Various Sensory Activities
I am always looking for new (and fun) ways to expose the boys to different textures to stimulate their senses. I also like to find a way to make the sensory activity educational so that we’re practicing multiple skills at the same time.
I’ve compiled a variety of videos with how-to instructions to help you get started.
Here’s a fun sensory bag idea with frozen peas that can help strengthen fine motor skills, numeracy and hand-eye coordination.
What You Need:
Ziploc freezer bag (use a cotton ball and hand sanitizer to remove the label)
Sharpie to draw your peapods
Clear hair gel or baby oil gel
Frozen peas
Painted chickpeas can be used for a variety of activities. Examples include sorting (by colour), arts and crafts, and sensory bins. Picking up the chickpeas alone can strengthen your child’s pincer grip and fine motor skills.
To paint chickpeas, you will need:
A bag of dry (uncooked) chickpeas
Paint (can be acrylic or washable)
Ziploc bag (can use sandwich size)
Flat pan with paper towel to lay the chickpeas flat after they’re painted so that they can dry (usually just a few minutes if you used washable paint)
How to dye chickpeas for sensory activities.
One of our chickpea craft creations. I wrote the boys’ names on a thick piece of cardboard with a Sharpie marker and used a screwdriver to create little holes. They used the colourful chickpeas and punctured them through to create their names. A great activity to strengthen their fine motor skills, pincer grip strength and hand-eye coordination!
Shaving cream can be used for a variety of crafts and adding some colour can make it more interesting and fun.
For this activity you will need:
Muffin tin
Shaving cream
Food colouring (I use Watkins with no artificial dyes)
Spoon (for stirring)
Construction paper
Sharpie (to write word)
How To Dye Shaving Cream
Orbeez water beads can be a great addition to a sensory bin. Your child/student can use their hands, scoopers and/or cups to stimulate their senses. They can play with them in a sensory bin or in a large bowl. The boys enjoy putting their hands in bins with the beads and moving them from one bin/bowl to another.
I like to store them in my fridge in a Ziploc bag after the boys are finished with their play - This helps keep them fresh.
If you’re searching for a sensory table, check out Decor Owl on Instagram. They are a lovely Canadian small business and they recently designed a beautiful sensory table for the family that was selected for our sensory room project.
Important: Water beads can be extremely dangerous if ingested. Be sure to supervise your child closely, especially if they like to put things in their mouths.
How to create a sensory bin with water beads.
Dyed salt can be another fun activity to stimulate your child’s senses. The boys love using the salt pan to practice for their spelling tests.
What You Need:
Salt
Food colouring (I use Watkins with no artificial food dyes)
Flat pan
How to dye salt for sensory activities
If your child/student doesn’t like to get their hands dirty, you can try putting paint in a Ziploc bag. Give your child a Q-tip so that they can explore. Alternatively, they can “fingerpaint” by dragging their finger on the bag. This activity can be a sitting activity at a table/high chair or standing if you tape the Ziploc bag against the wall/window.
What You Need:
Freezer size Ziploc bag
Paint (can be washable or acrylic)
Q-Tips
Fingerpainting without a mess
Sensory bags have been a real hit in our household so I’ll be sharing a variety of options for you to try.
Here’s a sensory bag with split peas to practice writing letters/numbers or to draw shapes.
What You Need:
Freezer size Ziploc bag
Uncooked split peas
Popsicle stick or Qtip
The sensory feedback can be quite calming with this activity.
Sensory bag with split peas to practice writing letters or to draw shapes
Oobleck slime can be a hit or miss for your sensory seeker/avoider.
What You Need:
1.5 cup cornstarch
1 cup water
Food colouring (I use Watkins with no artificial food dyes)
Mix and have fun playing with this amazing texture!
How to make oobleck slime
Hope you found these helpful! Feel free to reach out on Instagram @natalieabkariancimini if you have any questions by sending me a DM.
Lots of love,
Natalie Abkarian Cimini
“Believe in a spectrum of possibilities.”
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