I’m always looking for extra creative and fun summer learning activities for preschoolers. This ice cream measurement activity it sure to be a hit with your preschoolers. Be sure to grab your free printable, and read all the different ways we use this ice cream activity in our preschool classroom.

Fun Preschool Ice Cream Theme Learning Activities

I don’t know about you, but the ice cream consumption at my house increases by at least 100% during the summer months as compared to the rest of the year.

I’m not sure if it is the heat or the fact that the kids are home all day and I need to be able to say yes to something, or that it is birthday season, but we seem to go through a lot of ice cream in the summer.

Normally, I just purchase boring vanilla ice cream because vanilla goes with every kind of cake or dessert. But in the summer, we start exploring ALL the flavors of ice cream and then the next thing I know my freezer starts to look like a kaleidoscope of nearly empty ice cream cartons. My daughter likes to mix all the colors together to make “rainbow ice cream soup.”

I figure my kids are like other kids in that they hold a special interest in things like ice cream.

Have you met a preschooler who doesn’t love ice cream?

Me neither. (Ok, I take that back. I did have a preschooler one year who didn’t like ice cream, chocolate, or cake!)

But these ice cream cone measurement cards are so inviting and fun for a summer theme and they can make up several fun summer learning activities for preschoolers. I love having a fun summer printable like this one, because who doesn’t love having a single educational printable that can actually do the job of several preschool printables?!

10 More Ice Cream Activities for Kids

As with all my printable activities, I am sharing five additional ways I use this single printable with my preschoolers. But I’ve also teamed up with some of the next kids activities bloggers to bring you ten more ice cream activities! You can find links to those posts at the end of this one.

More Measurement Activities for Preschoolers

Free Printable Ice Cream Cone Measurement Cards

Like I already mentioned, you can use this one printable for lots of different activities! I’ll feature one in detail, but read to the end of this post to get all my other ideas on how to use these printable measurement cards.

Materials

• Free ice cream measurement cards (from the end of this post)
• Color matching math counters (optional)

The Set-Up

Print the measurement cards on heavy card stock and laminate if planning to use these more than once. I always laminate because you know what’s worse than having them damaged and unusable? Wanting to use them for a second activity, or use them again for the same activity, and wishing they were laminated.

Place the cards on a tray and invite your preschooler to join you in some measurement fun!

How to Use the Cards to Teach Measurement

The most basic form of this activity would be to mix up the cards and then arrange them in smallest to largest or in descending order from largest to smallest. It’s one of the first steps in kids learning how to measure.

To do this, I always allow a little bit of time for my preschoolers to figure out the order on their own, giving them time to self correct. This is an important step and really helps them develop concepts of measurement.

Often, preschoolers miss out of learning experiences because adults interject too soon. So, it’s ok to sit back and allow them to make a few mistakes. And with ten cards, there are bound to be a few cards in the order that get mixed up.

Once your preschooler has ordered the cards, then you can help your preschool correct any mistakes. I like to start at the smallest number and have the preschooler count the scoops on the card.

Then we compare that card to the one placed next in line. Sometimes we rote count to see if our card fell in the right number order, too. But it’s important to teach your preschoolers to use the line on the side of the card to define the top and the bottom of the ice cream cones.

Which line is the longer? You can even overlap the cards to help your preschooler see the differences in heights. This math skill all helps preschoolers in learning how to properly measure.

If you want to add some additional one-to-one correspondence practice, you can have your preschooler add a math counter to each scoop. Bonus points if the color of the counter matches that of the ice cream scoop itself.

Now, of course you can also use these cards to teach non-standard units of measurement by having your preschooler line up their counters along the line on the side of the card. Count the number of counters used to find the measurement.

This ice cream cone is nine counters high.

My favorite materials for measurement clip cards are snap cubes, mini erasers, and even clothes pins. Any of those options keep the activity interesting for preschoolers as well as work on fine motor development.

These cards are a good way to introduce the concept of measuring height. Preschoolers often use length and height interchangeably, so this is a good way to practice the right vocabulary, and not just refer to the activity as a way to measure the length.

More Ways to Use These Cards

I love a printable that has multiple uses and can reach different levels of learners. Here are a few ideas for you.

• Use a variety of manipulatives. Try mini erasers, pom poms, transparent counters, cereal or crackers, clothes pins, whatever!
• Add some additional one-to-one correspondence and color recognition practice by offering pom poms that match the colors of the ice cream scoops. Invite your preschooler to match the pom poms to the scoops, laying them on top, and count the scoops at the same time.
• Give your preschooler a measurement card and ask them search the room for a toy that is the same height at the ice cream cone on their card.
• Use the cards as comparison cards. Ask your preschooler to find an object in the room and see if it is higher or shorter than the ice cream cone. Or challenge them by asking specifically for something that is higher or shorter.
• Play the old card game of “War”. Print off two or three copies of the cards, mix them up, and divide them evenly among two players. Each player draws a card at the same time and lays it face up on the table. The player with the taller ice cream cone then takes both cards and puts them at the bottom of their draw pile. If the players draw the exact same card, they continue drawing until there is a winner for that round.
• Play a matching game by printing two copies. Keep all the cards face up and match the cards.
• Or, create towers of snap cubes that match the cards, then mix them up with the cards and have your preschooler math the snap cube towers with the corresponding cards.
• Have your preschooler cut lengths of construction paper to see if they can make a match to the height of an ice cream cone measurement card.

More Summer Learning Activities for Preschoolers

Want more ice cream themed preschool activities? Try some of these! They are not my own, but activities from others that my preschoolers and kids have loved.

1. Make a puffy paint ice cream craft.
2. Try this ice cream themed sensory bin. (No real ice cream involved).
3. This ice cream playdough smells and looks just like the real thing.
4. Turn your dramatic play center into an ice cream shop.
5. Learn the science of ice cream with this easy experiment.

Grab your FREE Ice cream cone Measurement Cards Here

Wanna add these ice cream measurement cards to your summer activities for preschool? Click the image below to grab your own copy.

Check Out These Printable Preschool Centers

I like to use these activities in my math and literacy centers, but it’s also the perfect set of activities to keep my little boys busy and learning while I’m enjoying a little quiet time.

These activity packs are a great addition to your preschool lesson plans. Click on the images below for more information!

10 More Ice Cream Activities for kids

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT

Color Sorting Summer Sensory Bin // Alleah Maree

Emergent Reader // Sarah Chesworth

Popsicle Number Matching Game // Teach Me Mommy

Ice Cream Addition // Sara J Creations

Addition Boom Cards™ // The Primary Post

Counting Ice Cream // Recipe for Teaching

2D Shapes Playdough Mats // Fairy Poppins

Measurement Cards // Stay at Home Educator

Letter Match Sensory Bin // The Primary Brain

Ice Cream Vowel Sort // Literacy with the Littles