Today we have a really fun kids soap craft where kids of all ages can make their own soap that has a special surprise inside! This fun idea for DIY soap also makes a really fun gift kids can make and give using this simple handmade soap recipe to make hand washing awesome.
Let’s Make Surprise Inside Homemade Soap!
In this season of cold and flu, I have renewed my emphasis on personal hygiene with my children. My 3 year old, however, has a major aversion to soap. He will willingly wash his hands and take baths, but fights any type of soap or shampoo.
Related: Things to make with soap
“Treat soap” (or in our bathroom “car soap”) has been just the ticket at our place. Because he is younger, he helped just a little with the soap making process under adult supervision, but older kids will really get into making fun soaps with little toys frozen inside.
This is the easiest homemade soap recipes we have used and we hope it inspires you to have so much fun with your kids.
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Supplies Needed to Make Homemade Toy Soap Surprise Recipe
- Small plastic toy that will be of interest to your child
- Small piece of plastic wrap
- Glycerin
- Soap mold or small plastic reusable snack container, silicone muffin cup, plastic baby food container, plastic container from snack sized yogurt or applesauce etc…
- (Optional) Skin Safe Soap Coloring Dye or food coloring works too
- Essential oils to create soap with a kid-friendly scent – we love using lavender, Citrus Fresh, Peppermint, Orange, Neroli, Thieves, Purification, Stress Away, Cedarwood, Tangerine, Vetiver, Geranium or SleepyIze for bedtime
How To Make Homemade Soap for Kids
Watch Our Short Tutorial Video How to Make Treat Soap
Step 1 – Find the Right Size Toy
The most important — and trickiest — part of this process is coming up with a toy that will fit into the container you have chosen to use as a mold, but neat enough to motivate the unwilling hand-washer.
I used some tiny cars and dinosaurs that I found at the dollar store. Once you have chosen your toy the soap can be assembled in 15 minutes and ready to use within the hour!
Step 2 – Prepare the Toy if Needed
Wrap toy tightly in a small piece of plastic wrap. It is best to choose a toy that wont be ruined if it gets damp, but the plastic wrap can be used to protect toys that can’t sustain being soggy for extended periods or are at risk of being clogged by soap.
Step 3 – Melt the Glycerin for Soap Making
Following the instructions on the glycerin package melt a small amount of the glycerin soap block in the microwave or using a double boiler.
For me, it took about 2 min for 1 bar to melt.
Step 4 – Add Essential Oils & Soap Coloring
Add essential oils for soap smell and soap dye for soap color if desired. Don’t overlook combining smells and colors to customize your homemade soap.
For this project, we kept the glycerin clear and added a combination of 3 drops of Citrus Fresh Essential Oil Blend plus 2 drops of Peppermint Essential Oil for a refreshing and bright aroma.
Step 5 – Fill the Soap Molds
- Pour soap base or glycerin into the silicon molds so it is 1/3 full (or 1/3 the depth of your bar of soap if using a container that is deeper than you want your soap to be).
- Wait 5-10 min until glycerin has begun to set.
- Place toy upside down onto partially set glycerin.
- Pour (re-melted) glycerin on top of the soap so the toy is covered fully and to the depth you want your bar of soap to be.
Step 6 – Wait! We are Almost Done!
Wait 30-40 min for soap to set and then pop out of mould. You are ready to wash!
Prep Time
5 minutes
Active Time
20 minutes
Total Time
25 minutes
Difficulty
Medium
Estimated Cost
$5
Materials
- Small plastic toy that will be of interest to your child
- Small piece of plastic wrap
- Glycerin
- (Optional) Skin Safe Soap Coloring Dye
- Essential oils to create soap with a kid-friendly scent – we love using lavender, Citrus Fresh, Peppermint, Orange, Neroli, Thieves, Purification, Stress Away, Cedarwood, Tangerine, Vetiver, Geranium or SleepyIze for bedtime
Tools
- Soap mold or small plastic reusable snack container, silicone muffin cup, plastic baby food container, plastic container from snack sized yogurt or applesauce etc…
Instructions
- Make sure your toy will fit INSIDE the mold with enough space for soap to fully surround it.
- If the toy is not fully plastic, wrap it in a small amount of plastic wrap.
- Melt the glycerin in the microwave (or you can use a double boiler) until fully melted. Mine took 2 minutes for one glycerin bar.
- Add essential oil.
- Add coloring if desired.
- Pour glycerin into mold 1/3rd deep.
- Let cool for 5-10 minutes.
- Add toy to top of glycerin.
- Pour more glycerin on top (you may need to re-heat) until toy is covered.
- Wait at least 30 minutes before removing from mold.
Uses for leftover glycerin/soap mix
We had extra glycerin leftover and maybe you will too. Here are some great ideas on ways to use it!
- Making treat soap as gifts for nieces and nephews (think Christmas presents, stocking stuffers, etc) – they are just adorable soap gifts!
- Make an adult version with some exfoliating material to use as hostess gifts (think poppy seeds, flower petals, etc)
- Using a mesh “puff,” make a shower scrubbie. Compress puff into a cup with string handle sticking out. Pour scented soap around the puff. You now have a colorful soapy scrubby that can hang in your shower that makes your own loofah soaps!
More Homemade Soap Projects for Kids
What was your favorite thing about this soap making craft? What essential oils did you choose for your homemade soap for kids?
