Ice Cream Handprint

Items Needed:

• Cotton Balls 
• Glue  
• Red Pom Poms 
• Brown Construction Paper (or cardboard) 
• Rainbow Construction Paper  

Instructions:

1. Have your child pick a color of construction paper, which will be their ice cream “flavor” of choice! Fold the paper in half and trace their handprint. Be sure that their pinky is along the folded part. 
2. Cut out their handprint. It should open like a card! 
3. Take the brown construction paper and draw an ice cream cone shape. Then, cut the ice cream cone out! 
4. Glue the handprint on top of the cone. 
5. Stretch out the cotton balls to make whipped cream. Add a red pom pom as the “cherry” on top! Your child can add more “toppings” to their ice cream by drawing hot fudge, adding shreds of paper as chocolate chips, or gluing on real sprinkles. Encourage their creativity!   
6. Open the card and add a message. 
   • Have your child think of speech words with their sound in it. Write the words down and practice them throughout the week.
   • Work on recall and sequencing. Have your child write down the steps for the craft- don’t forget all of the details! 
   • Encourage writing skills. Challenge your child to write a sentence with a target vocabulary word (i.e. “use the word “ice cream” in a sentence”).  
   • Use this craft as a birthday card for a friend or loved one. Encourage your child to write a special message inside!  

Want even more of the scoop? Check out our SLP-approved book list and fun ice cream themed activities below! 

Ice Cream Books:

• Ice Cream Soup (Step into Reading) by Ann Ingalls 

  • https://amzn.to/4aRCLzL 

• Ice Cream Summer by Peter Sis

  • https://amzn.to/45l5fjW 

• Ice Cream: The Full Scoop by Gail Gibbons 

  • https://amzn.to/45kNwJN 

• Is it Warm Enough for Ice Cream? By DK

  • https://amzn.to/4aVDlMW 

• Gorilla Loves Vanilla by Chae Strathie

  • https://amzn.to/3xbQ4wW 

• Just One More by Jennifer Hansen Rolli

  • https://amzn.to/3xdl6EU 

• Curious George Goes to an Ice Cream Shop by H. A. Rey and Margret Rey

  • https://amzn.to/3VgzuE7 

• The Ice Cream King by Steve Metzger

  • https://amzn.to/4aVspyL 

• Should I Share My Ice Cream? An Elephant and Piggie Book by Mo Willems

  • https://amzn.to/3VgiPkk 

• The Little Ice Cream Truck by Margery Cuyler 

  • https://amzn.to/4aYn7CL 

• Izzy the Ice-Cream Fairy by Tim Bugbird

  • https://amzn.to/4aR9oxq 

• And Then Comes Summer by Tom Brenner 

  • https://amzn.to/4eawVMJ 

Ice Cream Theme:

• Melissa & Doug Ice Cream Wooden Magnetic Puzzle Play Set

  • https://amzn.to/3VlpZUa 
  • Work on requesting (i.e. “I want ___”), labeling items, and answering various wh-questions (i.e. “what do we do with a spoon?”, “what could happen to ice cream on a hot day?”, “where do the cherries go?”, “where can you get ice cream?”). 
• Go Go Gelato
  • https://amzn.to/3RmEZQD 

• Melissa & Doug Wooden Scoop and Serve Ice Cream Counter

  • https://amzn.to/45j6sIC 
  • A wonderful set to encourage dramatic play! Discuss the differences between the ice cream flavors, sequence the steps needed to make an ice cream sundae, or take each other’s orders and follow the multi-step directions. 

• Fisher-Price Little People Share a Treat Ice Cream Truck

  • https://amzn.to/4bOy4YC 

• Squeeze, Scoop & Count Ice Cream Shop

  • https://www.lakeshorelearning.com/products/ca/p/LL426/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_campaign=performancemaxbrmain&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwyJqzBhBaEiwAWDRJVLPa45ZP1s2OGRk49dlYazFygXZFLWNShRu7jYTKNF_d3DdoPmGeVhoCYa8QAvD_BwE

• Sensory Sand Ice Cream Set

  • https://www.lakeshorelearning.com/products/ca/p/SE210/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_campaign=performancemaxbrmain&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwyJqzBhBaEiwAWDRJVCDD5C52hsqoZv2Rx9OSvQ20gbV3OFng5xTKEAxAiC__TRRV2rLhIhoC5ZwQAvD_BwE
  • Make a sensory bin with kinetic sand. Add items like colored rice, real sprinkles, or cut plastic straws as ice cream sprinkles. You can also add cotton balls as whipped cream or small pom poms as cherries! 
• ​​Play-Doh Rainbow Swirl Ice Cream Playset with 7 Pretend Play Kitchen Accessories, Arts and Crafts Toys
  • https://amzn.to/4ee1IrZ 

We have a gelato love for speech and language skills! Be sure to follow us on Instagram at @owlstherapy. OWLS Therapy will be scooping up speech and language skills all summer long!