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Friends Art Lab / Blog / Bubble Foam: Quick, Colorful, Hours of Fun!

Bubble Foam: Quick, Colorful, Hours of Fun!

By Kristian Klebofski   Published: November 2, 2022    Updated: November 10, 2022

Let’s whip up some 2-ingredient bubble foam for hours of fun! Bubble foam is what sensory dreams are made of.

A young girl swirls together blue and red bubble foam with a large mixing spoon in a large, shallow plastic bin.
Table of Contents:
  1. Bubble foam is THE BEST
  2. Why bubble foam is a stand out from the sensory crowd
  3. Materials needed
  4. Whip it good!
  5. If you’re feeling fancy…
  6. Okay, I’ve made bubble foam…now what?
  7. How long does bubble foam last?
  8. Sensory play is one of the best gifts to provide to children, and here’s why
  9. What age is bubble foam for?
  10. FAQ
  11. Bubble foam is everything amazing

Bubble foam is THE BEST

Sensory tables can be either a neglected, forgotten area of the classroom OR one bursting with kids where the excitement and energy are palpable.

To make a sensory table “oh-my-goodness-can’t-get-enough” level, you need an irresistible base, and bubble foam is a surefire hit. So, let’s whip some up!

Why bubble foam is a stand out from the sensory crowd

Sometimes, you spend your entire evening and half of your child’s college fund trying to make a new kind of sensory material, all for it to flop (many of us know this feeling!). But with bubble foam, you likely have all the ingredients you need on hand so it’s low-risk, high reward.

I remember the first time I saw this incredible fluff online and thought, “Oof, that looks AWESOME.” I immediately grabbed my supplies, played around with ratios, and lo and behold, I had enough bubble foam to fill a swimming pool in mere minutes.

Here are some other amazing sensory materials to try:

  • Dyed Chickpeas – Pocket of Preschool
  • Corn Kernels – Taming Little Monsters
  • Taste-Safe Chia Seeds – Mother Could
The materials for bubble foam: soap, coloring, a jar of water, and a blender.

Materials needed

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  • ½ cup soap (ex: dish soap, tearless baby shampoo, bubble bath, etc.)
    • NOTE: Use something tearless if your child is at a stage where they could reach up and touch their face
  • 1 cup of water
  • Blender or hand mixer

Measurements are included here for you to get started, but eventually, you’ll just eyeball everything. This “recipe” isn’t like making a fancy schmancy cake as these measurements are very flexible and forgiving.

A young girl smiles as she squeezes a bottle of soap into a blender.

Whip it good!

Add the ingredients into a blender and blend until it’s thick and foamy, or add the ingredients into a bowl and mix with the hand mixer until it’s thick and foamy.

That’s it! Just one step. Easy breezy (beautiful bubble foam).

A young girl smiles as she pours a blender full of blue bubble foam into a shallow container for play.

If you’re feeling fancy…

You can easily make your bubble foam colorful! We love adding liquid watercolors to our bubble foam, but you can also use food coloring or children’s paint.

Tip: if you’re going to make two or more colors, use analogous colors* to avoid it looking muddy.

*Analogous colors are those next to one another on the color wheel (Don’t sweat it if this term is new to you! Whenever I don’t know a word, I always think to myself, “Well, I can’t know everything” – even though I still know all of the lyrics to every N*Sync song 100 years later…).

Analogous color examples:

  • Red + Orange
  • Orange + Yellow
  • Yellow + Green
  • Blue + Purple
A close up shot of a cup filled and overflowing with red and blue bubble foam, in the center of a large shallow container.

Okay, I’ve made bubble foam…now what?

Ooh, it’s about to get awesome. Alexa, play “Celebration” by Kool & The Gang!

There are approximately ninety thousand ways to use bubble foam, and here’s what made our preschoolers go bananas for long, repeated periods:

  • Add it to a wide, shallow container. It fills your eyeballs with hearts when it’s poured into a big tub like this!
  • Sensory play in large, open containers makes it feel more accessible AND visually appealing (which will draw large crowds of children!).
  • Add in your favorite water-safe toys. I’m talking about all the good stuff: plastic dinosaurs, plastic bugs, baby dolls, giant Legos…all the toys.
  • Scooping and pouring materials, such as spoons, spatulas, bowls, silicone muffin liners, slotted spoons, and miniature pitchers work, too…anything unbreakable which holds volume.
  • Set out a water table, too (which can be as simple as a second shallow container filled with just water). Our preschoolers love mixing water with foam; this is an easy, nearly free way to extend the play.

A young girl smiles as she sits on the ground and has her feet in the shallow bucket of bubble foam.

How long does bubble foam last?

It’s typically a one-time use material, but it should last for a while when you’re using it! In our school, this would be available for all our outside time, which was about two hours long (praise hands for Northern California weather where we are outside nearly every day for hours!).

BUT, because it’s so easy to make, if your little ones are begging to make it again the next day, it’s easy to oblige. (WAIT. That could mean being able to drink your coffee while it’s hot for two days in a row. Hallelujah!)

A young girl pouring and mixing colors.

Sensory play is one of the best gifts to provide to children, and here’s why:

Sensory play stimulates various body parts, including our hands, brains, eyes, noses, tongues, and ears, and how they all connect and work with one another. Did you know research has shown that the sense of touch is the most neglected of the five senses in the preschool classroom?

It’s not only imperative that we provide sensory play in the classroom, but it is also JOYFUL!

A young girl swirls together blue and red bubble foam with a large mixing spoon in a large, shallow plastic bin while outside.

What age is bubble foam for?

Whatever age can play with this and not rub it in their eyes or mouths. If you’re going to try this out with the littlest humans, I would recommend using tearless baby shampoo just in case some splashes in their eyes!

I can also confirm that this is a DELIGHT to adults of all ages, too. Bubble foam might look like an activity just for kids, but YOU will love it, too.

Bubble foam is epic amounts of fun!

A young girl pours red bubble foam into a large shallow bin.

FAQ

How do you clean this up?

The best part about doing this outside is that a quick rinse with the hose has this cleaned in minutes!

How do you make thick foam for kids?

If you want your foam thicker, just use less water. The best part about the bubble foam “recipe” is that you can easily play with the consistency and viscosity.

Does this stain?

It depends on what you’re using for coloring, but typically, no. The color is so diluted that we haven’t found it to stain. If you’re nervous about it staining, don’t add any coloring (it’s just as fun and amazing without color!).

Bubble foam is everything amazing

Your little humans are going to love this.

And honestly, YOU will love it, too! I haven’t met anyone, kid or adult, who hasn’t gone crazy for this amazing sensory material.

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Kristian

Hi, I’m Kristian!

I love all things early childhood. Having earned a master's degree in education, I love sharing my passion and knowledge both as a classroom preschool teacher and college professor. Friends Art Lab is my heart and I'm excited to share with you! LEARN MORE

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