Written by Cali @chasing50toes

There’s something truly magical about playing with ice. It shrinks, melts, glistens in the sun, and invites hours of hands-on discovery. Whether it’s racing to melt it faster or cracking it open with pure joy, ice play has a sensory pull that kids can’t resist—and honestly, neither can I.

At our house, we love pairing sensory play with early learning. And our Find & Fit puzzle pieces are perfect for the job. They're soft, safe, dishwasher-safe, and hold up beautifully in just about any summer setup—even the frozen ones.

One of the most exciting sensory setups is what we call the frozen egg rescue. It started years ago when someone posted a viral video of frozen dinosaur eggs made from water balloons. We’ve been freezing all sorts of things in balloons ever since—including our own Find & Fit puzzle pieces. Just slip a letter or number inside, fill the balloon with water, tie it off, and freeze it overnight. The next day, let your kids try to “hatch” the letters or numbers inside. Whether they melt them in warm water, smash them on the sidewalk (with supervision!), or tap them gently with a spoon, they’ll be totally engaged in the process.

Another one we love is our name-on-a-string activity. It’s a simple but creative way to help kids build letter recognition and work on sequencing—plus, it looks super cool. To set it up, stretch a piece of yarn across a muffin tin, add the letter puzzle pieces for your child’s name in each section, and fill the wells with water. Freeze overnight, then drop the finished name chain into a water bin or the water table. Your little one will love seeing their name frozen in a line—and then watching it melt, letter by letter.

If you’re just getting started with puzzle play and want to keep it simple, melt-and-sort is a great go-to. Freeze your Find & Fit pieces in an ice cube tray or muffin tin, then pop them into a water bin and let the kids go to town melting them with their hands. You can add warm water, pipettes, or squeeze bottles for more sensory input and fine motor practice. Once the puzzle pieces are free, challenge your child to sort them onto their matching D&J placemat. This one works great with both alphabet and number pieces, and it’s always a hit.

And then there’s my personal favorite—ice skating letters. To make this work, fill muffin tins halfway with water and carefully stand your puzzle pieces upright in the center of each well. Freeze overnight. The next day, pop the frozen puzzle pieces out of the tin and place them on a cookie sheet. Suddenly, your letters and numbers are figure skaters, hockey players, or speed racers. Let your child spin them, race them, or make up their own ice game. It’s such a creative way to bring imaginative play and early learning together—and it’s ridiculously fun to watch.

These are just a few of the ways we’ve brought our puzzle pieces into summer water play, and we’re always discovering more. If your little one comes up with their own icy game, we’d love to see it. Tag us @dominoandjuliette so we can share your ideas with our community of creative parents and playful learners.

Now go grab your Find & Fit pieces and some freezer space—it’s time to play cooler.