This post was most recently updated on January 4th, 2021
No melting, pouring or measuring. This snowball surprise soap is SO easy to make! Hide a small toy inside for this fun snowball surprise soap! This post was originally shared in 2010, but now includes a step by step photo instructions and a video!Â
You might also like our DIY jelly soap (gummy soap)!
Watch our step by step video!
Snowball soap is fun kids soap to make! The boys and I first made snowball soap 10 years ago, after seeing it in a Family Fun magazine, but this was the girls’ first time ever trying it. This is such a fun project for kids to make as gifts! Hide a small toy inside for a snowball soap surprise! We’ve also used this technique to make dinosaur egg soaps!
We mainly use ours for hand washing or in the shower and they last a long time! They don’t last as long in the bath tub if the kids soak them in water, but you can definitely use them for tub time too. Note: Ivory soap is not tear free.
I love that all you need is to make it is a grater and a spray bottle. EASY!
Snowball Surprise Soap
Supplies
- Ivory soap
- cheese grater
- small toy
- spray bottle of water
To make your soap you will need 1 bar of Ivory soap. Ivory is cheap ($.33/bar) and is nice and moist. It works great and shreds easily. Shred the entire bar using a cheese grater.
Note: use a fresh soap bar. We tried making this last time with a bar that was a year old and it crumbled. A new bar of Ivory soap is soft like cheese and shreds beautifully.
You can hide a small toy inside your soap if you’d like.
You can very lightly spritz down your pile of soap shavings. This makes it stickier and it molds better this way. You can also lightly spritz the soap after you’ve formed it. It will dry nice and hard.
We’ve also packed dry soap shavings then spritzed them after they were formed into balls. Both techniques work.
Disclaimer: this is a messy project! Soap shaving will get on your work surface and probably the floor.
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Grab a small pile of shavings and start packing them around your toy. If the shavings seem too dry, just add a tiny bit more water and keep packing. Form a TIGHT soap shavings ball.
Wet your hands and give it a final once over, smoothing it out.
Let harden and dry out before packaging if you are giving these out as gifts.
How to use your Snowball Soap
If you keep your soap by your sink for hand washing, they will last a long time. My kids mainly use them in the shower or for hand washing! If you let the kids use these in the bathtub, they might last for a few baths if they are soaked in the tub for any length of time. Note: Ivory soap is not tear free.
Snowball Soap Tutorial
Snowball Surprise Soap Tutorial
Equipment
- cheese grater
- spray bottle
Materials
- 1 bar Ivory soap
- small toy
Instructions
- Grate bar of Ivory soap using cheese grater.
- Lightly spritz soap with water.
- Pack shredded soap around small toy. PACK TIGHT. Use entire pile of shredded soap.
- Smooth outer edge of soap with hands. Let dry.
Video
Notes
I love this idea! It’s a great gift and a cute craft. I’m a new follower of your blog.
That soap is sooo cool! I’ve featured you here:
http://www.mydeliciousambiguity.com/2011/01/winter-learning-activities-for-toddlers.html
I hope you’ll stop by and grab a featured button. Have a great day!
Great idea, and with kids too! So cute. I would love it if you would link this post to Spa{ahhh} Sundaze. 🙂
This is a great idea for my girlfriend who has two boys. They would love to make these, thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing this idea! It would be perfect for my Fun Stuff Fridays linky party! I’d love you to link up with us.
http://www.toysinthedryer.com/2011/12/fun-stuff-fridays-2.html
This is so sweet! Their faces look so excited! If you get a chance…stop over and link this up at Hating Martha! Thanks!
My kids would love this. Such a great activity for kids of all ages.
How fun! I like how your kids made them as a present for each other. This is one I want to try sometime 🙂 Maybe next year my little chunk will be old enough.
This is adorable! It’s a really nice way to make a small gift seem like more, great when you have a lot of kids to get gifts for! Thanks for sharing, I’m your newest follower
http://chickenscratchny.blogspot.com
This is a really fun project, but my favorite part is the way you’re letting your boys make gifts for each other. They will be so excited not just to get, but give.:)
What good clean fun!!! Would you please share this with my readers for Fun Stuff Fridays linky party? http://www.toysinthedryer.com/2011/12/fun-stuff-fridays-3.html
Great idea… love it!
hahaha so cute!
Would this work with Dove bar soap. or would it be too soft?
You sure can! I used Ivory soap because it is so inexpensive, but also had to add a little water to make it stick together firmly. You may not need as much water or any with Dove. Here is actually a blog who used Dove: http://www.bystephanielynn.com/2010/05/soap-balls-for-mom-and-kiddies-too.html Hope that helps! Have a wonderful weekend!
Brandy
These are so cute!
Love this idea!
this sounds like a fun activity to do when its too cold to play outside. Just curious if there is a safe way of letting the kids grate their own soap. Using the classic metal grater would be a medical disaster with my kids.
Hi Lorena, I’m not sure. I grated it for the girls or let them help, but I did the majority of it!
These are really cute! Don’t you love Family Fun magazine? I used to get a lot of great ideas from them. Never saw this, though! Thanks for sharing. Stopping by from This is How We Roll Linky party. Hope you have a great weekend!
FUN!!!! Love this. I want to make it also. PINNED. Best wishes, Linda @Crafts a la mode
Love this idea!
Wow, these are so cute!!!
Found your blog via Creative Muster Party.
Sarah https://www.enrichmentality.com
This would be a fun stocking stuffer- just tie up in a cellophane bag. Could even put a little Christmas toy in the center!
Love this idea!! Pinned!
These are sooo cute Brandy! I love how easy they are but perfect for kids and adults alike 😉 I think I will be making these for sure for my nieces and nephews this year… Thanks so much for linking them up to our Inspiration Galore Project Party last week. Pinned and shared. Have a great weekend! Lisa
That is so cute. My granddaughter would love to make those. I am going to pin it for future reference.
I assume Ivory soap isn’t tear free, right? If I’m right, these won’t work for small kids in the tub who are likely to splash around and get soap in their eyes.
No, these are not tear free. My mostly use these in the shower or for hand soap. Hope that helps! 🙂
omg!i love making soaps and this one is perfect!
Love this idea! Wonder if when first beginning to form the ball the cut ends of a cord could be knotted and the soap be packed around it to make “soap on a rope”. Do you think the packed soap is strong enough to hold the rope?. It would be practical for in the shower.
Hi Karen! That’s a great idea! I’m not sure it’s stable enough to pack around the rope, but if you sprayed it with a bit more water it might be more moldable to hold to it!