Sensory Activities for Toddlers pt. 2
Hiiiii friends!
Today I’ve got a part two for ya ~ more sensory activities!
I have a previous blog post that goes over even more sensory activities, so be sure to check that one out after this.
Sensory activities are extremely beneficial to children and babies of all ages! They encourage scientific thinking, independence, allow for open-ended play and promotes their cognitive development.
Of course the sensory activity will need to be age appropriate, but no matter if it’s a newborn or elementary school student, everyone can benefit from sensory activities.
These particular activities are most appropriate for toddlers or children who are not mouthing everything. But use your best judgement since you know your child best and be sure to supervise at all times.
I hope you find inspiration from these easy sensory activities and get to playing with your little ones!!
Jello Slime
Supplies:
+ Jello Slime container
+ Hot water
+ Bowl
+ Tray
+ Smock
+ Waterproof Mat
Instructions:
+ Mix three scoops of Jello Slime powder with one scoop of hot water until all powder is dissolved
+ Let your child get messy with it!
+ Optional: spoons, scoopers to play with
Water Beads + Shaving Cream
Supplies:
+ Water beads
+ Large bowl
+ Two medium bowls
+ Shaving Cream
+ Smock
+ Waterproof Mat
Instructions:
+ Hydrate 1-2 teaspoons of water beads with 4-6 cups of water. Use warm water to hydrate them faster.
+ Once hydrated to desired size, place beads in one bowl and shaving cream in another bowl (or arrange them however you choose)
+ Let your kiddie have at it!
Rainbow Rice
Supplies:
+ 4 Cups of Rice
+ 4 sandwich size Ziploc bags
+ Food coloring
+ 2 teaspoons of water
+ Medium bin
+ Optional: scoopers, small bowls, animals
Instructions:
+ Place 1/2 teaspoon of water and 10 drops of food coloring in each ziploc bag (a different color in each bag)
+ Put 1 cup of rice in each bag, seal and shake until all coloring is evenly distributed
+ Empty each bag of rice on it’s own parchment paper for it to dry to prevent stained hands, bowls and floors
+ Once dried, place rice in a container with scoopers or bowls to play with
+ Have fun!
When it comes to sensory activities, it’s best to allow your child to play independently with little intervention from you. My son ended up putting his foot in the bin of rainbow rice and I almost told him to take his foot out but I stopped myself because there was nothing wrong or dangerous about him doing so.
Although it should be open-ended, independent play there can still be boundaries set. If I start the activity and let my son know that we can play and use our hands and spoons but we cannot put it in our mouth or throw it off the mat, my son gets one warning before the activity is over and we clean up.
It looks like this:
Me: Here we go! You can use your hands or spoons to play with your rainbow rice but let’s keep it in the bin and on the mat
Noah: *throws it off the mat*
Me: Noah, please keep the rice on the mat. If it gets thrown again, the activity will be over
Noah: *throws rice again*
Me: *calmly picks Noah up and puts activity away/cleans up* Okay, we’re done with the rainbow rice for today. We can try to keep the rice on the mat tomorrow/next time
He almost never throws it/doesn’t listen twice in a row, but even if the throws are 10 minutes apart, I still gently but firmly end the activity so he knows that that is not how we play with the rice.
Although these activities are for my son, the more I prepare and supervise his sensory activities, the more ~I~ learn as well. I learn how to be patient. I learn to sit on my hands and hold my tongue to allow my son to freely play without being told the “right” way to scoop or play.
Besides the general safety rules, I try to keep it as open-ended as possible and keep any direction to myself.
If you want to engage with your child, it’s best to keep your comments as observations instead of “good job” or nit-picking what they’re doing.
A few examples of comments based on observation:
+ “I see you’re scooping the rainbow rice!”
+ “Ooh, that's a big handful of water beads!”
+ “That slime is sticky!”
Bottom line when it comes to sensory activities: let your child explore and have fun!
I hope you found today’s post helpful :) If you prepare any of these for your child, tag me on Instagram! I’d love to see all of your activities.
Feel free to comment or DM me if you have any questions. I also have a YouTube video showing you all of these activities if you want to check that out too!
Thanks for being here! That’s all I’ve got for ya for today…
sending you love + light
xx, Laurena