Bubble Foam: Quick, Colorful, Hours of Fun!

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

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

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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!

Related: Looking for more activities to try outside? Our GIANT 10-foot coloring banners are larger-than-life fun!

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

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.

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).

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

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.

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!)

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!

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!

FAQ

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.