sensory play

Rainbow Playdough Fine Motor Activity

Playdough is such a versatile sensory play material. This Rainbow Playdough Fine Motor Activity is great for helping little hands practise their dexterity. While at first glance, this activity may seem very simple, it has layers of learning within it. This play allows children the opportunity to learn or reenforce their knowledge of the order of the colours in the rainbow while practising their fine motor skills.

Rainbow Playdough Fine Motor Activity:

Supplies:

Playdough in red, orange, yellow, green, blue 2 shades of purple and white*

*you can either purchase Play Doh in those colours or make your own

Directions:

Invite your child to roll each colour of the playdough into small balls. If they have never done this before, show them how to pinch off a section, place it in the palm of one hand and roll it using the palm of the other hand.

After this is accomplished, invite your child to arrange the balls in the pattern of a rainbow. You can remind them what the order of the colours is either in words or by setting out pieces of paper in those colours or with the words of each colour written on them or by displaying a picture of a rainbow for them to compare to.

Sensory and Learning Opportunities:

Children will receive visual, tactile, and proprioceptive sensory input while participating in this activity. Expand the learning about rainbows. You can create an entire unit study on rainbows in your preschool or homeschool.

Set out books. Invite your child to draw, colour, or paint a rainbow. Watch videos about the science behind a rainbow.

Light: Shadows, Mirrors, and Rainbows Chasing Rainbows Rainbow In My Room Night Light Projector Grimm’s Rainbow Wooden Nesting Puzzle Rainbow How the Crayons Saved the Rainbow

Incorporate other rainbow activities such as these:

Erupting Rainbow Rocks – STEAM Powered Family

Rainbow in a Bag – Powerful Mothering

Math with a Rainbow Abacus – 123 Homeschool 4 Me

Sticky Rainbow Wall – Crafty Morning

Rainbow Salt Tray – Natural Beach Living

You may be interested in some of these activities:

Bath Time Sensory Bin

Seashell Fossils in Playdough

Fall Leaves Slime

By Sharla Kostelyk

Fall happens to be my favourite season. The colours, the crisp cool air, and the feeling of change and new beginnings are what I love most. This fall leaves slime enables me to bring a bit of that feeling inside.For this slime, I used maple leaf confetti that was leftover from the Fall Leaves Sensory Jar I made. By making both, I was able to get maximum use out of purchasing the confetti.

Slime is great for sensory input. It provides visual and tactile input and with the kneading and stretching, it also gives good proprioceptive feedback. These are an important part of your child’s day and slime provides a fun way to get them in.

Fall Leaves Slime

Supplies:

6 oz. bottle clear Elmer’s Glue
approximately ¼ cup warm water
½ tsp. baking soda
1½ Tbsp. contact lens solution (be sure that it contains boric acid)
maple leaf foil confetti
optional: 1 ½ tablespoon glitter in copper, gold, and red

Directions:

Empty the glue into a large bowl.
Fill the empty glue bottle about ⅓ full with warm water (this will be about ¼ cup) and seal with the lid. Shake well to combine the remaining glue and water. Pour this mixture into the bowl with glue and stir to combine.
Add the baking soda to the glue and mix thoroughly.
If you are adding glitter, stir the glitter into the glue mixture in this step.
Add the contact lens solution to the glue mixture and stir well. Add the contact lens solution slowly, mixing between additions. Only add enough to bring the glue together into a soft ball.
Remove the slime from the bowl allowing any excess liquid to remain in the bowl. The slime will be sticky. Begin to play with the slime, kneading it as you would bread dough to bring the slime together. The slime is ready when it is no longer sticky.
Set the maple leaf foil confetti on top of the slime and knead it in, stretching and pulling until everything is well combined.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator when the slime isn’t being played with.

For a different look, you could also make this slime with glitter glue in place of the regular glue. This will create an entirely new look.

You may also be interested in these fall slimes and sensory activities:

Fall Leaves Sensory Jar

Simple Hallowe’en Glitter Slime

Pumpkin Scented Puffy Paint

Easy Fall Sensory Bottle

Fall Leaves Sensory Jar

By Sharla Kostelyk

This fall leaves sensory jar can be for sensory exploration or as an autumn decoration or both. Bring the colour and feel of the season inside.While we normally make sensory bottles in all kinds of themes, I thought a sensory jar might be a nice change. The size allows it to sit nicely on a mantle or counter as a decoration when it’s not being used as a sensory toy.

Fall Leaves Sensory Jar

Supplies:

8 oz. plastic storage jar
6 oz. bottle Elmer’s yellow glitter glue
approximately ½ cup warm water
1 Tbsp. maple leaf foil confetti
optional: seasonal cupcake liner, washi tape, duct tape, or pine cones for decoration

Directions:

Empty the yellow glitter glue into the jar.
Fill the empty glue bottle about half full with warm water (about ¼ cup) and seal with the lid. Shake well to combine the remaining glue with the water. Pour into jar with the glue and stir to combine.
Add the maple leaf confetti.
Seal the jar and shake well. If the glitter or confetti don’t move easily, you can add more warm water. If the glitter or confetti move too quickly, you can add additional glue.
When you’ve got things looking the way you want them to, seal the jar and glue the lid closed to avoid spills.
If you want to, you can cover the lid with a cupcake liner, washi tape, seasonal duct tape, or other decoration. If you want to achieve the look of ours, use a hot glue gun to attach pine cones to the lid.

Note that supervision should be used when giving this jar to children as they will be able to get the lid off and that could make quite a mess! You also don’t want kids eating the contents of this jar so be sure to keep an eye on them with it.

You may be interested in some of other Fall themed sensory play activities:

Easy Fall Sensory Bag

Pumpkin Pie Scented Cloud Dough

Fall Leaves Slime

At the Beach Nature Sensory Bottle

By Sharla Kostelyk

It’s so easy to create this At the Beach Nature Sensory Bottle. It makes a great memento of a tropical or beach vacation too. You can gather the items while on holiday and bring the bottle home with you to remember the trip by.

I love that this discovery bottle uses things found in nature. Just like our Seashell Fossils in Playdough activity, this allows kids to explore using their senses and items they found themselves.

At the Beach Nature Sensory Bottle:

Supplies:

empty water bottle (I like the look of Voss bottles, but you can also purchase these empty sensory bottles)
seashells
sand
seagull feathers
seaweed
optional: super glue to seal the bottle cap

Directions:

Take a walk on the beach to collect the items you want to include in the sensory bottle.
Wash the items (other than the sand) and lay them out on paper towels to dry. Be sure they are fully dry before adding them.
Pour sand into the bottle until it is 1/4 to 1/3 of the way full. You can use a funnel to make this easier.*
Drop in small seashells, small sand dollars, seaweed, and feathers. You could also add small driftwood or rocks found on your walk.

*If you are on vacation and don’t have a funnel with you (because who brings a funnel on vacation?!), you can roll up a piece of paper into a funnel and pour the sand through that.

You can keep your creation as a keepsake from your vacation. You can use a permanent marker to write the location and year on the bottle and display it in your home.

Sensory and Learning Opportunities:

Sensory: This sensory play activity begins with the walk along the beach. The feel of the sand under their feet, the wind on their skin, the sound of the waves, the smell of the sea all engage the senses.

The experience continues with adding the collected items to the bottle. This beach sensory bottle involves the visual and tactile sensory systems and during the walk, the olfactory and auditory systems. Science: This activity encourages children to explore the world as they get up close to the beach. You can expand on what they learn by providing books about sea life and seashells so that they can discover what animals lived in the shells at one time.

Children can use the books or the internet as a reference for reading about how sand is made, the benefits of eating seaweed, or any other questions they have about the beach or the ocean. Here are some books that would fit well:

The Beachcomber’s Companion Seashells, Crabs and Sea Stars Shells Handbook

Communication: Kids can expand their vocabulary as they learn about the ocean, sea life, and the beach on their walk. They can further that discussion when filling the bottle and exploring it afterwards. This gives them the opportunity to ask questions and to talk about their discoveries.

Other sensory play ideas using things found in nature:

Seashell Fossils in Playdough

Nature Sensory Bottle

Outdoor Sensory Scavenger Hunt

Nature Weaving

Bath Time Sensory Bin with Ice and Gelatin

By Sharla Kostelyk

I love how this sensory play activity came together. I was at the Dollar Store (where I find a lot of my sensory inspiration) when I saw the cutest mini bath toys. It gave me an idea for a bath time themed sensory bin. I made the “water” out of gelatin that I dyed blue. When I added the bath toys, it looked good, but I felt like it was missing something. I wanted to create the look of bubbles in the “water” and I also wanted to add in another sensory dimension.

After considering a few ideas such as adding a layer of shaving cream to add another sensory element and to create the look of foam, I came up with a different plan. I decided to make round ice cubes and dye them blue. This would create the look of bubbles in the bath.

It would also add another sensory rich experience by adding cold and by allowing kids to explore different states of matter as the ice melted. I really love the way this sensory bin turned out!

Bath Time Sensory Bin:

Materials needed:

plastic bin
4 packs of gelatin
blue food colouring
water
round ice cube holders
small bath toys
optional: plastic knives, spoons, or scoops

Directions:

Make the gelatin according to the package directions, adding a few drops of blue food colouring to the water. Stir it directly in the bin. Allow to set. I put ours in the fridge to set.
Mix some blue food colouring in a pitcher of water and pour into the round ice cube mould. Freeze.
Add the bath toys to the bin on top of the gelatin once it has set.
After the ice balls are fully frozen, place them in the bin.
Let the play begin!

My kids enjoyed exploring in this bin. One of my daughters wanted to cut the shape of a fish out of the gelatin. She used a plastic knife and was easily able to cut out a jello fish. She later wanted to taste it. Since there’s no harm in that since it’s a taste safe sensory bin, she went ahead and took a bite. I hadn’t added any sugar to the gelatin, so she wasn’t a fan of the taste!

Sensory and Learning Opportunities:

The contrast of the moist, gummy gelatine and the cold, hard ice creates a really awesome sensory experience! This activity engages the visual, tactile, and gustatory (taste) sensory systems.

As kids explore through their senses, they learn about the world around them and about how to engage that world. They improve their communication by talking about what they are seeing, tasting, and feeling and by asking questions. Their vocabulary increases as they learn to describe certain textures, colours, or tastes.

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Here are some other toddler sensory activities you may be interested in:

Calming Bedtime Sensory Bottle

Condensed Milk Painting

Edible Shark Fluffy Slime

Shark Week Sensory Bottle

By Sharla Kostelyk

Celebrate Shark Week with this Shark Week Sensory Bottle. Kids are fascinated by sharks. They will enjoy the discovery using this sensory activity.

We have made several shark sensory play opportunities over the years including our shark sensory bag and edible shark slime.

What is Shark Week?

Shark Week has become so much more than TV shows on Discovery Channel. It originally began on July 17, 1988 and has grown increasingly in popularity since. It is designed to expand knowledge about sharks and therefore, lead to conservation efforts.

Shark Week is now celebrated through TV specials and activities. It has become so popular in fact that a hospital in Cincinnati began dressing its newborns in Baby Shark onesies in honour of Shark Week!

There are worksheets, crafts, themed camps, parties, recipes, and sensory activities. It seems that many countries have embraced the opportunity to learn about this animal. We decided to get in on this ourselves with this sensory bottle.

When is Shark Week?

Shark Week generally starts on a Sunday and takes place at the end of July or beginning of August. This year, it begins on July 28, 2019.

Shark Week Sensory Bottle:

Supplies:

empty water bottle (I like the look of Voss bottles, but you can also purchase these empty sensory bottles)
clear dish soap (I prefer Dawn or LemiShine because they are very thick)
shark figurines (these ones are from Dollar Tree and are stretchy)
green and yellow glitter
yellow sequins
green and teal small elastics (use those leftover rainbow loom ones!)
optional: super glue to seal the bottle cap

Directions:

Pour clear dish soap into the container until it’s about 2/3 full.
Add beads, sequins, glitter, mini elastic bands, and shark figurines.
Fill the remaining space with water.
If you’re going to be using this sensory bottle with small children, I suggest that you secure the lid by using Super Glue and allowing it to dry before allowing a child to play with it.

Small parts are contained in this bottle, so even if you secure the lid with glue, use adult supervision at all times.

Sensory and Learning Opportunities:

This sensory bottle is a great way for kids to become interested in learning more about sharks. They can watch the sharks “swim” and observe the different characteristics that they have.

Set out books about sharks for kids to further their interest. This will enable them to learn and ask questions.

Super Shark Encyclopedia: And Other Creatures of the Deep The Ultimate Book of Sharks (National Geographic Kids)How to Draw Incredible Sharks and Other Ocean Giants

This would correspond well with a shark or ocean themed unit in your classroom or homeschool.

Visual sensory input occurs while your child uses their eyes to explore what is in the bottle and the way that it moves. They also engage their tactile sensory system in holding the bottle, shaking it, and tipping it upside down.

Check out these other shark sensory activities!

Squishy Shark Sensory Bag

Taste Safe Shark Fluffy Slime