Sharla Kostelyk

Tactile Sensory Play with Texture Balloons

Your kids are going to love this tactile sensory play with texture balloons. They will enjoy deciphering what is inside each one and the tactile sensory input they get. You will like how simple and inexpensive this activity is to put together. These tactile sensory balloons are a great way for sensory avoiders to experience textures without touching them directly. As an example, if your child doesn’t like the feel of water beads, you can place water beads in a balloon and they can feel the shape, squishiness, and movement of them without having to feel the wetness or gooeyness.

This activity presents learning opportunities. The guessing and matching is science. Language skills are enhanced while discussing the characteristics of each filler and when reading the cards.

How to make texture balloons:

helium balloons
popcorn seeds
hair gel or hand sanitizer
sand
dry rice
flour
marbles
optional: cards to match up with the corresponding item

Fill each of the balloons with one of the fillers (popcorn seeds, gel, sand, rice, flour, marbles) and tie in a knot at the top to close.
It can be challenging to fill the balloons. The best way I have found is to blow the balloon up first and let the air out.
Insert the end of a funnel into the top of the balloon and place the filler in the funnel. For the marbles, you’ll have to slip them in the top of the balloon one at a time.
Have the child use their senses to try to determine which filler is in each balloon.

Other ideas for items to fill your texture balloons with:

cornstarch
coffee beans or coffee grounds
water beads
water
salt
slime
playdough
whatever else your imagination can come up with

You can find printable cards for the tactile balloons in The Sensory Science Book Volume 1. You’ll also find other easy to create hands-on science activities for kids.

Discussion points:

Encourage your child to also use their auditory sense in addition to their sense of touch. Discuss how the flour and the sugar sound different in the balloon and why that might be.

For older children, you could also fill one balloon with water and another with water and then freeze the balloon so that it is filled with ice and talk about states of matter.

Join me for a free 5 part email series called Sensory Solutions and Activities (just pop your email into the box below) and you’ll also get a free sample of our Sensory Play Recipes eBook.

Other sensory science activities you may enjoy:

Sensory Sound Eggs

Nature Sensory Bottle

Jello Colour Mixing Experiment

Birthday Cake Sensory Bin

By Sharla Kostelyk

You don’t have to wait for a birthday for the fun to begin. This birthday cake sensory bin allows for a party anytime!

Kids will love to pretend they are baking and decorating. The birthday theme is also a lot of fun. Who doesn’t love a birthday?!

Birthday cake sensory bin:

Materials needed:

1/2 cup of shampoo
2 Tablespoons of water
1 cup of flour
sprinkles
silicone cupcake molds, small cake pans, muffin tins, and small dishes for forming “cakes”
washi tape
small craft sticks (popsicle sticks)
battery operated votive candle
tissue paper in orange, yellow or red
baking dish or a plastic bin with a lid
optional: birthday cake scented candle or wax melt

Make the birthday cake dough:

Add one cup of flour, 2 Tbsp. of water and 1/2 cup of shampoo to a medium bowl.
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 the dough for stickiness. If it is still sticky, add a little more flour and continue to mix until it doesn’t stick to your hands.

Make pretend 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. You can layer orange and yellow tissue paper to resemble a flame.
Fold the tape up to cover the other side of the craft stick and secure the tissue paper.
Trim the edges of the tape on the sides of the craft stick using scissors.
Cut the tissue paper to resemble a flame.
You can use the play candles for other activities as well.

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 birthday cake dough.
Place small dishes like play food dishes, silicone cupcake molds, and small baking dishes in the bin.
Add the fake candles and a battery operated votive candle.

Sensory play benefits of this bin:

Invite your child to explore the sensory activity. They can form mini cakes or cupcakes, decorate them with sprinkles and add candles to serve birthday cake.

This is imaginative play at its finest. Children will also benefit from the sensory experiences. The squeezing together of the dough provides proprioceptive feedback. They will also be receiving visual and tactile sensory input. If you add the optional scented candle or wax melt, they will also be engaging their olfactory sensory system.

Join me for a free 5 part email series Sensory Solutions and Activities (just pop your email into the box below) and get a printable list of 175 Great Sensory Ideas.

These other sensory bins may also interest you:

Birthday Party Sensory Bin

Cloud Dough Sensory Bin

Lightweight ABC I Spy Sensory Bottle

By Sharla Kostelyk

This lightweight ABC I Spy sensory bottle provides all kinds of learning opportunities. The colours are engaging. This provides great sensory play for preschoolers.

ABC I Spy Sensory Bottle:

plastic Voss water bottle
tinsel*
ABC beads
water
Super glue, optional

*You can often find tinsel at the Dollar Store or in the party decoration section of a department store.

Directions:

Add tinsel to an empty plastic bottle with a wide mouth. There is no right or wrong amount of tinsel, but you do want to fill the bottle pretty well.
Add the alphabet beads into the bottle.
Fill the rest of the bottle with water. Using a funnel makes this part easier.
Secure the lid and play! Note: If you are intending to use this sensory bottle with small children, seal the lid with super glue before screwing the lid back on. You will need to give the super glue 15 minutes to dry before giving it to a child.

Learning Objectives:

Sensory – describe how the bottle feels (light, heavy, etc). Describe visual observations. Shake this bottle – what sounds does it make, how does the tinsel swirl, etc.

Math/Science Skills – Count the beads, observe and describe how the tinsel interacts with light, make one of these bottles without using water and make a hypothesis in how you think they will differ and then compare/contrast. Literacy – Identify the letters, name words with the same beginning sounds as you spot letters, rhyme words to the colour of the bead that starts with the letter on the bead.

Social Skills – take turns sharing the bottle. Practice phrases like “my turn”, “your turn”, “go”, and “stop”.

Fine Motor – Let kids push the tinsel into the bottle and pinch up the beads to add them into the bottle.

Language Skills – have kids use descriptive language to explain what the tinsel looks like and what they are experiencing. Practice pragmatic language for rules on how to use the sensory bottle and how to share the sensory bottle (informing, demanding, stating, and requesting).

Check out these preschool sensory bottles:

Colour Mixing Sensory Bottle Rainbow Rainfall Sensory Bottle Space Sensory Bottle

Fine Motor Sensory Activities

By Sharla Kostelyk

Fine motor sensory activities are healthy for development in kids. They enable them to get that awesome sensory feedback that they need while also practising those all important fine motor skills.

These fine motor sensory activities can be used at home or in preschool or the classroom.

Even older kids can benefit from fine motor work. Improving fine motor skills improves hand-eye coordination which is an important skill for driving and playing sports.

Another benefit of improving fine motor skills is that it helps children understand how their body works. This is great for body awareness and self-esteem.

The activities don’t have to be complicated. Simple and done is better than intention that doesn’t happen. Just pull out some buttons and throw them in a bin with some water beads and have your child dig for the buttons. Fine motor sensory play = done!

Fine Motor Sensory Activities:

Frozen Treasure Find
Cotton Ball Throw Painting – This sensory activity is good for both fine motor and gross motor skills.
Eyeball Sensory Bin
Frozen Inspired Sensory Bin
Sensory Lego Letters Activity
Peppermint Scented Christmas Playdough Activity
Squishy Sky Sensory Bag
Winter Sensory Tray
Sky Sensory Bin
Tactile Sensory Cards
Colour Mixing Sensory Bag
Frog Sensory Bin with Play Puffs
Unicorn Sensory Bag

Benefits of Fine Motor Skills Practise:

Fine motor skills are a precursor for other important developmental milestones such as writing, eating, dressing, and manipulating objects in their day-to-day life.

Here are the benefits of improving fine motor skills:

encouraging independence
dressing skills such as fastening buttons, snaps, and zippers
hand-eye coordination
creativity
develop skills for feeding themselves
grooming such as teeth brushing, toileting, and hair care
improving self-esteem
speech and language development
building with blocks and other materials
being able to turn the pages of a book which helps provide a foundation for reading
improving social skills because of ability to participate in group activities and games
arts and crafts
more proficient at technology
ability to do chores
holding, grasping, squeezing, and pinching small objects
future scissor use
pencil grasp
improved dexterity

When you combine a sensory component to the fine motor activities, children are better able to retain what they learn and are more engaged. And the more senses you engage, the more effective the experience.

Other Fine Motor Sensory Activities:

Fine Motor Sensory Play Using a Sand Tray from Buggy and Buddy

Fine Motor Fun with Water Beads from Still Playing School

Sensory Name Recognition Bags over on The Preschool Toolbox

Fine Motor Skills for Preschoolers – Bead Transferring Activity at The Natural Homeschool

Pasta Threading Activity from Messy Little Monster

Neon Squirt Sensory Play at Days with Grey

Cardboard Drop Box by Happy Hooligans

Fine Motor Skills Activities, Practice, Crafts and Printable List of Ideas by The Natural Homeschool

Craft Stick Launchers on STEAM Powered Family (great for older kids)

Threading Cheerios on Learning and Exploring Through Play

Activities Using Kitchen Tongs to Promote Fine Motor Skills from Kiddie Charts

Pine Cone Snowy Owl from Red Ted Art

Looking for answers to your sensory questions? Sensory Processing Explained: a Handbook for Parents and Educators offers real strategies and practical solutions.

My child doesn’t have SPD. Do they still need sensory play?

By Sharla Kostelyk

“My child doesn’t have Sensory Processing Disorder. Do they still need sensory play?” This is a common question I get from readers.

The answer is “absolutely yes”! Sensory play is important for all children. Sensory play can improve your child’s development, cognition, social skills, and behaviour.

As more research is done, experts are recognizing the importance of sensory play and touting its benefits. Sensory play is not only important for babies and toddlers, it’s good for kids of all ages.

And of course, if your child is exhibiting signs of sensory issues, then sensory play is a critical component of their days.

Just some of the benefits of sensory play for kids:

exploration of the world around them
encourages problem solving
increases brain development
provides sensory input
leads to better retention in learning
promotes language development
helps regulate emotions and behaviour
improves fine motor skills and gross motor skills
introduces opportunities for social skills
makes learning interesting and fun

Even if your child doesn’t have Sensory Processing Disorder or obvious sensory issues, all of us have sensory preferences. Sensory play can help us to get out of our sensory comfort zone. It can introduce tastes, textures, sounds, sights, and smells that we may not be familiar with or may not be as comfortable with.

Another great reason that all kids need sensory play? Sensory input, particularly proprioceptive input helps regulate mood and behaviour. If you’re a parent, that reason alone should be enough to have you scrambling to climb aboard the sensory train!

This doesn’t have to be complicated or involve you spending hundreds of dollars on fancy equipment. It only requires that you take more notice of what opportunities are around.

Simple sensory play ideas:

Fill a plastic container with shaving cream. Drop a few toys in and let your child dig to find them.
Let them play in dirt or mud. Messy play is good for them!
Get out the fingerpaints or make some of your own.
Go on an outdoor sensory scavenger hunt.
Take them to a playground. The merry-go-round, monkey bars, swing, and slide all provide great sensory input.
Fill a laundry basket with books and have your child push it around.
Allow your child to walk outside barefoot.
Let your child help you bake. Kneading, mixing, rolling, and decorating.
Play with playdough.
Make some sensory smell bottles.

You can find all of our sensory play activities here. Incorporating several into every day can make such a difference for your child.

Bee Life Cycle Sensory Bin

By Sharla Kostelyk

A bee life cycle sensory bin is a hands-on way to reinforce learning for kids on this topic. You can use this bin in a science unit or at a sensory station in your home or classroom.Walk kids through the transformation of a bee from egg to larva to pupa to a mature honey bee. You can either add everything to the bin all at once, or you can add them in after the amount of time they would happen in real life.

In that case, you would add the egg on the first day and it would “hatch” into the larva after 3 or 4 days, so you could add the larva on that day. The next stage takes between 6 and 11 days depending on whether the bee is a future queen or a worker bee.

Bee Life Cycle Sensory Bin:

Materials needed:

plastic bin
black and yellow water beads
the life cycle of a honey bee pack
optional: small jar of honey to touch, taste, and smell

Life Cycle of a Honey Bee Yellow Water Beads Black Water Beads

Place the water beads in a plastic container. I used three packs of yellow beads and one pack of black water beads.
Add water.
Allow the water beads to expand fully (this will take several hours) before adding the items from the life cycle of a bee package.

Kids can use their hands to dig in the bin and touch each of the stages in the honey bee cycle. If you’ve included some honey, they will also be able to use their sense of taste and smell to enhance their learning.

This sensory bin engages the visual and tactile sensory systems and if honey is included, it also engages the olfactory (smell) and gustatory (taste) systems as well. This is hands-on learning at its best.

If you’re doing a learning unit on bees, here are some other great resources to check out:

Free Bee Life Cycle Printables from Homeschool Preschoool

How to Make a Bee Habitat from Natural Beach Living

Printable Life Cycle of a Bee Layer Book from Passionate Curiosity

Books that would go along well with this unit:

Are You a Bee?Book Plus Bee Life Cycle Foam Model The Life and Times of the Honeybee The Life Cycle of a Honeybee The Bee Book Five Bizzy Honey Bees