sensory play

Kinetic sand is such a neat sensory experience for kids. It is fun to play with, sparks creativity, and offers great sensory input. I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but the kinetic sand in stores is expensive. Once your kids play in the sand for awhile (particularly if it’s in a classroom or day care and multiple children have their hands in it), it can get dirty. That means it needs to be thrown out. Which means you need to buy more. That’s why making your own kinetic sand is such a great option. You won’t believe how easy it is to make!

What is Kinetic Sand?

Kinetic sand is sand that has had ingredients added to it so that it becomes mouldable like clay. It continues to have the grainy properties of sand, creating an interesting texture experience.

It sticks to itself, much like wet sand at the beach. When you are on the shore making sand castles or sand sculptures, you need to add water to keep the structures from becoming too dry and crumbling. That is essentially the idea behind kinetic sand.

Kinetic Sand Recipe:

• 4 cups sand
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil

Mix the sand and flour together in a bowl.

Stir in the oil. Combine well.

It’s play time!

If the sand begins to dry out after a few weeks, you can mix in a few drops more of vegetable oil and give it a good stir. This diy kinetic sand is wonderfully mouldable. It is a sensory play recipe is so simple and cost effective. You can buy enough sand to make many recipes for the same cost as one pack of store bought kinetic sand.

You can also purchase sand in cool colours. This allows you to make coloured kinetic sand.

I put the sand in a bin and added some small construction vehicles and a scoop. This created a sensory bin that encouraged imaginative play. Even my teens enjoyed playing with this one. They especially liked packing it into small cups and creating mounds and then pushing them over with the toy steamroller. You could also use this sand to create a beach themed sensory bin with seashells, small sand toys, glass beads, and rocks.

Or you could simply dump it in a tray and let your child’s imagination lead the way. They can stamp in this sensory play material with cookie cutters or stamps. Kids can experiment with creating shapes. They can add small toys to create a small world. There are so many options.

For therapists, kinetic sand is an interesting material to use in sand trays. The proprioceptive sensory feedback kids receive from squishing and squeezing the sand can create a calming effect. You can still have the child add toys and play out scenes.

Once you know how to make kinetic sand and realize how easy it is, you’ll never need to buy it again!

Check out some of our other sensory play recipes:

How to Colour Cloud Dough 

Snow Playdough 

This pumpkin pie scented cloud dough is the perfect Fall sensory bin filler. Create a sensory experience that involves both the olfactory and tactile sensory systems.

To me, the smell of Fall is encapsulated in pumpkin pie spice. The scent reminds me of my grandma’s pumpkin muffins and takes me back to my childhood. 

Pumpkin Pie Scented Cloud Dough Recipe:

• 4 cups flour
• 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

1. In a bowl, mix the flour together with the pumpkin pie spice.
2. Pour in the vegetable oil.
3. Stir well and then knead by hand.

Since everything in this play recipe is edible, this cloud dough is taste safe. This makes it a good sensory play option to use with babies and toddlers. Of course, adult supervision should always be used.

Dump the scented cloud dough in a plastic bin. If you want, you can add some Fall themed items. I added silk fall leaves, leaf confetti, and a small scoop in our bin. If using this bin with babies, skip the addition of the leaves and confetti.

This dough is soft and mouldable. It forms shapes in your hand but can still revert to its powered state. The addition of the pumpkin pie spice provides the scent and also a slight hint of brown in the dough, adding to the Fall feel of the experience.Cloud dough can be messy. Messy play is great for kids, but not always as fun for parents!

It works well to put an old sheet or tablecloth underneath the area you are playing in. You can also use a shower curtain purchased from the dollar store. This contains the mess. When the kids are done playing, you can gather up the corners and shake it outside.

You may be interested in some of our other sensory experiences:

Pumpkin Scented Puffy Paint

How to Colour Cloud Dough

Rainbow Soap Foam