Ice cream scoop STEAM challenge: exploring 3D shapes with a friend

Sitting in a local ice cream shop, my kindergartener refused to share her ice cream. She refused to give up even a single bite of her precious treat to her sister.

“But she’s a baby. She doesn’t eat sugar yet.”

Those words. She was just repeating what she had heard me say far too often over almost 2 years. And it’s when I realized it was time to teach my oldest about being generous and sharing with our friends, especially the friendship that is a sister.

The crossroads of real life and education meet again where we could take this fun topic of ice cream, combine it with friendship, and even add the dimension of learning 3D shapes and it becomes the perfect learning activity! 

Don’t forget to pick up your supplies for this project through our affiliate links to help support our future activities and free printables. 

Should I Share My Ice Cream? book extension activity

The first thing we did was pick up a copy of Mo Willems’ book Should I share My Ice Cream and after reading, not only did we do a fun activity, but of course we headed to a nearby ice cream shop.

It was a great way to discuss how friends, especially sisters, can support each other, help each other out, and share even when sometimes we don’t want to!

Reading Comprehension questions to build into the ice cream activity:

• Should elephant have shared the ice cream sooner? Why/Why not?
• What does Piggy teach us about friendship?
• If we were going to get ice cream, what could we do to make a friend feel special?
• Would you like to help build an ice cream cone for a friend?

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Learning about 2D vs. 3D shapes with young students

So we started off by getting out 2D pieces of an ice cream cone and the girls colored them together, with my oldest showing her little sister how to build it into a cone. That was a good first step.

Next, we discussed the different between a 3D shape and a 2D shape by placing a wrapped paper cone next to the flat triangle the girls had been using as an ice cream cone. And I asked what shape the cone they had been using actually was. “TRIANGLE!” she declared.

So I took the triangle and stood it up then spun it in a circle showing her that if it wasn’t a flat piece of paper, it would look just like the cone.

We then talked about what kind of ice cream sister might like (since she was too little to actually help us build the spheres). And from that we brainstormed ways to make a flat piece of paper from a circle into a sphere in order to share ice cream cones together.

Supplies you’ll need to build friendship ice cream cones together

• Glue stick
• Scissors
• Free Friendship Ice Cream Cone printable (available below)
• Coloring utensils
• A friend to either work with or make ice cream for!

How many ways can you make a sphere out of paper?

When I asked my almost 4-year-old how she would make a sphere or “turn a piece of paper into a ball” she insisted that wadding it up was the best way!

We came up with and explored 4 other options as a part of this STEAM project. But there are even more that you can discover depending on the age of your child (such as talking about a soccer ball having a mix of pentagons and hexagons). The easiest other than the crumpled ball was gluing the strips around in a circle, which my

But there are even more that you can discover depending on the age of your child (such as talking about a soccer ball having a mix of pentagons and hexagons). The easiest other than the crumpled ball was gluing the strips around in a circle, which my 3-year-old could easily accomplish on her own.

Learn more about the importance of STEAM and how it’s different from STEM.

After we were finished, she decided which cone she was going to share by giving it to her sister who had so patiently watched and admired the project while also keeping one for herself.

And they pretended to slurp and lick every last drop of pretend ice cream together!

As a word of advice, make sure you decorate the ice cream cones and scoops before you turn them into 3D shapes! It’s much easier.

Don’t forget your free printable to explore cones and spheres with kids

More critical thinking questions and instructions are included inside of the printable pack including what skills and objectives are met through this activity.

More great extension activities for Mo Willem’s Should I share my Ice Cream?:

• Friendship Concentration Game – Toddler Approved
• Spelling Names Ice Cream Center – Still Playing School
• Learning about our friends – graphing activity for preschoolers
• Kind Words Sensory Lesson – Preschool Powol Packets
• Listening Games with Elephant and Piggie – Inspiration Laboratories
• Cupcake Cones – Kori at Home
• How to make a catapult – JDaniels4mom
• Paper Tube Friendship Bracelets – Clare’s Little Tots
• How to Make a Colour Mixing Ice Cream – Peakle Pie
• Friendship Ice Cream – Mama Smiles
• Preschool Pencil Control-CraftCreateCalm
• How to Make Happy Faces in a Sand Tray – Big Owl Little Owl Witty Hoots
• Making Pumpkin Ice Cream with Friends – The Educators’ Spin on It
• Share the Ice Cream Fine Motor Game- Views From a Step Stool
• Pass the Ice Cream Sharing Activity for Preschoolers – Sunny Day Family
• Gross Motor Core Strengthening Friendship Activity for a Group
• Friendship Ice Cream Throw – Adventures of Adam Build
• Piggie and Elephant Shapes Sharing Activity – Mosswood Connections

Plus, find more STEAM projects in this amazing eBook!