Sensory Play Ideas - Week 1

The littlest in our family is turning 18 months old next month. He is now extremely exploitative and always wanting to be engaged. As much as I can, I'll challenge myself weekly, to keep up with his growth, engaging him in sensory activities that taps on his basic senses of sight, smell, touch, hear and taste.

Sensory play is one activity that stimulates a child's most familiar and basic ways to explore and perceive new information. Here are 5 sensory play ideas we did in a week, sparing Saturday and Sunday, as they are good days to venture outdoor.

1. Colour cubes
Freeze coloured watered to make coloured ice cubes! Use them for play and drawing. Juboy loves that coldness and masterpiece he got from those cubes.

Items need:

• ice cube tray
• food colouring
• drawing paper
• water 

Various colours of cubes

Drawing on paper

2. Webbed basket

After emptying his laundry basket, web it with yarn and put some of your child's toys in for him to navigate out. He will choose either patience or frustration while trying to retrieve them. I witnessed a mix of both emotions.

Items needed:

• Toys of various sizes
• Basket with holes for webbing
• Yarn

Various sizes of toys

Trying to get his toy out

3. Squishy Bag

This squishy bag is really easy fun for write and erase. We wrote letters and did shapes on it. You may even put small toys in it! Mix the flour, water and drops of colouring together. Pour it into the zip lock and seal tight. 

You may use your finger or a cotton bud to do writing on it. 

Items needed:

• Small square zip lock bag
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3 tbsp water
• colouring

Letter learning

Printing shapes on it

4. Ball into Box 
Use a small box and cut out some circles, good enough size for your ball to pop in. I manged to cut three circles out of my box.

Items needed:

• Small box
• ball
• penknife/scisscors 
• Tape for sealing the box

This is so fun that even the older kids joined in for play. They stood from a distance and challenged themselves to aim the ball in.  

Aim the ball in

5. Finger a line

Draw coloured lines and prepare colour paint matching those lines. I guided Juboy to finger paint the  colours on the respective coloured line. Which eventually, he decided to paint everywhere and anywhere. Even on the floor!

Whichever way, as long as they are having fun with colours.

Items needed:

• Colour paint
• Colour markers
• Palette
• Drawing paper

Finger painting on line

Red on red, green on green and blue on blue

I sure took a long break from such sensory activities. It is so wonderful to be starting school with the youngest of the family. Sensory play opportunities are great for teaching and guiding a child's learning journey! It is true when we say kids learn most from play.

Aiming to share another week of sensory fun!