Other Sensory Activities

At various times throughout the year, we change our sensory activities to give the children a broader range of experiences. Why? Because when children use sensory materials, they encourage the development of:

Fine motor skills (eye-hand coordination)

Creativity (artistic skills)

Creativity in play (deciding how to use the materials)

Social skills when they are in a group (sharing, cooperating)

Emotional development (tension releasing, soothing, failure proof, and confidence building)

The water table turns into the rice table where the children can sift and dig through the colored rice. It's a fun new texture for them to experience.

A table top covered with a black garbage bag turns into a shaving cream center where the children can draw patterns in the shaving cream, or even write their name. It's smelly and messy, and it's a fun new texture to play with.

When we have a fresh new snowfall, our water table can turn into a snow table by bringing buckets of snow into the classroom. Mittens are a must so that hands don't get too cold.

"Gak" is a fun putty-like substance that the children enjoy stretching and pulling until it breaks. It's another new texture, and one that really helps build those small muscles.

Parents can easily replicate these activities on a smaller scale in the home. Large plastic tubs can be used to hold rice or snow. The kitchen table can be covered with a dark colored garbage bag so that the white shaving cream will show up easily when is spread over it. "Gak" and similar substances are found at party stores.