SENSORY ACTIVITIES

5 SENSES INTRODUCTION OF STATIONS

THREE DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES OF SENSORY PLAY FUNCTIONAL PLAY (EXPLORATORY STAGE)  Use senses to become familiar  Sensory experiences lead to acquired information

BIRD SEED TODDLER

CONSTRUCTIVE PLAY  Acquired information and knowledge are applied  Activities are more intentional

PRESCHOOLERS AND WATER

DRAMATIC PLAY  Extension to constructive play  Experimentation with what works vs. what doesn’t  Children use imaginations to incorporate socio-dramatic elements

SHAVING CREAM PLAY +cream&search_type=&aq=f

SAND WRITING This is also a SUPER pre writing activity

TOUCH A texture matching game gives your preschooler the opportunity to compare different textures and match them with others that are similar. with scraps of various materials such as; fabrics, sand paper, bubble wrap and smooth paper glued to squares of cardboard use descriptive words such as soft, bumpy, smooth or scratchy to help child identify the differences.

TEXTURE WALK

FEELING AND IDENTIFICATION Challenge your children to identify objects by feeling them, without looking at them. Put objects, such as crayons, blocks, small cars or combs, one at a time into a sock. Have your child reach in and try to guess what the object is.

WATER BEADS w&index=14&feature=plcp

Goop and silly putty are inexpensive mixtures that offer great tactile experiences. They can be enhanced by adding things like glitter or sand to create a gritty feel. Goop can be made easily by mixing equal parts corn starch and water. Silly putty consists of equal parts liquid laundry starch and white glue.

SHAVING CREAM Shaving cream is another inexpensive sensory activity for young children. Put it on the table and let children put their hands in it and experience the feel of the foam. Do NOT leave container in reach of children….

SMELL Play dough and shaving cream have distinctive smells, which make them great for a smelling activity. Fragrance could also be added to homemade goop or silly putty. Be careful of allergies in the children and your staff.. Some smells can trigger asthma attacks or headaches.

SMELLING GAME To challenge your pre-schooler's sense of smell, create a guessing game. Put small amounts of things with strong or recognizable smells into cups. Some good choices are mustard, vinegar, barbecue sauce, lemon, orange and cinnamon. Cover them with wax paper held in place with rubber bands. Poke some small holes in the waxed paper, and ask your child to smell and try to identify each item.

TASTE Use the same items, or any other food items that your child knows and likes, and do a blindfolded taste test. Ask your child to guess what each item is. Ask him to describe what the items taste like. Try mixing some flavors to make it a little more challenging. Many children will NOT taste something without seeing it first!!!

HEARING Animal Bingo and Listening Lotto are two great games to help children use their sense of hearing. Each comes with picture cards and tapes with sounds to match the pictures.

SIGHT Bug in a rug is a fun guessing game that helps children focus on their sense of sight. Place 3 or 4 different types of toy bugs or pictures of bugs on a table. Let your child spend a minute looking at them. Then ask your child to close his eyes while you hide one of them under a small towel. Can he figure out which one is missing? This game can be played with a variety of objects, such as crayons and small toys. Using a thin towel or other piece of cloth which leaves a visible outline of the object, ask your child to try to identify it by its shape.crayons