I am a big believer of sensory play, and I try to do it with my boys (2 and 4 years old) every day.
You could already be participating in sensory play with your children too, sometimes without even knowing it.
As we use our senses to explore the world and make decisions every minute of every day, it is SO important to offer our children opportunities to explore their senses to develop their brain.
But where do I start?
Here are some simple ideas to get started:
- Pantry items - out of date pantry items, including cereals, oats, pasta, rice, beans and pulses - just add plastic cups, bottles and scoops from your kitchen. Your child will have a ball scooping and pouring with these items!
- Kinetic sand with animal figurines. You can make your own kinetic sand or purchase from Officeworks or online.
- Water play - add a few drops of food colouring for a bit of fun. I also like to add some essential oils for an extra sensory experience.
- Ice cubes - a favourite of ours is freezing animal figurines in ice cube trays and telling my boys to ‘free’ the object using toy hammers.
- Fizzy play - do you have a muffin tray, food colouring, bicarb soda and vinegar? Why not have some fun with fizzy colours!
There are also lots of recipes online for taste safe play. A favourite of ours is ooblek; The simplest mixture to begin with is 1.5 cups of cornflour, mixed with 1 cup of water. If you want to add colour, mix a few drops of food colouring or paint. Depending on age, your children can help to make this! I often add animal figurines or flowers/nature items to create small world trays for further engagement (as you can see below in our ‘beach’ themed tray).
Although it is very easy to clean up and washes out of clothes, prepare to get messy!
Enjoy!
Find Anna at https://www.instagram.com/play.learn.flourish/
