Ice Cream Cone Craft: How To Make For Soft & Sweet Fun
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This ice cream cone craft is a fun and easy way to enjoy a sweet activity with your kids. It's perfect for those warm summer days, ice cream-themed lessons, or even rainy afternoons when you want to keep things simple and stress-free. Plus, this craft requires just a few basic supplies like cotton balls and paper - no fancy or expensive materials needed!
Whether you're celebrating a birthday party or just looking for something fun to do with the kids, this project that has a 3D effect. I'm sharing creative ways to personalize the craft and easy-to-follow instructions (with pictures!) so you can create your own ice cream cone masterpiece in no time!
A Sweet Way to Build Skills and Have Fun
If you're looking for a simple and affordable way to have some ice cream fun with kids, you'll love this activity. I had such a blast doing this project with my boys as part of our ice cream and sweet treats unit study.
My younger boys absolutely loved adding cotton balls to their cones. There's something so satisfying about the soft, puffy texture. And it gave the project a neat 3D effect.
Plus, they had a blast using a hole punch to make the colorful paper sprinkles! Not only did it make the ice cream look extra sweet, but it was a great way to work on hand strength and fine motor skills, too.
What You'll Need for This Ice Cream Cone Craft
Prior to enjoying this project, you will want to make sure that you have all the materials ready to go. If you'd like your final creation to look like the example in this tutorial, you'll need:
- Cardboard
- Scissors
- Brown marker or crayon
- Glue
- Colored craft foam (or construction paper)
- Cotton balls
- Brightly colored paper
- Hole punch
Small pom poms can work well for the ice cream (and a red one for a cherry on top). You can also use chunky glitter for the sprinkles if you'd like a shiny look.
Prang (Formerly Art Street) Construction Paper, 10 Assorted Colors, Standard Weight, 93 Otters 150 Sheets Tissue Paper, 14x20 Inch Tissue Paper for Gift Bags Multicolor Gift Wrap Supplies Bulk for Crafts Party Decorations Art ProjectsBetter Office Products 100 Pack EVA Foam Sheets, 5.5 x 8.5 Inch, Assorted Colors (20 Colors), 2mm Thick, for Arts and Crafts, 100 Sheets8 Pack Glitter Foam Sheets Craft 8 x 12 inch, 8 Colors Sparkles Foam Paper for Art Crafts Projects, Classrooms Scrapbook Gift DIY Cutters Card Party Decoration (Rainbow)Amazon Basics Cotton Balls, 200ct, 1-Pack (Previously Solimo)AEFFNOC Single Hole Punch, One Hole Puncher with Soft Grip Handle, ¼ Inch Paper Hole Punches, Small Hole Punchers with Paper Mess Tray, 6 Sheets Capacity, for Crafts, Scrapbooks
Step-by-Step Instructions for Making Your DIY Ice Cream Cone
Create the ice cream cone.
Cut an ice cream cone shape out of a piece of cardboard. Use a brown marker or crayon to draw diagonal lines on the cone to create a waffle cone pattern.
Make the paper sprinkles.
Use a hole punch to punch small circles out of brightly colored paper.
Add the ice cream and sprinkles.
Glue the cardboard cone onto the craft foam (or construction paper) to serve as the background.
Arrange and glue cotton balls above the cone to form the scoops of ice cream. Glue the colorful paper dots onto the cotton balls to look like sprinkles.
Frequently Asked Questions About This Ice Cream Project
With a few modifications, this project can work well for almost all ages. Younger children (preschool to early elementary) may need a bit of getting the paper sprinkles to stay on the cotton balls. Older kids (elementary age) can get creative by adding their own details like custom cone designs.
Absolutely! If you don’t have cotton balls, you can use crumpled paper, tissue paper, or even fabric scraps for the ice cream scoops. The project is flexible and can be adapted with whatever you have at home or in the classroom.
For older students, encourage them to get creative by adding layers to the ice cream scoop, drawing extra details like a cherry on top, or even trying different textures like adding fabric for the cone.
Cool Ideas for Making and Using This Craft
To customize your cotton ball ice cream craft, you can add some details to the paper for a more interesting background. One idea are to draw a hand (or trace your child's hand on paper and cut out) that is holding the cone. You could add an ice cream parlor, beach, or boardwalk background.
You can display the crafts as part of a summer craft wall or on your refrigerator. Use your DIY ice cream cones for homemade greeting cards. Another awesome ideas is to make a fun ice cream cone garland.
This craft makes for an adorable addition to birthday parties, summer-themed gatherings, or any event with an ice cream theme. You can make multiple cones and use them as party decor. Oh, and you can use this craft to celebrate National Ice Cream Day (the third Sunday in July).
And you can keep the ice cream theme going while encouraging kindness in your kids with this ice cream kindness challenge!
More Frugal and Fun Summer Activities for Kids
Easily boost your summer fun (well, really any time of year!) with these other activities and free printables:
- Ice cream coloring pages
- DIY watermelon fan
- DIY Campfire Craft
- Ocean Creatures Handprint Art (with free printables)
⭐ Isn't this ice cream cone craft just so cute? How will you be using it with your kids? And what ideas do you have to tweak it? Please share (and any questions you may have) in the comments area at the bottom of this post!