Today I am sharing our top 5 favorite sensory play ideas! If you haven't done sensory play with your child(ren) you really should! It's not only great developmentally but it's so much fun! For them and you! They are also safe for younger toddlers and babies you are still in the everything-I-see-must-go-in-my-mouth stage! :)
Our favorites:
5. Puffy paint. I think I enjoy this more then my little one since he isn't quite old enough to grasp the whole concept. But he still loves it! We follow this recipe. Very easy to make and it's completely edible.
Here's my little man enjoying painting!
4. Water and Ice! My son has always loved the water so this is one of his favorite activities. I have this really cute mold that I use to make the ice for this activity. I add a little bit of food coloring to the water before hand which makes the ice easier for the younger ones to see and grab. It's also cool to see the color seep off the little men into the water as they melt! :)
3. Glow sticks! This one was my husbands idea. I had to run to the store one evening and when I was gone the power went out. Not wanting our son to get scared he grabbed a bunch of our glow sticks and took them and him up to the bath. My son loved it! A bath and glowing sticks? What's not to love!
2. Cornstarch and water. Mix the 2 together and you have an amazing solid-liquid. I just eye it and it works every time. Just add the water very slowly to your cornstarch.We have also added some drops of food coloring to this but we love it just plain white! This does make a mess so either do it in the tub, an empty baby pool, or lay a drop sheet down to make clean up easy! I've done it each way but I always start it out in a glass baking dish and then as he plays he transfers it out.
1. Our absolute favorite is....our shredded paper sensory bin!! This wins our number one spot because not only is it fun and relatively easy to clean but it keeps my toddler entertained for 25-30 minutes...without me!! :) Win!!
*Please watch your child closely, especially if they are still in the mouthing stage! I'm always in the same room with my son when he plays with this, but he is over the mouthing stage. If he wasn't I would be giving him my full attention while he played with the paper bin. Especially if you add smaller objects for them to find in the paper! :)
I add some fun things to it like pom-poms, an old set of keys, a bucket and measuring spoon, and some animal figures with he loves digging for. It also helps engage him since he keeps finding new things hiding in the shredded paper!
For the sensory bin I used old newspapers, ads, mail, used paper etc that I had on hand and the sent them through my shredder. This is such a fun way to recycle and you can keep reusing it! We've been using the same paper for a few months now and have only added to it twice, because we had to shred some papers.
A few tips though:
*This does make a huge mess. My son and I love to have “snow" fights and it gets everywhere. If your other half doesn't like messes this is best to do when they are not home. Although beware, just because you are doing this they will come home early or unexpected. This happens pretty much every time I bring this one out! :P Oh well, he can deal with it. ;)
(The aftermath...thankfully it takes me less then 5 minutes to clean.)
*Sweep before bringing out the bin. I don't allow this one out unless I've just swept that way nothing gets in with the paper and we can reuse it again and again!
*Make sure to have a “snow" fight. You will all love it!
* Most importantly, have fun!! :)
I hope you all love these as much as we do! If you try them I'd love to hear how you and your child(ren) liked them! What are some of your favorite sensory play activities?
~ Camille
