It’s no secret that preschoolers love interactive experiences, especially if it involves sensory play. From infants up to ages four and five (and even beyond), children love to discover and explore using their senses. Whether it’s touch, sight, sound, smell, or taste, there are numerous fun ways to help preschoolers use their senses to make connections with the world around them.
If you have preschoolers at home, consider these simple and easy activities to help children spark curiosity and engage with the senses. Even better, most of these activities can be created with common household items in just a few minutes.
Sensory Tubs
Sensory tubs are a great way to combine all of the senses into one exploratory adventure. This makes them one of the most popular sensory activities for both younger and older preschoolers. All you need is a container that can be filled with a specific sensory material. Then, preschools can use spoons, measuring cups, and glasses to explore the material. Here are a few of our favorite sensory bin materials for older children:
Dry or cooked pasta
Dry rice
Beans or lentils
Kinetic sand or traditional sand
Water and dish soap with washable toys
Need other practical ideas? Pinterest is filled with fun sensory tub ideas! Because of the exploratory nature of sensory bins, they often make a great outside activity for preschoolers. It can be helpful to place the sensory bin where children can really engage and explore without fear of making a mess. It’s also important that you use sensory bins with children who are old enough to know not to eat the contents of the sensory bin. A gentle reminder can help, even with older children!
Bubbles
There’s just something about bubbles that excites the senses. Infants and toddlers enjoy being able to grab and pop bubbles while watching them move through the air. Older preschoolers love blowing bubbles—big and small! Bubbles and bubble accessories are easy to find at almost any store where toys are sold. But you can also mix dish soap and water to create your own bubble solution. Your child can pour, scoop, and stir to engage a little further with the senses of touch and sight.
Cooking
Including your preschooler in cooking activities is an easy way to engage all of the senses. Whether it’s safely cutting, counting, and sorting ingredients, exploring various food textures and colors, or performing taste tests, children can gain so much from taking part in cooking. Additionally, allowing infants to play with their food will introduce them to multiple textures that may help them with eating along the way.
Bonus idea: while you’re cooking dinner, you can assign your preschooler to find items lying around the house to mimic your dinner menu. They can build a sandwich out of small pillows and blankets or make a giant bowl of soup with toys or household objects.
Sensory Bags, Bottles, and Jars
A safe way to let young children explore is by using sensory bags, bottles, and jars to appeal to younger children’s sense of sight and touch. Especially for babies, being able to squeeze a colorful liquid or gel-filled bag can be intriguing and engaging. For older preschoolers, a colorful, fizzing bottle or jar’s visual appeal can spark many curiosities and questions. All you need are unused bottles or jars with secure lids or freezer bags filled with leaves, gelatin, spare craft materials, washable paints, or birdseed.
Finger Painting
Finger painting ignites the sense of touch for curious little fingers, similar to paper crafts. Sure, it’s a little messy, but the reward comes in the form of childlike pleasure and creative artwork treasures you’ll want to save for years to come. Grab some paper or cardboard and washable finger paints, and you’re on your way to minutes of sensory fun for your toddler or preschooler. Bonus tip: prepare the scene with newspaper or a dropcloth to keep things clean.
Making Music
Music-making for preschoolers is truly a delight for their sense of sound. Children of all ages generally love hearing and singing along with music, so encouraging them to participate in sensory activities is highly encouraged. While you may or may not have musical instruments lying around the house for children to play with, you can get creative by asking your child to find household objects to create music with. Ideas can include pots and pans, boxes, spoons and utensils, cans and bottles, or even cardboard tubes.
See and Hear Why Parents Choose The Gardner School
At The Gardner School, we partner with parents to help children succeed at school and at home. Our goal is to help children be prepared for kindergarten and beyond. Want to see for yourself why parents choose The Gardner School over other preschools? Contact us today to schedule a tour at The Gardner School nearest you. For additional sensory ideas and activities, you can also explore our Pinterest page.