months.
Dinosaur Ice Excavation Activity for Kids
Ice Age Dinosaur Excavation: An exciting, hands-on activity perfect for preschoolers and toddlers. Kids become mini paleontologists, freeing dinosaur toys from their frozen ice cube confines using stones or toy hammers. Each ice tray compartment becomes a mini excavation site as your child chips away at the ice, revealing a dinosaur toy hidden within.
This creative play not only stimulates their sensory skills but also helps develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. The sight of the frozen dinosaurs, the sound of ice cracking, the touch of the cold cubes - it's a sensory extravaganza!
Whether it's a hot summer day or just a regular afternoon, this Ice Age Dinosaur Excavation activity is an educational, fun, and cool way to keep your little ones engaged and learning. Plus, it's an excellent opportunity for parents and kids to play and discover together. Let the prehistoric fun begin!
Materials
- An ice tray
- Mini dinosaur toys (I found these adorable ones here)
- Water
- A container
- Stones or a toy hammer
- Optional: Water dropper
- Optional: A poster board, mat or tray for outdoor use
Tools
- An ice tray
- Mini dinosaur toys (I found these adorable ones here)
- Water
- A container
- Stones or a toy hammer
- Optional: A poster board, mat or tray for outdoor use
Instructions
- Place one dinosaur in each section of the ice tray. For this activity, I allowed for part of the dinosaur (example: the tail) to stick out a bit so that the child had something to grasp onto when engaging with this activity.
- Fill the ice tray with water.
- Place in the freezer until frozen, for around 4 hours then remove from the freezer ready to begin the activity.
- Place the frozen dinosaur ice cubes into a bin.
- Allow the child to engage with the activity, using stones or toy hammers/objects to try to break the ice away from each dinosaur.
- You can also use a water dropper and a cup of warmer water to experiment with melting the ice.
Notes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
This includes the time it takes to set up your dinosaur toys in the ice trays, fill them with water, and get them into the freezer.
Freezing Time (Extra Time): 3-4 hours or overnight
The freezing time will vary depending on your freezer and the size of your ice trays. You'll want the ice to be completely solid before you start the activity, so I recommend doing this part the night before.
Active Time: 30 minutes - 1 hour
This is how long the activity itself will take, from removing the ice trays from the freezer to the moment when your little archaeologists have chipped away all the ice from their dinosaurs. This can vary greatly depending on the age of your children and their level of interest.
Remember, the whole idea is for your children to have fun and learn. So don't worry too much about the time. Let them enjoy the activity at their own pace. Happy excavating!
The Science
This Ice Age Dinosaur Excavation activity is a fantastic introduction to some basic scientific concepts such as states of matter and temperature effects.
States of Matter
Water can exist in three states – solid (ice), liquid (water), and gas (steam). With this activity, children witness first-hand how water (a liquid) can turn into ice (a solid) when frozen, and how it reverts back to water when it melts. This hands-on experience offers a practical understanding of this key scientific concept.
Related: States of matter water bead sensory bottles
Effects of Temperature
The process of melting ice with warm water provides an excellent opportunity to discuss the effects of temperature. When the warm water comes in contact with the ice, it transfers some of its heat energy to the ice. This causes the ice to absorb the heat and change back into a liquid state – a concept known as heat transfer.
Children are naturally curious, and they love to ask questions. Encouraging them to predict what might happen, and then observing the results, fosters critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
And the best part? All of this learning happens seamlessly through play. The activity becomes not just a fun game, but also an engaging science experiment, making it an excellent STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) activity for your little learners.
Incorporating simple science concepts into playtime not only boosts their scientific literacy from a young age, but it also encourages a love for learning and exploration that can last a lifetime.
Enjoy the fun, the sun, and the roar-some adventure, and don’t forget to share your experiences with us. We’d love to see your little paleontologists in action!
More Dinosaur Activities
- Make your own hidden dinosaur soaps
- Dinosaur sticky wall
- Bubble wrap dinosaurs
- Paper plate dinosaurs
- Dinosaur coloring pages
More Hot Weather Fun
If you enjoyed all of these fun summer ideas for kids please go ahead and share with friends and family or on social media. Thanks so much.
Stay cool and happy dino excavating!
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.
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