In this BLOG post I will teach you our favorite tips and tricks on how to begin sensory play at home,
Sensory Play encourages learning through curiosity, creativity, and free exploration of materials. It uses your senses to explore, learn and play.
Exploring sensory play can be an excellent tool for supporting self-regulation. It can be a safe way to release big energy or emotions.
Sensory play is open-ended and inclusive: there is no right or wrong way to explore the materials! It also is ageless. It can bring children (and adults) of all ages and abilities together, through play.
There is also a TON of opportunities to incorporate language into sensory play. You can introduce new vocabulary words in a fun and purposeful way. Depending on their ages and abilities, this could be words such as: scoop, pour, push. It could be descriptive words such as sparkly, shiny or small. It could be color words or directional words or number words.
Speaking of number words, you can use sensory play to introduce or reinforce academic skills. Are you introducing colors? Toss in some Pom Poms or colorful gems. Are you working on letters? Add in your favorite plastic or wooden letters and identify their names and sounds as you play. Conting? Patterning? Sorting? Measuring? Sensory play can do that too!!!
Sensory play also provides age-appropriate opportunities to work on important social skills such as manners, turn-taking, sharing materials and sharing space. It can also be differentiated in SO many ways. Do you have a dino lover? Throw some dinosaurs in! Diggers? Perfect! Barbies or animals or things that sparkle? We have a sensory bin for that!!!
I can't forget to mention the INCREDIBLE ways that sensory play supports our fine and gross motor skills. Fine Motor Skills strengthen the small muscles in the fingers, arms, and wrists. They are important for life skills such as cutting, feeding yourself, drawing, writing, brushing teeth, zipping up a coat, tying shoes, and so much more!
The earlier we can introduce activities to strengthen those muscles, the better! Research shows that children who have more opportunities to smoosh, squeeze, dig, pull, dump and pour have an easier transition down the road when they are asked to hold a pencil and write!
If you have a resistant writer this may be the reason! If those muscles are weak, holding a pencil and forming letters will feel HARD. It will hurt. It will be exhausting. They may understand the concept that is being asked (writing sight words, sentences, math problems etc) but the labor of writing is so overwhelming that they stop or complain or quit before they should.
But sensory play does NOT have to be complicated (I PROMISE)! It can truly be as simple or as elaborate as you want it to be. It doesn't have to take you hours to set up or clean up. It should not be something that causes you stress.
You can color the sensory base OR you can keep it as is. The benefits are the same.
You can make play dough OR you can use storebought. The benefits are the same.
You can set-up messy play OR you can skip it. You can dig in a sensory bin or you can head outside and dig in the dirt. You can switch it up frequently or you can use the same bin each and every time. I promise, it is whatever you want it to be. It will be amazing and beneficial no matter how you choose to do it.
A Play Filled Life Tips on How to Begin
Read through this post & familiarize yourself with sensory play.
As you read through, make note of supplies that you have, activities that you & your child feel drawn to & ones that you may want to save for later.
Ask yourself what senses you would like to engage?
Our FIVE senses are touch, taste, smell, feel & sight. Are you looking to activate a specific sense or are you hoping to let that come natural during the play process?
Consider your environment.
Do you have a beautiful new rug? That’s probably not the space for sensory play. Look around your environment & make note of spaces that are open, available & easily cleaned. You may even want to designate one specific space for sensory play. This will help to create a routine, minimize mess & reduce stress when beginning sensory play.
Choose a sensory activity.
Do you want to try something that is messy, non-messy, edible, non-edible? Use your child’s ages & stages to determine which type of sensory play you would like to start with. My suggestion: start small, start simple & start safe.
Gather materials.
You do NOT have to go out & spend tons of money on sensory play. Look around your environment- what do you have that you can repurpose? Your kitchen is the best place to look: slotted spoons, strainers, turkey basters, measuring cups & spoons, etc.
Make sensory play part of your existing routine.
Do you normally play in the mornings? Perfect, incorporate sensory play into your day in a way that feels natural & authentic.
Set realistic expectations.
It might get messy. Your child may not be interested the first time around. It may take time to get into a successful sensory routine for you all!
How to Set Yourself up For Success
Prepare your environment:
Choose your buffer: an old sheet, a tablecloth, a beach towel, plastic shower liner, etc. and lay that down. Designate a space in your environment that is easily accessible, easily cleaned and comfortable for all.
Gather your materials:
Before I bring a child over to play, I make sure to have everything I need to be successful. Think ahead: bring over wipes, paper towels, etc. Gather all of the scoops, cups and trinkets that you think will be explored. If your child is helping you set up, remind them that play isn’t going to start until everything is ready. Incorporating a fun code word is a great way to practice this, “When I say sparkle, it’s time to start playing!”
Base sensory experiences off of your child’s interests and abilities:
This should be an engaging experience. Trying something for the first time can lead to sensitive feelings, but there are ways to set your child up for success. If you know that they prefer clean hands, save messy recipes for later when they have built up a tolerance.
Model, Teach, Reinforce, REPEAT!
Sensory play is open-ended, there is no one way to play! That being said, if you sit with your child in the beginning and model your expectations it will help to ensure future sensory play success. More on this next!
Clothing:
Wear clothing that is washable. Choose items that everyone is comfortable with getting messy. Do you have a child in a diaper? Sensory play in a diaper is easy clean-up: wipe them down or head straight for the tub! Is it warm? Bathing suits outdoors is also a great option.
Boundaries & Expectations
Sensory play can be messy, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming.
Be clear & consistent with your boundaries and expectations. Expectations are not HOW to play with the materials, but ways to play safely & responsibly. For instance: “Rice stays in bin.”
Model, teach & reinforce those expectations. Sit with them & show them. Play with them to guide them but allow them creative freedom!
If they are pushing a boundary (i.e. throwing rice out of the bin), give them a verbal prompt. It could sound like this: “Rice stays in bin..” Keep your language clear, consistent & short. If the unwanted behavior continues after two prompts, remove the bin & try again at a later time. It could sound like, “Rice stays in bin. We will try again later.”
When we are modeling boundaries, it’s important to tell them exactly what we are expecting from them. Use specific language that they can understand, then get on their level and physically show them what that means. Sit and scoop the rice in the bin and say “rice stays in bin!”
Reinforce them when they follow your expectations, “Yay! Rice in bin!!”
With dough recipes, a boundary could sound like, “play dough on tray.” Whenever you play with dough, it stays on the tray and perhaps “tools on tray” as well.
Setting boundaries is healthy and consistently modeling and reinforcing those boundaries will help to make your sensory journey fun, engaging and enjoyable for all!
So How Do I Begin?
First: Start with a Container
This could be any type of bin or container: a store-bought sensory bin, a large tray, a shallow cardboard box, a cookie sheet, or a Rubbermaid bucket are all options!
Then: Fill with a Base
From food-based fillers (like white rice or pasta), to non-food-based fillers (shaving cream, Legos), there are so many fun options!
To Finish: Add the Tools
Kids love to scoop, dump, and pour! Include any kind of tool that allows them to do just that!
You could use:
Measuring cups / spoons
Candy scoops
Old coffee scoops
Shovels
Muffin tins
Medicine droppers
Water bottle caps
Ice cube tray
Safety Considerations
You get to decide what is safe & manageable in your home.
Sensory play can be done safely. Like any activity you do with children, their age, stage & developmental level needs to be taken into consideration before beginning and choosing materials.
Be mindful of the size & shape of materials you are choosing.
Small objects are choking hazards. If your child is exploring with their mouths, avoid tiny objects that can be dangerous. Be mindful of items that are sharp, jagged and/or pointy.
Be mindful of the way in which you present materials.
If you are exploring water or any liquid, start with a small amount (an inch or two of water in a large container) and monitor closely.
Clean & sanitize materials before & after use.
Wash your sensory bins with soap and water after each use. Plastic trinkets (animals, legos, gems, etc) can be soaked in a bowl of hot, soapy water then left out to dry on a towel.
Be mindful of the ages and stages of your child(ren) before choosing sensory play activities.
I typically begin sensory play with my children along with tummy time. That being said, I closely monitor for safety and choose ideas that are safe for them to explore. Sensory play can be a very useful tool in assisting with developmental milestones such as sitting up, crawling, standing, feeding yourself, zippering your coat etc. But again, use your knowledge of your individual child and monitor them for safety at all times.
*Never leave a child unattended in or around water. Closely monitor children while exploring small items that may be choking hazards.
Check out our E-Book: The Complete Guide to Sensory Play HERE!!!
Over 95 pages of sensory play goodness! Are you looking for a way to bring sensory play into your home, classroom or therapy space? Meet A Play FIlled Life: A Complete Guide to Sensory Play. Our Sensory Play Guide is unique; it not only breaks down all of our favorite sensory play recipes, it shares storage tips, how to contain the mess, benefits of messy play, how to set healthy boundaries and MORE!
This Guide was created specifically to provide meaningful sensory-play opportunities for your child or student. Through those opportunities, they will strengthen fine & gross motor skills, enhance opportunities to develop language & vocabulary & practice important social skills. I took my 20+ years of teaching experience as a special educator and sensory play advocate & poured it into this e-book. My goal is to show you that sensory activities can be simple, impactful & hands-on.
Comments