Let’s talk all things sensory play and so much more! I’m Ryanne, a primary trained school teacher now stay at home mother to my three little humans aged 3.5, 2 and a 6 month old.
I often get asked how do you have the time to set up activities or play trays for your kid’s….the answer? I simply don’t! I don’t always plan and setup activities for them because let’s be honest a) it’s just not practical and b) a child’s mind is great on it’s own. Let me tell you what I actually do though that I find works for my children.
I take note of what my kid’s are interested in and try to set up simple yet practical invitations for them that are completely open-ended which leaves room for their brilliant mind’s and own imagination’s.
I have two toddler boy’s who are very close in age and let me tell you, thing’s can become pretty hectic and overwhelming really quickly. How do I showcase learning through play when things seem totally chaotic?
MY HERO OFCOURSE! The power of sensory play! What is sensory play and why do we integrate this form of play in our household?
Social media has opened up a world full of creativity and wonderful ideas which is where I gather most of my play and learning inspiration from. The secret to sensory play in my eyes is to just keep it simple. Simplicity is key to the most successful forms of play so let’s explore some of the many benefits of sensory play further.
Sensory play focuses on engaging your child’s senses which mean’s there is so much more to fancy setups and all the extravagant play invitations that you may come across on social media. Sensory play is everywhere and just everyday things that your child is naturally surrounded by is the lead up to so many sensory play goodness.
I absolutely LOVE sensory play and I do it often with my boy’s. Why? Does it just seem repetitive sometimes? No…because providing opportunities for children to actively use their senses through this form of play supports their language development, cognitive growth, fine and gross motor skills, problem solving skills, developing their life skills, tactile learning and so much more!
Keep it simple, don’t overthink the concept of “sensory play” from what you see from other’s and just remember that you know your child best and know what they are interested in the most.
Here are some of our favourite easy sensory play setups:
A tub of water and pom poms or just water, food colouring and some household utensils
Play-dough
Simple sensory bases like rice + some tools to increase fine motor skills
Frozen parts (magnetic chips, pom poms, frozen figurines)
Shaving cream (add some food colouring)
Bubble foam (water + liquid detergent)
Letter or number rescue in water ( you could also add tape to make it more challenging)
There you have it, easy and practical sensory bin invitations that don’t need to cost too much or be overwhelming. Remember to work with your own child’s interest that will spark their imagination as well as hold their engagement.
Ryanne @the.everyday.learning.space
