Keeping your child cool during a hot spell can be tricky, especially if hosepipe or water restrictions are in place and you can’t just let them loose in the paddling pool or under the sprinkler. So we’ve gathered some of our favourite ideas for keeping the kids cool — and they’re brilliant.
Whether you have a garden, a balcony, or need ideas that work entirely indoors, these tips for keeping the kids cool when it gets too warm will definitely come in handy.
You may also enjoy: 27 Cool, Creative and Fun Ideas for Water Play
Prefer to watch? Here’s a quick video with more ideas for beating the heat with the kids: watch it here.
14 Fantastic Ideas to Keep the Kids Cool
1. Make Frozen Homemade Ice Pops
Making your own frozen ice pops and keeping a steady supply going is one of the simplest, most reliable ways to keep the kids cool.
For an alternative to fruit juice, cut up fresh fruit and freeze it in coconut water. If you don’t have an ice pop mould, an easy alternative is to freeze yoghurt tubes, or push a popsicle stick into a yoghurt pot and freeze.
2. Ice Painting
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Get your child to help make ice paints — they’ll enjoy making some cold art once the paints are ready.
This ice painting project from Easy Peasy and Fun uses different colours of food colouring to make coloured ice cubes the kids can then “paint” with. Great for toddlers who might take a cheeky taste test of their paints.
3. Keep the Suncream in the Fridge
Pop your sunscreen tubes and containers into the fridge. It’ll help cool the kids down as you apply it, and makes application feel like a treat rather than a chore.
4. Frozen Fruit
This makes another cool (and healthy) snack idea, and it couldn’t be simpler. Just freeze any fruit your child enjoys, for example:
- Watermelon slices
- Bananas — try slicing them lengthways for a long banana-pop
- Grapes (only for older children, due to choking risk)
- Berries
- Apple slices
- Mango slices
- Pineapple chunks
5. Make a Paper Fan
Make fun homemade fans with paper, glue and a stick. Flower and watermelon-shaped fans are a lovely, colourful option for younger children to decorate themselves.
You may also enjoy: 50 Superb Summer Activities for Kids
6. Frozen Water Bottles
Insulated water bottles are a great investment as they keep water cold all day, but they can be expensive if you need several for the whole family.
A great (and free) alternative is to freeze bottles of water overnight and take them out during the day — the ice will slowly melt and keep the water lovely and cold as you go.
Tip: Don’t fill the bottle completely full, as water expands as it freezes.
7. Sponge Water Bombs
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We love this idea for sponge water bombs from Positively Splendid, made from different coloured sponges cut and tied together.
Once made, the kids can soak, squish, throw and play with them — much less messy to clear up than balloon pieces afterwards.
You may also enjoy: 10 Wicked Water Games for Kids (That Will Entertain for Hours!)
8. Chilled Fruity Water
It’s important to keep the kids well hydrated, but plain water can get boring — and you don’t want to reach for too many sugary drinks. Try making fruit-infused water instead: slices of citrus, berries, cucumber or mint added to a jug of chilled water make it far more tempting, and it’s an easy way to encourage the kids to drink more without added sugar.
9. Water Balloons
Make up some water balloons and let the kids loose in the garden.
You can use regular party balloons in place of dedicated water balloons, but they may not pop as readily. Water balloons tend to be smaller and made from a thinner material, designed to burst easily.
Or, for a slower-melting twist, try making colourful frozen water balloons — pop a balloon full of water in the freezer overnight, then peel away the balloon to reveal a giant ice orb for outdoor play.
You may also enjoy: 10 Simple Ice Cream Recipes that Kids Will Love to Make & Eat
10. Chill Pulse Points
Cooling certain pulse points on the body — wrists, the back of the neck, hands, feet, face and ears — can help bring your child’s overall body temperature down. Use a cold, damp flannel, an ice pack, or ice cubes wrapped in a paper towel to gently cool these areas.
11. Use Ice with Fans
Place a large bowl of ice, or a few frozen water bottles, in front of a fan. As the ice melts, the fan will circulate cooler air around the room.
12. Ice Bricks
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A lovely idea from Play at Home Mom: ice bricks made using different containers, giving different sized and coloured blocks of ice for kids to stack, melt and explore.
You may also enjoy: SPF, UVA, UVB… Do You Know What to Look for in Your Sunscreen?
13. Freeze Toys
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Fill a bucket or bowl with water and some small toys or household items (figurines, LEGO blocks, plastic animals), freeze it, and let your kids have fun chipping and melting the ice away to “rescue” what’s inside.
14. Cooling Spray
Keep a spray bottle of water in the fridge and use it to spritz faces and necks whenever the kids need cooling down. Popping a few ice cubes into the bottle before you head out helps keep the water cool for longer.
You may also enjoy: 40 Fun Ice Cream Cake Ideas You Need to Try
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Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the quickest way to cool a child down in a heatwave?
Cooling pulse points — wrists, neck, hands and feet — with a cold, damp flannel or ice pack is one of the fastest ways to bring a child’s temperature down when there’s no time to prepare anything else.
Are frozen treats a good way to keep kids hydrated?
Frozen fruit, ice pops made from fruit or coconut water, and frozen yoghurt are a handy way to combine hydration with a treat, and they let you control the sugar content more than shop-bought ice pops.
Can I keep kids cool without air conditioning?
Yes — placing a bowl of ice or frozen water bottles in front of a fan, keeping curtains closed during the hottest part of the day, and offering plenty of cold drinks and cool, damp cloths are all simple ways to bring the temperature down indoors.
Is it safe to give young children grapes as a frozen snack?
Whole grapes are a choking hazard for younger children, whether fresh or frozen. Cut them in half lengthways, or save whole frozen grapes for older kids who can manage them safely.
Related Articles
- 27 Cool, Creative and Fun Ideas for Water Play
- 50 Superb Summer Activities for Kids
- 10 Wicked Water Games for Kids (That Will Entertain for Hours!)
- 10 Simple Ice Cream Recipes that Kids Will Love to Make & Eat
Enjoyed This?
If you’ve found these ideas useful, why not save this article to come back to next time the temperature climbs, or browse our full collection of summer activities for kids for even more inspiration.
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