Monster Truck Ice Play Activity

My son has always been mad about anything with four wheels, with monster trucks being his absolute favourite.

While I mostly leave him to play with these imaginatively, I do love trying to come up with bigger activities where his siblings can get involved too, and we can keep playtime fun and engaging.

How to Set Up This Monster Truck Ice Play Activity

The night before:

This activity does need a bit of forward planning, as you’ll need to freeze the toys overnight. I just grabbed a load of different-sized Tupperware-style containers, popped the toys in, then filled them with water.

For this activity, I filled the containers right up so the monster trucks were completely frozen in big solid blocks of ice. This meant it took ages to get them out—perfect for my older children who love a challenge! But if you’re doing this with younger children or those with shorter attention spans, you might want to use less water so the trucks are a bit easier to rescue.

Once the toys are covered, simply pop the containers in the freezer overnight to set.

Setting up the activity:

Once your toys are completely frozen, you’re ready to go! I like to use a tuff tray for ice play activities, as it catches all the melting water and helps keep things tidy.

You might need to give the ice blocks a little wiggle to get them out of the containers—then pop them onto your tray and you’re good to go.

I usually put out a selection of tools to help my children free the trucks. Some great options include:

• Wooden spoons

• Rolling pins

• Warm water (we use pipettes or medicine syringes to pour it on)

Ways to Make the Activity Even More Fun:

Add a magical note – I wrote a little message from the monster trucks asking the kids to help save their frozen friends. It added an exciting story element to the play.
Turn it into a timed challenge – See how quickly they can rescue all the trucks!
Make it a competition – Who can free the most trucks first?

This activity was a huge hit in our house. It’s such a fun way to keep little hands busy, while encouraging problem-solving and a bit of imaginative storytelling too.