How to Make Soap For Kids – 3 Soap Projects for Kids

Looking for a fun craft that will also encourage kids to want to wash their hands? We’ll show you several different kid-friendly soap making ideas that you can make with your own kiddos!

All the recipes are using melt and pour soap. Previously on our blog, my friend did a guest post about making cold process soap which I recommend you check out (and her shop too!) But today we’ll be using melt and pour because it doesn’t require any special equipment and it’s safer to make with kids.

Let’s get started.

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How to Make Soap for Kids With Toys Inside

The first kind of soap we’re going to show you how to make is the one with a little toy trapped in the middle. I was really excited about this one because I thought it would really encourage kids to want to wash their hands! Our kids worked really hard to release the little toys that were in the middle of the soap, and they also had fun helping make it.

What You Need to Make Soap For Kids With Toys Inside

• Clear melt and pour soap  The exact one that we had used sold out on Amazon, but an ultra-clear one would be even better than the one we used. We also chose to use organic, but you wouldn’t have to do so.
• Silicone soap molds
• LEGO Minifigures or small toys
• Isopropyl alcohol in a spray bottle (optional but recommended)
• Liquid soap dye (optional)
• Essential oils or soap scents (optional)
• A sharp knife
• Glass microwave-safe container
• OR a double boiler

Step #1  Cut into Cubes

The first step is to get clear melt and pour and cut it into cubes.  The cubes should be around 1 inch squared, but they don’t have to be perfect. The only reason to cut them smaller is so they can melt more easily in the microwave.

Step #2 Put in a Microwave Safe Measuring Cup

Put enough soap blocks into the microwaveable container to pour into a mold. You can choose to do one bar of soap at a time or try to do several at once. We did one at a time so we could experiment with different colors or scents, but if you want to move more quickly doing a bigger batch is reasonable.

If you choose to microwave your soap, be very careful not to burn the soap. Though I am a novice soap maker, I have read that if your soap begins to boil — it’s already burnt. It may even give off an unpleasant smell or turn yellow if very badly burnt. To avoid this, try using a thermometer and microwaving the soap in short bursts. Start with 30 seconds and then add an extra 5-10 seconds at a time to bring the soap to a melting point. The goal is to keep the soap under 140 degrees to avoid scorching.

Another method is to use a double boiler to melt the soap. You can either make your own double boiler with a glass or stainless steel bowl and a pot of water, or you can buy a double boiler for this purpose. We didn’t use this method this time so we don’t have pictures to share, but many people like doing it this way because you have more control over the temperature and you can actively see what’s happening with the soap. The one downside is it does take longer to melt in a double boiler and you still have to monitor to make sure the soap doesn’t get too hot.

Step #3 – Pour Soap Into Molds (half way)

Pour your soap into the mold until it’s about halfway full. We used silicone molds because they’re so much easier to work with than hard plastic, but you can use any kind of mold you have. It’s even OK to use muffin pans for this project.

Allow the soap to cool partway before placing your LEGO Minifigure (or other small toy) into the soap. This keeps the toy from falling to the bottom of the soap and sticking out the side when the project is finished. For the little guy pictured above, we didn’t add anything special to the soap — just clear glycerine soap.

For the Elsa Frozen soap, we added some blue soap dye to make it look more like the Disney movie.

I was a little concerned she would turn blue from the dye but she didn’t!

Step #5 Use Alcohol Spray

When you add the soap to the molds you may notice tiny bubbles forming on the soap. This is where you can use the alcohol spray. A few spritzes of alcohol will remove the tiny bubbles and make the soap appear more smooth.

Step #4 Melt and Pour the Remaining Soap

For the next part, repeat the same step as before being careful not to overheat the soap. Once the soap is melted you can add whatever additives you like such as soap dye or scents (like essential oils). One guide I read did recommend avoiding citrus essential oils so they don’t deteriorate the plastic.

There’s a chance that your toy will begin to float when you add the next batch of soap. If that happens, you can use a toothpick to push the toy back down into the semi-firm soap below.

Use the alcohol spray again to remove bubbles.

Step #5 Let Cool

The last step is to let the soap cool completely then pop them out. Your kids will be so excited to start washing their hands so they can free their fun little toys!

How to Make Rainbow Layered Soap For Kids

Another type of kids soap you can make is rainbow layered soap! This one was also fun to make and the kids loved it!

What You Need to Make Rainbow Soap

• Melt and pour soap
• Silicone soap Molds
• Liquid soap dye
• A sharp knife
• Glass microwave-safe container
• OR a double boiler
• Isopropyl alcohol in a spray bottle (optional but recommended)
• Essential oils or soap scents (optional)

Repeat The Same Steps as Above to Make Rainbow Layered Soap

To make rainbow layered soap for kids, you need to follow the same basic steps as listed above. Since you will be melting very small amounts of soap at a time, you will need to be very careful to not burn the soap. To keep that from happening, use short bursts in the microwave at a time. Microwave initially for 20-30 seconds and then additional bursts of 5 seconds at a time.

Once the small amount of soap has melted, add in your liquid soap dye. Remember that a little goes a LONG way. You may only need to add one or two drops to give it a rich color (especially since it’s such a small amount of soap).

Let the Soap Fully Cool

Add one layer of color at a time and be patient while the soap cools and hardens. If you don’t wait for it to cool, the colors will mix together when you add the next layer. This may also happen if you get your extra layers of soap too hot. Try to keep the additional layers lower than 140 degrees so they don’t melt the bottom layers when added.

Remember the rainbow pattern is:

• Red
• Orange
• Yellow
• Green
• Indigo
• Violet

Remove the Soap From the Mold

Once you’ve waited patiently for each layer to harden and you’ve reached the top, you can pop it out of your silicone mold.

I will add one caveat here and that is this soap tends to be messy on the counter next to the sink. The colors will run on our counter and I’m pretty sure my kids purposefully use it to make colorful messes :). One good thing is we haven’t had any staining as a result, but if you’re hoping to keep your sink counters clean, this might not be the soap project for you.

How to Make Lego Guy Soap for Kids

What You Need to Make LEGO Minifigure Soap

• Melt and pour soap
• LEGO Minifigure silicone mold
• Liquid soap dye
• A sharp knife
• Glass microwave-safe container
• OR a double boiler
• Isopropyl alcohol in a spray bottle (optional but recommended)
• Essential oils or soap scents (optional)

The last thing we tried was to make LEGO Minifigure Soaps for kids. The steps are the same as they are for the rainbow soap, but instead of making layers you carefully pour the soap into a LEGO Minifigure silicone mold.

The kids enjoy taking these guys in the bath for a toy that they can play with that also makes them clean.

These Minifigure soaps DID leave colorful marks in our tub after the kids played, but in our experience it all wiped clean. I would also be careful that they don’t go down the drain as they may temporarily clog your drains. Otherwise, they’re a fun little whimsical toy that you and your kids can make to help promote good hygiene.

If you want to see more ideas for what to do with the LEGO Minifigure silicone mold, we also have a post about making crayon LEGO Minifigures that you might be interested in.

What Kind of Kids Soap Will You Make?

Now that you know how easy it is to make soap for kids, which project will you start with? Our kids enjoyed all three! If you have any questions or if you’re a champion you’re a soap maker, drop a comment below. We’d love to hear from you.