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.
The sense of sight is the stimulation of light receptors in our eyes, which our brains then interpret into visual images. Below are some ideas of what you can do to stimulate your child's sense of sight!
Questions to think about:
What do you see?
What color is that?
Where is your toy?
What does it look like?
Sight
COLOR WHEEL - Cut white card stock into a large circle (approx. 6 inches) or use the back of a paper plate. Color 6 sections (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple). Take 6 clothes pins and color each one with a different color. Have your kiddos try to place the colored clothes pins onto the corresponding colored area on the color wheel!
LOOK + REMEMBER GAME - Set ten objects on a tray + instruct your kiddos to study it carefully. Remove the tray after two minutes, and ask your child(ren) to remember as many items as they can.
BUBBLE PLAY - This one is simple! Just blow some bubbles or use a bubble machine + allow your kiddo to enjoy!
PLAY HIDE + SEEK WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL - Try hiding a favorite stuffed animal + let your kids try to find it, or let them hide the toy while you look! This is a perfect indoor activity as we start to experience colder weather!
"DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE?" - Choose 3 to 4 areas of the house or yard to go explore. Some examples would be "what can you see from the dining room table?", "what can you see from the front porch?" or "what can you see from your bed?". Once you have decided on the areas, go to the different places and ask your children to tell you what they see! Consider writing it down as they tell you, to keep track and then compare to the next time you play, to check if their attention to detail has changed!
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!