Frozen Letters Literacy Activity

This frozen letters literacy activity is an easy, icy experiment that’s a mix of literacy, sensory play, and preschool science fun. Turn simple supplies into an easy-to-prep but hours-of-fun letter experiment that your kids will love.

Table of Contents:

1. A chilly twist on letter learning with a frozen letters literacy activity
2. Materials
3. Directions
4. Extensions Make learning even “cooler!“
5. Adapting the frozen letters literacy activity for older and younger kids
6. The science behind the frozen letters literacy activity
7. Frozen letters literacy activity conversation starters
8. Just for fun A frozen fun fact
9. Frequently Asked Questions

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A chilly twist on letter learning with a frozen letters literacy activity

What’s cooler than learning the alphabet? Freezing it!

This frozen letters literacy activity combines early literacy skills with sensory exploration and hands-on fun.

Your little ones will excavate the ice, and as the ice melts, kids will uncover letters while practicing recognition and fine motor skills.

How “ice-citing.” 😂

Materials

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• Ice cube trays, muffin tins (mine is from Costco but this one is similar), or small cups
• Letters – ex: letter beads, letter dice, letter manipulatives
• Salt
• Warm water
• Eyedroppers or spoons
• Shallow bowls or trays
• Popsicle sticks – optional

Directions

1. The night before, add water and letters to your molds and freeze overnight.
2. Pop the cubes out into a tray or shallow bin.
3. Set out bowls of warm water and bowls of salt for the excavation.
4. Invite kids to use eyedroppers or spoons to pour warm water and sprinkle salt onto the ice cubes.
5. We use popsicle sticks as a way to break the surface of the ice faster, but this is an optional step/material.
6. As the ice melts, have kids identify the letters they uncover.

⭐ Safety Note: Prolonged contact with salt and ice can be irritating to skin, as the combination lowers the temperature further and might cause discomfort or redness. Provide appropriate supervision when doing this activity. As a note, I have done this activity dozens and dozens and dozens of times with kids and haven’t ever come close to having an issue. Just make sure to keep an eye out.

Extensions: Make learning even “cooler!“

Try these fun ideas:

• Challenge kids to spell their name or simple words using the uncovered letters.
• Use different-colored letter beads to sort by color as they melt.
• No letter beads? No problem! Use any small manipulative (ex: animal or people figurines, colored beads, small blocks, etc.) for a same-but-different excavation activity.

Adapting the frozen letters literacy activity for older and younger kids

This activity works well for all ages with just a few tweaks.

Younger Kids: Use larger beads that are easier to grip and fewer letters to avoid overwhelming them.

Older Kids: Add a baking soda and vinegar experiment twist—encourage them to sprinkle baking soda on the ice, then pour vinegar for a fizzy surprise.

Or, invite older kids to name the sounds of and words that begin with each letter excavated.

Try some of these other fun preschool literacy activities:

• Finger Painting Letters
• Valentine’s Day Preschool Letter Game with Free Printable
• Letter Bead Sensory Bin
• Easy Alphabet Matching Activity

The science behind the frozen letters literacy activity

When I lived in Boise for college and grad school, I was fascinated watching the giant city trucks adding salt to the streets when they were covered in snow.

And I always wondered: why does salt melt ice faster?

Salt lowers the freezing point of water, making it melt quicker when sprinkled on the cubes.

Explain this to your budding scientists to turn this preschool science experiment into a lesson on chemistry.

Frozen letters literacy activity conversation starters

Encourage deeper, scientific thinking during the experiment by having a few great conversation starters in your back pocket ready to go.

Try some of these:

• “What letter do you think we’ll uncover next?”
• “Why do you think the ice is melting faster with salt?”
• “Can you think of a word that starts with this letter?”

These questions keep kids engaged and thinking critically while they excavate.

Just for fun: A frozen fun fact

Did you know that Antarctica holds about 70% of the world’s freshwater in ice?

Think of how many frozen letters we could make there. (Ha!)

Frequently Asked Questions