Sensory play includes any activity that stimulates your child’s senses: touch, smell, taste, sight and hearing. Sensory activities facilitate exploration and encourage children to use scientific processes while they play, create, investigate and explore. Sensory play supports language development, cognitive growth, fine and gross motor skills, problem solving, and social interaction. This type of play aids in developing and enhancing memory. Sensory play is also great for calming an anxious or frustrated child.
Children's listening skills also influence their ability to read and write, and they greatly influence their social skills as well. This week, we will be focusing on the sense of hearing! Below are some ideas of what you can do to stimulate your child's sense of hearing!
Questions to think about:
Do you hear the difference?
Is this one louder or quieter?
Does it have a higher pitch or a low roar?
Do they sound the same?
Have you heard that sound before?
Hearing
READ ALOUD A SILLY BOOK
PLAY WITH MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
MAKE EDIBLE SHAKER CONTAINERS - Fill empty containers with anything that can rattle together to make different tones or sounds (i.e. rice, dried beans, coins, paperclips, etc.)
WATER XYLOPHONE - Fill similar sized and shaped glasses with different levels of water. Use a metal spoon to ping the glasses allowing your kiddos to notice the varying tones depending on the amount of water in each glass.
SOUND TEST ACTIVITY - (Recommended for older kids) Blindfold your kiddos and then made various noises around the house and have them guess what you're doing. Examples of what you could do: opening and closing a drawer, jingling car keys, filling a glass of water, putting toys in the toy box, zipping up a jacket zipper, separating velcro, or bouncing a ball.
PLAY ANY CHILDREN'S MUSIC - Music ignites all areas of child development and skills for school readiness, including intellectual, social-emotional, motor, language, and overall literacy. It helps the body and the mind work together. Exposing children to music during early development helps them learn the sounds and meanings of words.
GIGIL STEM subscription boxes come with 5 hands-on learning activities for kids aged TK-5th grade. We offer 3, 4, 6, or 12-month subscriptions, with separate boxes for TK-1st grade with age appropriate activities. We also accept charter funds! We are currently approved with iLead, Compass, Sky Mountain, and Sage Oak Charter Schools. If you'd like us to apply to become a vendor for your charter school, email us at hello@gigilstemkits.com!