Summer Sensory Fun!

Warning: messy but fun!

Sensory activities are such a fun and incredibly important part of early childhood learning. The best part- there are SO many different ways to give kids opportunities to engage their senses during summer learning. These are activities that incorporate the senses- different textures, sounds, tastes, colors, etc. Basically we are looking for ways to stimulate their senses and give them opportunities to play with different materials!

Quick note on the importance of sensory activities for development:

• Helps children explore and make sense of the world around them.

• Aids in understanding cause and effect, and making connections early on

• Acts as a foundation for deeper learning in all areas as they grow

• Provides hands-on experiences that practice fine and gross motor skills (think scooping, pouring and grabbing different types of items)

• Can be calming and foster independence, creativity, and a love of learning

• Parents can help build vocabulary by describing how things look and feel. "This sandpaper is rough but the playdough is squishy."

Some fun summer themed activities to try at home! Just make sure your littles are supervised!!

1. Shaving Cream Art

   • Materials: Shaving cream, food coloring or paint, tray, card stock.

   • Place shaving cream on a cookie sheet or other tray, add food coloring or paint to make different colors. Press paper in the shaving cream to make marbled prints.

2. Garden Sensory Walk

   • Materials: Access to a garden or backyard.

   • Go on a scavenger hunt and look for different things to collect- sticks, leaves, flowers and listen for different sounds.

3. Scented Playdough

   • Materials: Homemade playdough (see our sensory activity page for recipe) with essential oils (lemon, mint, cinnamon).

4. Frozen Toy Rescue

   • Materials: Small toys frozen in ice, tools like spoons or salt.

   • Fill a small container with water and place toys inside. Freeze and then use spoons to rescue the toys from the ice!

5.  Ice Cube Painting

   • Materials: Ice cubes with food coloring, paper.

   • Use ice cubes, dip in food coloring and then paint on paper (for even more fun get a big roll of paper)

6. Sand Exploration Bin

   • Materials: Sand (kinetic or regular), shovels, small containers, shells, toys.

   • Bury "treasures" and have a dig-and-find activity.

7. Water Play Station

   • Materials: Buckets, measuring cups, spoons, sponges, water beads, or small toys.

   • Instructions: Fill a shallow basin with water or use a store-bought water table.

8. Fruit Smash Sensory Play

   • Materials: Soft fruits (e.g., strawberries, bananas, watermelon, kiwi), shallow bin or tray, Potato masher or spoon

   • Instructions: Place soft, washable fruits into the bin. Let your child smash, squish, and squeeze the fruits using their hands or tools.