Shaving Cream Sensory Play (2024)

It is no secret that this shaving cream sensory play got messy. Ever since my oldest began Kindergarten, it has been a strong reminder that the older kids get, the less time they have to play. Shaving cream sensory play is certainly not happening at school.

And so, with that, I have vowed to get messy, have my kids go elbow-deep in exploring substances, and make memories that we will all laugh about on their wedding day. Will it be this shaving cream messy play? Only time will tell. But let’s start here.

RELATED: Are play ideas your jam? You need to hop over to our 50+ Play Ideas post that will link you to many different ways to play.

Table of Contents:

1. Can toddlers play with shaving cream?
2. Setting up shaving cream sensory play
3. Cleaning up messy sensory play
4. More ways to play with shaving cream
5. FAQ

I call this, Decorate the Birthday Cake.

Here’s what I know about my four-year-old:

• He loves creating with his hands.
• He will fall deep into pretend play with several sensory materials.
• Sensory play and sensory bin help calm him down.

PRO TIP: If your family is new to sensory play, read how to introduce sensory play at home.

Can toddlers play with shaving cream?

Shaving cream is not edible and cannot be used without supervision. I watch my toddler close and keep his hands out of his face. When I notice shaving cream on his face, I immediately grab a wet towel and wipe it off.

Again, closely examine the ingredients and decide if shaving cream sensory play is a good fit for your toddler. If shaving cream is not something you want your toddler to try, you can paint instead!

RELATED: Is water play more your speed? Here are 35+ Water Play Ideas.

Setting up shaving cream sensory play

This cake-decorating messy play is a win. You will most likely already have the supplies needed to get started. (I also made this roundup of cardboard box activities so you can put the Amazon purchases to good use)

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1. Find a cardboard box. Here, I covered the box with paper bags from the grocery store.
2. Place shaving cream to the left of the cardboard box. – aka the cake
3. Place shaving cream on the side of the box and top of the cardboard box.
4. A great book to accompany this messy play is Not a Box.
5. Add something you may already own, like these large preschool shape buttons. If you don’t have any buttons, you know the counting bears make a colorful substitute!

Cleaning up messy sensory play

Here are three simple steps for cleanup:

1. Pull the workspace out into the driveway and hose everything down, including my four-year-old.
2. Leave the buttons out in the sun to dry.
3. Change your preschooler’s clothes, and toss the messy clothes into the wash.

Cleanup is much easier than it looks and can sometimes lend itself right to water play. So basically, you can get another 30 minutes of hands-on learning after this is done. (win!)

More ways to play with shaving cream

Shaving cream sensory play is a blast! Here are a few other ways we play with shaving cream.

• A sledding bin for winter
• Eyeballs for Halloween
• Monster muck
• Shaving cream with foam blocks

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