Sensory play includes any activity that stimulates your child’s senses: touch, smell, taste, sight and hearing. In each of our STEM Subscription Boxes for ages TK - 1st grade, we incorporate as many aspects of sensory play as possible.
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.
Below are some ideas of what you can create for some sensory hands on fun!
Touch
Try putting these items in bins or Ziploc bags and allow your kiddos imaginations run wild as they play hands-on!
MOON SAND
RICE
PASTA NOODLES
BLACK BEANS
SHREDDED PAPER
HAIR GEL (in Ziploc baggies)
SHAVING CREAM (in Ziploc baggies)
BALLOONS (filled w/ various items)
SENSORY TISSUE BOX
-Try filling an empty tissue box with various pieces of fabric or cotton balls, allowing your kids to experiment with reaching in to see what they feel, are able to grab and pull out of the box.
OOBLECK
-1 part water
-1.5 to 2 parts cornstarch
- Small amount of food coloring (optional)
Sensory play activities commonly involve touching, pouring, pinching, sorting and more. Children primarily use their hands to explore, and in doing so, they build their fine motor skills that will eventually be used for activities such as writing, buttoning clothes, tying shoes, picking up items, and handling objects.
Through the exploration of touching different items and textures, children will also discover new ways to describe objects they find in the world around them. For example, beans will become more than just beans as they feel and play with them - now beans can be small, round, and smooth.
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!