Have you heard that term “sensory play” thrown around amongst your preschool parent friends but you weren’t sure what it really meant.
Well, “Sensory Play” are activities that appeal to the senses and help them explore their world around them with their bodies. Studies show that both kids and adults retain the most information when they engage their senses.
“Certain sensory play options, like sensory tables, allow children to be in complete control of their actions and experiences, which boosts their confidence in decision making and inspires their eagerness to learn and experiment. Sensory play can also teach kids about cooperation and collaboration. Angie Dorrell suggests, “As the children work together or side by side, they learn to understand someone else’s viewpoint. The children also have the opportunity to express themselves and become confident in sharing their ideas with others.” Reports PBS.com
When you use sensory bins another term you might come across a lot on preschool blogs you allow them to discover their sense of touch, sight, sound, smell and even taste. It’s really up to you what you want them to discover during their sensory exploratory play you can add items such as dry rice or even colored rice, salt, shaving cream, sugar, play dough, dry beans, dirt, snow the possibilities are endless. These all provide inexpensive interesting textures that you don’t have to make for children to explore through their senses. But if you want some of the best recipes for sensory play fun see the links below.
Try some of these recipes to help them explore and discover the world around them through their senses!
Colored Salt from Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tail
Basic Play Dough recipe – Make your own play dough recipe that can be used for countless sensory activities, see the activity below. This is the basic play dough recipe I use and then I add food coloring or what not to it.
Home is Where They Send Us has a great idea using play dough, spaghetti noodles and cheerios! Can it get any easier than that?
Magic Milk – Only two ingredients: milk and food coloring! Find out how Life Lesson Plans plays with their magic milk.
Cloud Dough recipe can be found at Lemon Lime Adventures
We’ve had some messy fun with this dough!
Side Walk Chalk Paint Recipe – You only 2 ingredients for this chalk paint!!! Let your little ones use their fingers to paint if they want to for an added sensory adventure! You can get the recipe here.
Fizz Fun Sensory Bin recipe over at Little Bins for Little Hands – This is a perfect way to introduce science to little ones or just let them have fun with the fizz.
Oobleck Recipe and Letter learning fun over at Inspired by Familia
No you’ll love this, absolutely no recipes are required for sensory play – Sometimes you don’t need to make anything!!! I’m sure you all are saying, “yay” as I know we are all busy mamas! My son had a blast doing this Pom Pom Drop Activity we even practiced our colors in Spanish (Gross, Fine and Spanish skills were practiced)! With just using toilet paper rolls! Gotta love those empty toilet paper rolls!!
The blog Gift of Curiousity shares this fun sensory bin: Salt Box Discovery and learning letters, shapes and numbers. I love this idea it’s a fun twist to the using salt to practice your letters.
And feel free to add your own fun to our Mom’s Library below:
