CVI-friendly Ice Cream Activities (and a freebie!)

Who loves ice cream?? Ice cream is a great topic for the summer, but can be used all year round!  There are so many activities related to ice cream, such as core words (like/don’t like, yes/no, more/all done), cooking activities, crafts, and more! And did you know that July is National Ice Cream Month?? In this post, I share some fun CVI-friendly ice cream activities for your classroom, therapy room, or home, as well as a free download! Use the form at the beginning or end of this blog post to grab the freebie!

Free CVI-Friendly Ice Cream Activity!

I created this simple CVI-friendly adapted book as a fun way to practice sequencing and following one-step directions. This simple “Let’s Make an Ice Cream Sundae” adapted book is also the perfect addition to ice cream activities throughout the year! I am sharing this free, high contrast, CVI-friendly, Let’s Make an Ice Cream Sundae Adapted Book. This resource was designed for students with multiple disabilities and CVI. 

How do I Prep this Adapted Book?

Adapted books are relatively easy to prep. Follow these few steps, and your adapted book will be ready to use in no time!

1. Print the pages. I like to print on cardstock for durability, but you can absolutely print on regular printer paper.
2. There is a little white outline around each page. If this bothers you or distracts the student, I suggest trimming the pages! I am a cut, laminate, cut supporter, however, you can absolutely jump right to the next step if you don’t cut the pages out first!
3. Laminate the images for durability! I like to use matte lamination, as the glare on regular lamination can be very distracting for some students with CVI. 
4. Trim the full pages.
5. Bind the pages of the book. I like to use binder rings to bind my books. I find it to be very cost-effective, however, you can also use a binding machine!

How do I Use this Adapted Book?

The options are endless when it comes to incorporating adapted books into your classroom or story time at home. In this post, I am going to share three ways I recommend using this “Let’s Make an Ice Cream Sundae” adapted book. 

1. The first way is as a read-aloud. If you are using the book this way, you are simply reading the book to the student to familiarize them with the vocabulary, the images in the book, etc. You will show the students each visual as it is added to the ice cream sundae. Allow the students to interact with the interactive pieces as you read the book. Students can also work on turning the pages. 
2. The second way involves following one-step directions. Once the child is familiar with the vocabulary, this book can be used as an adapted book to practice one-step directions. For this, you will place the interactive pieces off to the side of the book, against a solid, black background. (Holding pages are included in the free download.) As each page is read, students will identify the needed piece and follow the direction to put it on the page. If your student/child isn’t ready to discriminate between multiple images, you can place a single visual as a choice for each page to make it errorless. 
3. The third way is as a sensory bin activity. This activity will look very similar to the activity listed above, however instead of placing the interactive pieces on a solid, black background, you will put the pieces in a sensory bin. I like to use dry black beans, as they provide contrast and a tactile experience. 

Additional CVI-Friendly Ice Cream Activities

High Contrast Ice Cream Visual Recipe

What better way to teach about ice cream, than to eat ice cream?! But don’t worry, we can make it educational! Students can make an ice cream sundae while learning to follow a simple visual recipe. I have created CVI-friendly visual recipes for just this reason! Click here to check out the CVI Series Ice Cream Sundae Visual Recipe. 

Tactile Ice Cream Craft

For this craft:

• Print out a simple ice cream cone template from Google.
• Trace the template of the cone onto sandpaper. Trace the template of the ice cream onto white glitter foam or white foam paper.
• Glue the ice cream on the cone on black cardstock to provide contrast.
• Students will then select glitter foam to cut to make sprinkles or jimmies (depending on where you live!!) These sprinkles could also be precut for students.
• Students will glue the sprinkles (jimmies) onto the ice cream!

Additional CVI-Friendly Ice Cream Materials

Here are some additional toys that I love using when we are doing ice cream activities!

Ice Cream Playset

Melissa & Doug Ice Cream Playset

I love these items because they are relatively inexpensive, engaging, and give kids some hands-on experience!

Want to check out other CVI-friendly summer activities? Check out the blog posts below!

5 Fun Summer Sensory Crafts for Kids with CVI

4 Exciting ESY Activities for Kids with Cortical Visual Impairment

Special Achievers is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.