Sensory Play Ideas
Sensory play encourages learning through exploration, curiosity, problem solving and creativity. Sensory bins provide opportunities for your child to explore multiple senses, including sight, sound, touch, and smell. Playing with a sensory box can be a very relaxing and calming experience. If your child is getting overstimulated, bringing out a sensory box may help head off a meltdown. Engaging with sensory items creates an atmosphere that supports mindfulness, attention, and regulation.
Sensory Items From Home
Sensory items can be found all around your home and be used to create sensory activities. These activities can be as simple or complex as you’d like.
Shaving Foam
Shaving foam can be put into any type of container or even on a table for your little ones to explore. You can add food coloring and glitter to change the colour and textures. Shaving foam play is suitable for children aged 1 and above. Shaving foam play helps children develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination by picking up, moving, and drawing with their fingers in the shaving cream. You can draw shapes, simple figures, or letters to engage your child in more learning activities.
Sensory Bag
Sensory bags can be made by adding hair gel or oil along with food colouring, rice, flour to a ziploc bag. The types of sensory bags you can make are endless! Sensory bags help young children to develop their sense of touch and fine motor skills as they manipulate the small objects around the bags. Sensory bags are suitable for all ages and are mess free play.
Salt Dough
Salt dough is created by mixing flour, salt and water. It is similar to Play-Doh but can be baked to a permanent finish. It is suitable for ages 1 and above. For toddlers, it improves grip, hand-eye coordination and helps develop pre-writing skills. With slightly older children, it's a great way to get them to use their creativity and imagination and work on their fine motor skills.
Sensory Items for Purchase
Sensory light up balls
Sensory light up balls are suitable for children 6 months and up. Sensory balls can help improve vision and focus and can also help to strengthen the muscles in their eyes. Baby sensory lights help to improve your baby's levels of concentration and awareness of the world around them. Sensory lights can also be great for any age, not just babies.
Fidget Toys
You can use fidget toys to create a sensory box in your home. Fidget toys are normally suitable for ages 36 months and up depending on the items as some can be choking hazards. Fidget toys can provide a simple and effective way to release excess energy and improve focus. They can also be a fun and engaging activity to keep children occupied during long car rides or other situations where they may become bored or restless.
Liquid Timers
Liquid timers greatly help children to relax and develop patience in their personality. They help children sit and observe the flow of colours, thus improving and building observational skills. Liquid timers are suitable for all ages.
About the OneSpace Children’s Atelier
The OneSpace Children’s Atelier is staffed by EarlyChildhood Educators passionate about creating an enriching experience for children.
The Children’s Atelier is open Monday - Friday 8:30am - 5:00pm. Book for as little as 1 hour!
