The Chaos and the Clutter

Ocean Sensory Bag

When you can’t go to the ocean, bring it to you! That’s the sentiment behind this ocean sensory bag. It brings the feeling of the sea right into your home.

Ocean Sensory Bag:

Supplies needed:

small or medium resealable plastic bag
hand sanitizer or hair gel
blue food gel
glue glitter (optional)
Good Luck minis ocean pack
optional: duct tape (blue or mermaid duct tape look nice)

Directions:

Fill a small or medium sized resealable plastic bag less than halfway with hand sanitizer or hair gel.
Add some blue food gel. If you don’t have any, you can substitute drops of food colouring.
Sprinkle in some blue glitter.
Add the mini figures from the ocean pack.
Seal.
Squish to combine and especially to mix the colour in.
Open the bag again to remove any excess air and seal again.
If you want, you can fold duct tape over all four edges of the bag to secure.
Hand the bag to your child to play with.

Whether or not you secure the bag with duct tape, adult supervision should be used as this contains small parts that could present a choking hazard.

This ocean sensory bag pairs well with an ocean unit study. It’s a nice hands-on activity for kids who are interested in learning about sea life creatures. They can explore and discover through finding each of the aquatic animals.

If you want to expand this activity, you can write down the names of each of the items in the bag and have your child find each one and call out its name. They will delight in discovering the sea turtle, starfish, stingray, dolphin, shark, and fish.

Children get tactile, visual, and proprioceptive sensory input while playing with their sensory bag.

Looking for more easy sensory play recipes to cultivate fun? Join us for a free five day email series on Sensory Activities and Solutions and get a free of our Sensory Play Recipes eBook.

Try out some of these other ocean themed sensory activities:

Seaside Sensory Bin

Squishy Shark Sensory Bag

Ocean Sensory Bottle

Bug Action Cube Gross Motor Fun

By Sharla Kostelyk

Using this simple bug action cube, kids can work on their gross motor skills and get that all important sensory input. It also of course gives them something to do. This activity can be done inside or outside and is easy to set up.

This is a great (and inexpensive) way for kids to burn off energy. If you do an insect learning unit in your classroom or homeschool, it’s also a cute addition to your unit study. You can also pair this cube with our Bug Action Cards.

If you use the cube as part of an insect unit study, one way to expand the learning is to have your child read or research or draw each of the bugs represented.

Bug Action Cube:

Supplies needed:

paper
printer
Bug Action Cube (download that here)
scissors
glue or tape

Directions:

Download the action cube.
Print it out.
Cut it.
Fold along the dotted lines into a cube and glue or tape to attach.
Have your child roll the cube and follow the instructions on the side that it lands on.

Sensory and learning opportunities:

exercise (endorphins, improved mood, health)
reading
gross motor practise
improving communication skills
engaging the visual, tactile, and proprioceptive sensory systems
crossing the midline
provide a brain break

Breaking up schoolwork or screen time by providing a quick five minute brain break like this can actually make a significant difference in focus and concentration. These activities involve whole body movement so they are a wonderful reset to mood as well. You’ll be amazed the difference in your child after just a short brain break like this.

Add your email address to the box below to access your free Bug Action Cube to print off.

You may be interested in these other gross motor activities for kids:

Dinosaur Action Cube

Bug Action Cards

5 Trampoline Games

Button Stacking Fine Motor and Sensory Activities

By Sharla Kostelyk

With just a few simple supplies that you may already have kicking around the house, you can create all kinds of fun ways for your child to work on their fine motor skills. These button stacking activities are easy and effective. You can easily set these up at home or as a learning station in a preschool or Kindergarten classroom. It is inexpensive and fast to set up.

Button Stacking Activities:

Supplies needed:

dry spaghetti noodles
buttons of different sizes and colours
playdough (purchase it or make your own)

Directions for the noodles and buttons activity:

Make a ball of playdough and press down to flatten it.
Insert a few sticks of dry spaghetti into the playdough.
Lay out an assortment of buttons. It’s best to include as much variety as you can.
Show your child how to thread the buttons on the pasta and encourage them to try.
See how many buttons your child can stack without breaking the dry pasta.

Depending on the age and ability of your child you can have them insert the spaghetti noodles or you can set that part up for them.

Directions for the button tower building activity:

Roll playdough into small balls.
Set out an assortment of buttons in a variety of sizes and colours.
Invite your child to stack the buttons and the balls of playdough creating towers.

The playdough and buttons create a unique building material. What may seem like a simple activity is actually an introduction to engineering concepts. Kids can discover how many buttons they can stack before their tower tumbles or if stacking the buttons flat or sideways yields better results. They can also experiment with what building methods are most stable.

Sensory and learning opportunities:

These seemingly simple button stacking activities offer a lot of learning opportunities for kids.

language development as kids discuss things like colours and shapes
building dexterity
fine motor skill practise
STEM (engineering, science, and simple math such as counting buttons and balls)
tactile, visual, and proprioceptive sensory input

Check out these other fine motor activities for preschoolers:

Sprinkles Sensory Bag

Rainbow Playdough Fine Motor Activity

Ball and Bands Fine Motor Activity

Sprinkles Sensory Bag

By Sharla Kostelyk

I find that it’s often the easiest activity ideas that are the best. This fits that criteria. By making a Sprinkles Sensory Bag for your child or student, you can create an easy fine motor and sensory activity that also serves as a boredom buster.

Sprinkles Sensory Bag:

Supplies needed:

resealable plastic bag (sandwich or medium size*)
cake sprinkles
colourful duct tape
optional: paper

*While you can use a sandwich bag, I find that the freezer bags in size medium are thicker and less likely to tear so that’s what I always use for our sensory bags.

Directions:

Reinforce the sides and bottom of a zipper seal bag by folding duct tape over them.
Pour in some sprinkles.
Remove the excess air and seal the bag.
Fold another strip of the duct tape over the top.
Give the bag to your child.

Your child can trace letters, numbers, or shapes in the sprinkles with their finger. This will help reinforce learning and also give them fine motor practise.

If you want, you can write a letter, number, or shape on a piece of paper and lay the bag on top of the paper so that they can use that as their guide.

As far as sensory benefits go, this activity provides tactile, visual, and proprioceptive sensory feedback. If kids shake the bag, there is also a small amount of auditory sensory input as well. One of the things that’s nice about this is that it is safe for preschoolers and even toddlers because even if they are able to get the bag open, the sprinkles are edible. Of course, adult supervision should be used with all kids’ activities.

You may also be interested in these preschool fine motor activities:

Ball and Bands Fine Motor Activity

Rainbow Playdough Fine Motor Activity

Transportation Alphabet Playdough Mats

Ball and Bands Fine Motor Activity

By Sharla Kostelyk

Helping your child with their fine motor development doesn’t require fancy activities or expensive equipment. There are many things you can easily do at home to work on this skill with them. This ball and bands activity is such a simple fine motor challenge that kids can do with items you already have at home.

Ball and Bands Fine Motor Activity:

Supplies needed:

small elastic bands (like the Rainbow Loom kind you may have laying around!)
ball with textured knobs

Directions:

Stretch the bands to fit over the knobs of the textured ball. Add as many as you want to, but this activity is challenging for small hands, so be sure to consider the ability of the child. It’s best not to put too many bands on the ball which could cause frustration.
Encourage your child to carefully remove the bands from the ball. This will work on their fine motor skills, pincer grasp, and concentration.
Once your child has mastered this skill, you can have them try to place the elastic bands on the knobby ball themselves.

In addition to working on pincer grasp, fine motor, and concentration, kids will also be receiving that all important sensory input. So this seemingly simple activity packs big value.

It is quick to set up and inexpensive. This is perfect for preschoolers and with help, even some toddlers can attempt this.

To expand this activity:

For older kids or those with more advanced fine motor skills, you can have them try to create shapes using the loom bands on the spikes on the ball. Let them get creative!

Please note that the rubber bands are small and therefore, adult supervision should be used with this (or any of our other) activities.

You may also be interested in these fine motor activities for kids:

Rainbow Playdough Fine Motor Activity

Seashell Fossils in Playdough

Simple Scooping Busy Bag

Science Sensory Bins for Hands-on Learning

By Sharla Kostelyk

Science sensory bins for hands-on learning allow kids to explore through their senses and interact with what they are studying. They are a great way to increase interest and engagement.

Hands-on learning is also a great way to increase retention of concepts. Sensory bin are easy to set up but offer a big payoff in terms of interest and interaction.