One thing that brings us joy as parents are seeing our kids happy as they fiddle with their toys or engage in some fun activity around the home. Nothing comes close to it. Children are inquisitive creatures. They love to explore and that’s why you must play your part in engaging them using creative sensory activities.
Sensory activities, like the name suggests, are activities that utilize your kids’ senses: taste, sound, smell, sight, touch, movement, and balance. Kids learn and make progress through their senses, as it helps them to develop cognitive skills. Whether your child is a toddler, preschooler, or going through sensory processing disorders, sensory activities are your best bet in seeing them develop quickly.
We have rounded some sensory activities for toddlers will love. Do check them out.
Sensory activities for toddlers
If you’ve got a toddler, you can try out these exciting sensory activities.
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Sand table. Which kid doesn’t love to play with sand? Pique your child’s interest with the sights and sounds of a beach using a sand table. Buy colored sand from any kiddies’ shop and fill up a bowl with it. Your kid will experience fun playing with it and burying their toys inside. Older kids can also use it to practice drawing shapes, alphabets, and symbols.
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Floor trays. This exercise is quite easy to carry and your kid will love it. Simply pour some flour into a baking sheet, paper plate or tray and let your kids exhibit their inner Picasso. They can also use the flour to make handprints.
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Rock star. Kids love music and rhythm, and they will dance along as you turn your pots and pans into musical instruments.
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Wet paper. Fill up a large bowl with water and squeeze old newspapers into your kid’s hand to practice dunking. It is a fascinating exercise for your kids, and it would reveal their natural curiosity.
Sensory activities for kids with autism
Sensory activities are of great value for kids with autism. It can help to stimulate the brain, establishing neural pathways, and improve communication and cooperation. Practice these exercises with them.
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Car wash. Engage your kid by setting up a car wash in the nursery or out in the garden. Grab 2 basins and fill them up with water. Provide your kid with soap, sponges, and towels for washing and cleaning their plastic toys.
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Tasting game. In this activity, your kid will taste various food blindfolded, and guess what it is. This is a fun way of introducing new tastes to your kid and have a good understanding of what he or she likes and dislikes.
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Frozen toys. Grab a plastic box and fill it up with water and put some of your kid’s toys inside. Leave it inside the freezer it has frozen over. Hand the frozen box to your kid and watch as he or she tries to get their toys out of the ice using a selection of toy hammer or spray bottle with warm water inside.
Sensory activities for preschoolers
Try out the following sensory activity for your preschoolers:
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Organize a puppet show. You can make use of their toys, a sock or finger puppets, and put on an interesting show for them at the dining table.
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Sing together with them. Construct a microphone using cardboard paper and a tennis ball and get them to sing their favorite song.
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Give them a camera. Give your kids a camera and show them how to take pictures. They will enjoy their newfound hubby. Plus, you’re going to share chuckles when you view the pictures later.
Sensory activities are essential to the overall improvement of their cognitive and motor skills. Your kids are bound to fall in love with these sensory activities in your home.