Shaving Cream color mixing: a hands-on activity for preschool

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It’s okay to get a little messy for this hands-on activity. Shaving Cream color mixing will help your child learn colors and science. In fact, as you probably know, hands-on activities are almost always a good way for preschool children to learn. The tricky part is overcoming our own desires for neatness and order as adults so that we can encourage our children to explore and experience in interesting and sometimes messy ways.

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Shaving cream color mixing is a very sensory experience. Sensory exploration is very important for preschool children and can help with emotional regulation. If you ever have a day where emotions are running high with your preschool child, try pulling an activity like this one out of your parenting repertoire.

Learning about colors.

This hands-on activity for preschool starts out as a color mixing activity. You and your child will be learning about primary and secondary colors. What happens when you mix red and blue? A new color emerges. Mouse Paint would be a wonderful book to read to introduce shaving cream color mixing to your child.

Once you’ve covered all of the primary colors (red, blue, and yellow) and secondary colors (green, purple, orange), and you’ve finished playing around with color mixing you might find your child wants to keep stirring the shaving cream around for a very long time. You could encourage your child to draw or trace letters in the shaving cream.

You are using this incredibly sensory experience as a powerful learning tool. Let’s talk about what makes shaving cream activities sensory. First, you have the interesting texture of the shaving cream. I like to buy the good old fashioned kind, but you can also experiment with gels and other types.

Running your hand through shaving cream, squishing it, and pressing it all create different types of sensations. Smelling the shaving cream is another form of sensory input. The visual stimulation of watching new colors emerge and watching the swirling patterns in the shaving cream are both also forms of sensory input.

The Five Senses.

When you are looking for sensory activities to try with your child, think about the five senses. If you can find a hands-on activity that involves at least two of the five senses it can be a positive sensory experience for your child. Play dough, slime, sandbox play, and sensory bins are all wonderful forms of sensory play that will be beneficial for your child.

I think its important to note that not all children can handle this much sensory input at one time. If your child does not like to touch anything weird or experience new textures, you can mix the shaving cream and food coloring together in bowls with plastic spoons and avoid the sensory input altogether. It will still be a hands-on activity and you will still be able to experience the wonder of color mixing. If you are working to help your child accept more sensory input, you can encourage him or her dip a finger into the bowl. Have a towel ready to wipe it off.

Materials for Shaving Cream Color Mixing

• Shaving Cream
• Red Food Coloring
• Blue Food Coloring
• Yellow Food Coloring
• Disposable Table Cloth
• Alternative materials – Shaving Cream, Red/Blue/Yellow food coloring, 6 small bowls, 1 spoon

1. Lay out your table cloth and secure it to prevent any movement.
2. Ask your child to name the 3 primary colors. (Assist as necessary depending on your child’s age and ability) 
3. Spray a pile of shaving cream about the size of a tennis ball onto the table cloth.
4. Add a few drops of red food coloring to the shaving cream.
5. Have your learner mix the shaving cream until it has all turned red.
6. Repeat steps 1-3 with the blue and yellow shaving cream
7. Ask your child what will happen if you put red and blue food coloring in the shaving cream.
8. Spray another pile of shaving cream about the size of a tennis ball and see if their prediction is correct.
9. Repeat steps 6 and 7 with red/yellow and blue/yellow combinations.
10. Remind your child that these new colors are our secondary colors.

Please note this activity can get VERY messy!  Make sure to have some towels handy for clean up, or even have your child complete the activity in the bathtub for an even easier clean up.

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