Showing posts sorted by relevance for query sensory. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query sensory. Sort by date Show all posts

Egypt Themed Sensory Play

Last week I read 2 fun books from our collection with Roo and Harper {Where's My Mummy and 10 Little Mummies} when inspiration hit for a fun play session.

The kids liked the stories, especially Where's My Mummy. We talked about what the mummies are. I reminded Roo about our trips to the Ohio Historical Society where saw a real mummy. We talked about pyramids and how they look like triangles.

Then I captured his attention on the subject of mummies and Egypt for days with a new sensory bin.

For about 6 weeks I held onto the Egyptian Toob from Safari LTD. I knew I wanted to involve these figures in a sensory play session, but I was stumped on what to use on the base. I knew I could use real sand, but I wanted to take it a step further and avoid a sand mess.


It dawned on me to use granulated brown sugar, Roo could touch it, smell it and taste it.


I poured about 3/4 of a bag of Domino Brownulated Light Brown Sugar in a plastic bin.


Next I added assorted Egyptian figures from our Toob.

And a few plastic palm trees.



When it was time to play I gave Rolf a spoon, a fork and a small measuring spoon so that he could dig around in the "sand". He was really interested in digging. Then he smelled the sand and said "yummy!" I told him to taste it, he was hooked... things got a little out of hand from there, he was licking his hand, sticking it in the "sand" and licking it off! Ha! He didn't make it to playing with the Egyptians...


While this sensory play session resulted in a sugared up, sticky little mess of a boy, it was fun. Rolf used his sense of touch, smell and taste... He got to dig in the sugar sand and he says he had fun... MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

What is Sensory Play?

Sensory play is any activity that engages a child's senses, such as sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. It is a vital part of early childhood development, as it helps children learn about the world around them and develop important skills.

There are many benefits to sensory play, including:

  • Improved cognitive development: Sensory play helps children develop their problem-solving skills, memory, and attention span.
  • Enhanced language skills: Sensory play helps children learn new vocabulary words and develop their communication skills.
  • Improved fine and gross motor skills: Sensory play helps children develop their coordination and dexterity.
  • Increased social and emotional skills: Sensory play helps children learn to interact with others and express their emotions.
  • Reduced stress and anxiety: Sensory play can be a calming and relaxing activity that can help children cope with stress and anxiety.
There are many different ways to incorporate sensory play into your child's day.

Do your kids enjoy sensory play? I would love to hear about your favorite sensory activities in a comment.

You can find more favorite sensory play ideas here.
Sensory Party in a Bag
Rainbow Disc Sensory Bag




Sensory Party in a Bag


Sensory play doesn't have to be complicated or messy to be fun! This sensory party in a bag is the perfect way to engage little hands without a mess, or a lot of complicated supplies.

We love sensory play! When Rolfie was a little boy we discovered the world of sensory bins and have never looked back.

I used to think that sensory play had to be complicated to be fun. After about 7 years of making bins and finding way to engage the senses via play, I realized that sometimes less is more.

This sensory party in a bag is a great example. Sometimes when the kids are overwhelmed by their emotions I like to pull out some basic supplies and create an invitation to unwind.  Summer break can be rough, especially if you are stuck with your sibling all day long. After a day of arguing, I surveyed my craft cabinet and pulled out some simple supplies to create this easy sensory bag. It gave both kids a chance to take a break from each other and get their selves together.


Supplies:
Baby oil gel
A zipper seal bag
Dyed rice
Confetti


Directions:
Pour about 2 tablespoons of baby oil gel into a zipper seal bag.



Add a handful of dyed rice to the bag.
Add some confetti.
Seal.
*If your child has "rough hands" you might wish to reinforce the bag with duct tape along all 4 sides to keep it mess free.*
Invite your child to squish the bag and take a few moments to enjoy the cool sensation of the gel in the bag with the texture of the rice, as well as the visual appeal of the sensory party in a bag.



You can find all of my sensory play ideas here.

Reader favorites include:


Button Sensory Bag

Sensory Play doesn't have to be complicated or messy! This easy button sensory bag is perfect for keeping little hands busy and eager minds learning. Best of all, it comes together in just a few moments!

Hair Gel Button Sensory Bag
Add caption


Sensory play is awesome for kids. It is fun, and can be as simple or as complicated as you wish. I love to give my kids the tools they need to play, learn, and relax. This button sensory bag is easy to make and can serve several purposes.



The button sensory bag is perfect for quiet reflection time. I made this for Harper on one of those rough days when she needed a chance to unwind. As she got herself together we used this bag for sorting colors and shapes. Manipulating the buttons is awesome for fine motor practice.



                                                          This post contains affiliate links.

Supplies Needed:
A zipper seal sandwich bag
Hair gel


Directions:
Place aout 1/4 cup of hair gel in a zipper seal bag.


Add glitter to the hair gel. I thought blue was a nice touch, but you can use whatever color you like.

Add assorted buttons.

Seal. If your child is young or has "rough hands" You might want to reinforce the edges and opening with duct tape.


Invite your child to explore the bag. Squish it, sort colors, or sort by sizes.

You can find more sensory activities ideas here:
Birthday Cake Sensory Play is always a hit!
Flower Garden Sensory Bins are perfect for rainy days!

Rainbow Disc Sensory Bag

Give kids a fun way to sort colors while getting a little sensory play in with this rainbow disc sensory bag.


We love sensory play. From bins to bags, and even bottles; anyway you present sensory play we are in!
With the kids being out of school for so long I have been really busy coming up with activities to engage them, challenge them, and keep them entertained. We made this easy sensory bag to practice our color sorting and pattern making skills. It is perfect for adding some color to the day.

Supplies:

Hand Sanitizer or Hair Gel
Zipper Seal Bag


Directions:

Draw a rainbow on a zipper seal sandwich bag with Sharpies.




Add several squirts of hand sanitizer or hair gel (about a tablespoon or two of gel is ideal).


Drop transparent colored counting chips (or bingo markers) in the colors of the rainbow into the bag.



Seal well. If your child has 'rough hands' you might want to reinforce the sides with tape to prevent the sides from busting. (This is a good idea for toddlers, but can be skipped for older kids!)



If your child has 'gentle hands' you can skip the reinforcement with tape.
Invite your child to glide the discs thru the gel and place them on the color they match.
When finished, check the seal to be sure it is closed and store for another day when a quiet activity is needed.


You can find all of my sensory play ideas here:

Reader favorites include:

Squishy Eye Sensory Bag

Squishy, silly, sensory play with a spooky feel just in time for Halloween!


We love sensory play! Bins, bag and sensory activities are always a hit with my kids!

I made this easy but oh so fun  spooky eyes sensory bag for Harper. It is perfect for Halloween and can be used in several ways. 

This bag makes a great stress reliever for little hands. Kids feel stress too, and squishing this bag helps them to relieve some of it. But, this spooky eye sensory bag is also a fun way to practice sorting skills.

This post contains affiliate links.

Supplies:
Hair gel
Zipper seal bag
Googly Eyes


Squeeze about 1/4 cup of hair gel into a zipper seal bag.


Seal the bag.
If your child has a tendency to use rough hands or is a toddler, you might want to reinforce the sides of the bag with duct tape.



Invite your child to squish, squeeze and sort the spooky eyes sensory bag!



You might also like these  sensory activities.
Unicorn Fine Motor Play is a whimsical way to engage the senses.

Creepy Eye Sorting Bag

This creepy eye sensory bag is perfect for squishy Halloween color sorting.




Keeping the kids entertained, engaged, and learning is my goal these days. It can be a challenge; the kids are tired of being at home, playing with the same toys, and hearing me ask if anyone wants  to read a book together every couple of moments.



Last week, I was standing around looking at my craft supplies, feeling totally uninspired. I really wanted to give the kids some busy work, but didn't want to make myself too busy putting it together. A simple sorting sensory bag was exactly what they needed. And this one is perfect for fall, or anytime of the year.



Supplies:
Hair Gel; clear
Googly Eyes in assorted colors
Permanent Markers
Large Zipper Seal Bag


Directions:
Draw circles with permanent markers that match the colors of eyes you will be using.
Add 2 tablespoons, or 2 generous squeezes of clear hair gel to a zipper seal bag.


Add googly eyes.
Seal the bag.


Offer the bag to your child.
Encourage your child to move to eyes to their coordinating circle.




This is a great combination of sensory and color matching.
If you want to add an additional challenge to this activity, you could draw more circles in assorted sizes and encourage the kids to coordinate the googly eyes by size.


If you had fun with this creepy eye sorting sensory bag you won't want to miss these sensory play ideas.
Reader favorites include:


Pot of Gold Sensory Bin

Saint Patrick's Day is right around the corner and I have the perfect sensory bin to share with you for the occasion. This Pot of Gold Bin is easy to set up, is loads of fun to play with, and will get kids excited for the holiday!

St. Patrick's Day Sensory Bin. This easy activity is perfect for kids who want to find the gold at the end of the rainbow!

Sensory bins are so much fun for kids. They combine fine motor work, the engagement of the senses, and imagination into one awesome invitation to play. This Pot of Gold St. Patrick's Day Bin was so easy to set up, and I got everything I needed at the dollar store. This sensory bin is easy to set up, and the kids will want to play with it many times. 



Supplies:

  1. A plastic storage bin with a lid.
  2. St. Patrick's Day Foam Scatter
  3. 4 Leaf Clover Confetti
  4. Buttons in assorted colors
  5. Small black cauldrons from the party favor section of Dollar Tree



Instructions:
  1. Dump the confetti, foam scatter and buttons into the storage bin.
  2. Add a few of the cauldrons to the bin.
  3. Offer your child tweezers, spoons, or any other tool you like for scooping.
  4. Allow your child to fill the buckets with a rainbow of colors (beads) and the gold foam coins.


I encouraged my daughter to tell me what colors she would find in a rainbow and place one bead from each color in the bucket.

We also used this as a counting exercise; how many gold coins could she find? How many big clovers? And so on.


Harper also had fun just digging in the scatter and confetti. She brought a few little action figures into the mix and had a fun small world session later. 

I like to make these bins in shoe box sized plastic containers so we can snap a lid on it and revisit the activity later. The kids always want to play with the bin again!

If you like this idea you can find all of my sensory bins and bags here.
Reader favorites include:
Sensory Party in a Bag
Birthday Cake Sensory Bin
Grab some FREE St. Patick's Day Coloring Pages here
Check out these End of the Rainbow Snacks
Check out these easy 3d Shamrocks


In The Sky Sensory Bin

Roo loves waking up to find a new sensory bin waiting on him! I love making something fun for him and knowing he will happily play with this new bin for a few hours. I got a great deal on a Toob from Safari LTD and I couldn't wait to make the In the Sky Sensory Bin.

I started with a base of Easter paper grass stuff and a few cotton balls.

Photo Credit: Sara Lehman.

I pulled the cotton balls apart slightly to fluff them up a bit.

Photo Credit: Sara Lehman.


Gently pull your cotton ball apart until it looks like a fluffy cloud.


Photo Credit: Sara Lehman.

Next add a handful of planes and balloons- or a toob (In the Sky).

Photo Credit: Sara Lehman.

And you have a neat sensory bin for kids that incorporates fun with their senses. The paper Easter grass and the cotton ball clouds offer different textures to feel. The paper grass engages the sense of hearing as it crinkles when touched. The colorful blue base engages the sense of sight with a visually appealing color. The planes open the doors to imaginative play.

Photo Credit: Sara Lehman.

Roo liked this sensory bin. He was amazed at the planes inside and he caught on quickly that the bin was the sky. He excitedly showed me all of the clouds, several planes and the paper grass which he thought was pretty neat stuff. After about an hour of playing planes he smiled and picked out a few dudes and told me it was bubble bath time! The In the Sky Sensory Bin can double as a bubble bath sensory bin in the imagination of a child.

Thanks for reading! I would love to hear about your favorite sensory bin ideas.


Bed Time Sensory Bag

This easy bedtime sensory bag is perfect for squishing and unwinding before bed for little ones. 



We are big fans of all things sensory. As the kids have grown they have maintained their love of sensory bins and hands on play. They have also not outgrown the bedtime struggle. They need a drink, a snack, a story and a million other little things to delay the inevitable. 


So,I made this super easy and fun to squish bag for them. Giving them a few minutes to squish and squeeze has made a slight difference in the bed time battles. I used what I had and came up with something simple and cute.


Supplies:
Lavender scented baby oil gel
Gold and silver confetti stars
A zipper seal bag.



Squirt about 2 tablespoons worth of baby oil gel in a zipper seal bag.


Add stars.



Hand it over to eager little hands! To squish, squeeze and play!


While lavender scented baby oil isn't necessary, you can use anything from baby oil gel to hair gel, I liked the light purple color in contrast with the shiny stars.


We always have the most fun with the most basic of supplies, this bedtime sensory bag is no exception!
Find all of our easy ideas for sensory play here.
Reader favorites include:
Sensory Party in a Bag
Button Sensory Bags

Birthday Cake Sensory Bin

This easy birthday cake sensory bin is perfect for any little aspiring chef! Made with homemade playdough and complete with loads of sprinkles and fake candles, this bin keeps preschoolers happily baking up something good!

birthday cake play doh sensory bin

After many years of mothering, I have learned that it is a good idea to have an activity planned for the afternoon. I usually have something set up for Harp like a paper craft or something she can get creative with, but lately we have been LOVING sensory bins

birthday cake play doh sensory activity


Harper loves to bake, so the idea for this birthday cake sensory bin came around. I thought she would love the chance to play with sprinkles, and I was right. When she came home from preschool, she was ready to get her hands into this bin! I have a feeling your little one will want to do the same should you recreate this project.



This was easy to assemble and super economical. You likely have all of the supplies on hand!

sprinkles in hand


This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase I will earn a small commission at no cost to you.

birthday sensory bin


Supplies:
1/2 cup of shampoo (any kind will do, including something from the dollar store!)
 2 tablespoons of water
1 cup of flour
Silicone cupcake molds, small cake pans, small dishes for forming cakes. Your childs play food collection is a great place to find materials to use in this bin.
Washi Tape
A battery operated votive candle
Tissue Paper in orange, yellow or red
A baking dish or a bin with a lid



To make the birthday cake dough:
Add one cup of flour, 2 tablespoons of water and 1/2 cup of shampoo together in a medium bowl. 



Begin to stir, as the ingredients start to bind together, finishing mixing with your hands.
 If the dough feels sticky, you will add a little more flour, no more than 1/4 cup.



Test for stickiness. If the dough is still sticky, add a little more flour and continue to mix until it doesn't stick to your hands.



To make fake candles:
You will need a length of washi tape that can cover a craft stick on both sides.



Allow the tape to slightly overlap the craft stick and place small squares of tissue paper on the top of the stick. I layered orange and yellow tissue paper to resemble a flame.
Fold the tape up to cover the other side of the craft stick.



Trim the edges of the tape on the sides of the craft stick.
Trim your tissue paper to resemble a flame.



To assemble the birthday cake activity bin:
Pour a bottle of sprinkles in the bottom of the dish or storage container you plan to use.
Add the dough.
Add small dishes like play food dishes, silicone cupcake molds, small baking dishes.
Add the fake candles and a battery operated votive candle, if you have one.



Invite your child to explore the activity. They will form cakes, decorate with sprinkles and add candles to serve birthday cake!

birthday cake sensory play