10 Deliciously Good Ice Cream Craft Ideas

Jessica Walrond-Robertshaw
Dec 12, 2023 By Jessica Walrond-Robertshaw
Originally Published on Aug 28, 2020
Young boy eating a cone of chocolate ice cream has chocolate all over his face.
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Age: 4-11
Read time: 8.3 Min

There's nothing better than an ice cream cone on a warm summer's day, so why not try these ice cream craft ideas for kids.

If you're looking for ways to keep your children entertained this summer, give one of these fun ice cream cone crafts a go. These adorable ice cream activity ideas will be a hit with anyone with a sweet tooth.

We've got 10 ice cream cone crafts for kids that look good enough to eat. From making ice cream cones with a paper plate to ice cream painting, there's something for everyone to enjoy and have some fun with.

Some of these ideas for ice cream crafts are also excellent for pretend play such as setting up a shop. Just make sure you share one with us!

For more crafts for kids, take a look at these ocean crafts and these lolly stick crafts.

Print paintings of ice cream and ice cream cones.

Image © Samara Caughey of Purple Twig.

Ice Cream Cone Printmaking

Ages: 4+ with parental assistance.

Materials: Paper, foam, a sharp pencil, print inking (or paint) in several ice cream colours, a brayer (roller), four placemats, masking tape, oil, cloth tablecloth.

Method:

  1. Lay the tablecloth down and tape the placemats on top so they don't move whilst you're rolling.
  2. Cut circles out of the foam and an ice cream cone shape.
  3. Draw a criss-cross onto the ice cream cone shape and 'decorate' the circles with decorations, such as sprinkles and sauce, using the pencil.
  4. Pour a different coloured ink or paint onto each placemat. You might like to add in some white to make them pastel coloured. You could use green for mint, pink for strawberry etc.
  5. Have fun using the brayer to roll out the ink.
  6. Then use the brayer to roll the colour onto your foam cone shape.
  7. Press the cone shape face-down onto your paper and smooth over with your hands. Lift off carefully.
  8. Next do the same with circles, placing them on top of your cone like an ice cream. Add as many ice cream scoops as you like. These cute ice cream cones would make excellent wall art. 
     

Top Tip: Wipe clean the circle in between each stamp so the colours don't all mix together to make only chocolate ice cream!

Ice cream cones made from salt dough with a string tied through the top for hanging.

Image © Lets do Something Crafty.

Salt Dough Ice Cream Cones

Ages: 4+ with parental assistance.

Materials: One cup of water, two cups of salt, one cup of plain flour, acrylic paint, mod podge.

Method:

  1. Mix the salt and flour in a bowl. Add the water little by little, mixing with your hand until the dough forms a ball.
  2. Roll the dough out and cut your ice cream shapes. You can use a knife to score in patterns such as the criss-cross on the cone.
  3. Dry them in the oven for a few hours at a really low temperature or leave to air dry for a few days.
  4. Once they are dry, seal with mod podge. Now your ice cream cones are ready to decorate! Once finished seal with another layer of mod podge. 
     

Top Tip: These adorable ice cream cones could be made into bunting or necklaces by adding a small hole to the top before drying, they'd look good enough to eat.

For more fun crafts for kids, you could also make ice lollies by moulding the clay around wooden lolly sticks before leaving to dry.

Ice cream cones made out of painted paper plates.

Image © Andreja from Easy Peasy and Fun.

Ice Cream Cone Paper Craft

Ages: 3+ with parental assistance.

Materials: Paper plates, brown card, pom-poms, sprinkles, paint, black felt tip, scissors, glue, brushes.

Method:

  1. Draw a scoop of ice cream on a paper plate, with the top of the circle at the edge of the plate and scalloped bottom. Repeat for as many scoops as you wants.
  2. Paint your ice cream scoops and leave to dry.
  3. Cut an ice cream cone shape out of the brown card and draw on the criss-cross pattern.
  4. Glue your ice cream scoops onto their cones.
  5. Paint a layer of glue over your ice cream scoops and decorate your ice creams with pom-pom cherries and sprinkles, leave to dry.

Painted ice lollies with a real ice lolly stick glued on to look lifelike.

Image © Kelly - Be A Fun Mum.

Ice Cream Stick Craft

Ages: 3+ with parental assistance.

Materials: Plain paper, wooden lolly sticks, glue, scissors, pencil, colouring pencils.

Method:

  1. Draw ice lolly shapes on the paper, two identical shapes makes one lolly.
  2. Decorate your shapes with different colours and patterns.
  3. Cut out the shapes and glue one each side of a lolly stick (blank sides back to back). There you have your cute ice lolly on a stick.

Colourful ice lollies made from Hama beads.

Image © Let's Do Something Crafty.

Hama Bead Ice Lollies

Ages: 5+ with parental assistance.

Materials: Hama beads, heart shaped pegboard, ironing paper, an iron.

Method:

  1. Using a heart shaped board, place beads into one side of the heart to make an ice lolly U-shape. You could use all one colour or design exciting, ice creams patterns.
  2. Add a stick using brown beads.
  3. Place the ironing paper over your ice cream design, with the iron on the cotton setting move it over your design in circular motions.
  4. Remove the paper and your ice cream from the board once cool.

Top Tip: You could stick small magnets on the back to turn your ice creams into fun fridge magnets!

An ice cream cone made from paper with a pom pom as the ice cream scoop.

Image © Growing Up Gabel.

Pom-Pom Ice Cream Cones

Ages: 8+ with parental guidance.

Materials: Brown paper, brown sharpie, 6 inch plate, ruler, pencil, scissors, wool in ice cream colours.

Method:

  1. Cut a length of wool about 12 inches long in each colour.
  2. Wrap one colour of wool around your hand about 150 times, then trim the ends.
  3. Find the length of wool you cut earlier in the matching colour and feed it through your fingers, sliding the wrapped wool off of your hand so it's now on the length of wool. Tie a double knot.
  4. Turn the bundle over and tie a double knot the other side too.
  5. Use the scissors to cut the loops to create pom-pom ice cream scoops.
  6. Hold onto the piece you tied and trim the rest to make a ball shape. Repeat with the rest of the colours.
  7. Cut your brown paper into circles using the plate (or use a paper plate instead of brown paper). Draw a criss-cross pattern onto the circle. Cut a right angle out of your circle (or paper plate) and fold into an ice cream cone shape. Glue it together.
  8. Put some glue along the inside edge of the ice cream cones and stick in your ice cream scoop pom-poms. There you have your cute ice cream cone.

Ice cream cones made from egg cartons with coloured cotton wool balls as the ice cream scoop.

Image © In The Playroom.

Egg Carton Ice Cream Cones

Ages: 4+ plus parental assistance.

Materials: 6 central cones from egg boxes, an egg box, cotton wool balls, small pom-poms, glue, food colouring, vinegar, water.

Method:

  1. Firstly dye your cotton wool balls to make different 'flavours'. Mix some water, food colouring and a little vinegar together. Dip the cotton wool balls in and leave to dry on some kitchen towel. After a few minutes place in the tumble dryer to dry (or leave to air dry for a day or two).
  2. Once dry glue your cotton wool ball ice cream scoops into the central cones. Add a small pom-pom on top.
  3. Use the egg box as  holder for your ice creams.
  4. Top tip: you could use these adorable ice cream cones for fun pretend play such as setting up an ice cream shop.

Puffy paint used to paint the scoop of ice cream on an ice cream cone.

Image © Craft Morning.

Puffy Paint Ice Cream Art

Ages: 4+ with parental assistance.

Materials: Paint/food colouring, shaving cream, PVA glue, white card, cardboard, sharpie, scissors, brush, glue.

Method:

  1. Mix some shaving cream and PVA glue until you get stiff peaks. Add some coloured paint or food colouring.
  2. Cut an ice cream cone shape out of the cardboard and draw criss-cross lines on with a sharpie.
  3. Stick the ice cream cone to the white card and paint ice cream scoops with your fun puffy paint and a paint brush.
  4. You could decorate with sprinkles and a cherry using a fine paintbrush.
  5. Leave to dry overnight. This ice cream craft would be a fun idea for wall art for a kids bedroom.

Tissue paper ice cream crafts.

Image © Homemade City.

Tissue Paper Ice Cream Cone Craft

Ages: 3+ with parental assistance.

Materials: Empty toilet rolls, tissue paper in various colours, hot glue.

Method:

  1. Cut a line up the side of the toilet rolls and roll into a ice cream cone shape, securing with hot glue.
  2. Have fun scrunching up your tissue paper into balls and place in the cones. Done! This super simple ice cream craft idea could provide lots of fun making ice creams of different flavours. 
     

A handful of multi-coloured sprinkles to use for ice cream crafts.

Sprinkle Ice Cream Cone Craft

Ages: 3+ with parental assistance.

Materials: Paper, colouring pencils or crayons, glue, sprinkles.

Method:

  1. Draw the outline of ice cream cones on to paper (both ice cream scoops and ice cream cone).
  2. Using pencils or crayons, colour in your ice cream cones.
  3. Spread a think layer of glue over the ice cream scoop and have fun shaking on your sprinkles. Leave to dry.

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Written by Jessica Walrond-Robertshaw

Bachelor of Arts specializing in Choreography and Dance

Jessica Walrond-Robertshaw picture

Jessica Walrond-RobertshawBachelor of Arts specializing in Choreography and Dance

An experienced professional from Surrey, Jess is currently residing in Hampshire. She has a passion for exploring and finding new places to visit, especially those involving water. She has a Bachelor's degree in Choreography and Dance from the University of Winchester. Accompanied by their two-year-old son, she enjoys spending time by the sea, in ponds, splash pads, or the garden indulging in water play. She has a keen interest in physical activities such as aerial acrobatics, paddleboarding, and obstacle course racing.

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