Shaving cream play was one of our all-time favorite activities with the kiddos as small children. We always bet on who would try to at it first, who would get it in their eye and who would not even want to make a mess. To answer that question, 4 out of 4 attempted to taste it, and that never went well, and they never tried it again. 1 out of 4 got it in their eye, which I will take those odds. It just required a quick wipe-down. Finally, 4 out of 4 made a fun mess with it. They all started out slow as if they thought I was testing them. Thought to themselves, wait, so she wants me to make a mess. YES, the answer is always YES. In our home, I constantly say make a mess, make memories, but remember there is always a pick-up.
There are so many different things you can do with Shaving cream play. Here are a few ideas we have done with our kiddos.
Material Needed:
- Foaming Shaving Cream
OPTIONAL ITEMS
- Spoons
- Paintbrushes
- Cups
- Spoons
- Little animals
- Crayola Bath Color tabs
- Alphabet Flashcards
ABC Practice: We give them a tray. We squirt a pile of shaving cream on it. We provide them with the fun opportunity of evenly spreading the shaving cream over the tray. Then we showed them different letters they drew in the shaving cream as if it was snow or sand. They have fun doing this because they get to “erase” it but play with the shaving cream again to flatten it for the following letter.
Sensory play: This is the most straightforward concept. Please don’t overthink it. For containment purposes, we put them in their highchair for this exploration. Then we squirt a shaving cream pile in their tray’s middle. You can give them different objects to play with or let them explore their senses with the shaving cream. Watching their hesitance in our house turned it into arm, neck, body, and sometimes even hair exploration is entertaining.
Color Fun: For this one, it s much like sensory play. Only for this one, we also provide small cups of water with the bath colors. We give them paintbrushes, and they can color the shaving cream. We love the color tabes for the bath because they allow the children to explore colors without staining their hands or clothes.
Tips:
- Warn them before play that it is not whipped cream and does not taste good. Tell them not to put it on their eyes.
- Keep a wet washcloth nearby to wash their face if it gets in their eyes or mouth.
- We like to do this shirtless. It is much easier to clean up, and the kiddos love it. For sensory play, they are truly able to explore.
- For the sensory play version, I typically go into this activity knowing that bath time is going to be following this activity.
- LET THEM MAKE A MESS!! LET THEM ENJOY THE MESS!!