By: Megan Van Laar, M.A., CCC-SLP
Is your child obsessed with slime? Or maybe you can’t get them out of the sandbox? Playing in different materials helps your child to develop all of their senses (sight, smell, hearing, taste, touch) as well as encourages exploration, creativity, and imagination. Summer is an excellent time to try out some new sensory activities because you can bring them outside (often, they are messy). But, if you spread a plastic drop cloth or table cloth out, these can be done inside on a rainy day too! Here are some fun ideas of sensory bins to try with your kiddos: -Fill a tub with dried beans or rice and hide small plastic toys in it. Add scoops and shovels so your child can bury and then dig up the toys. -Fill a tub with dirt and rocks and add toy cars and monster trucks. -Have a small tub of dirt and another tub with soapy water. Provide plastic toy animals and toothbrushes and towels so your child can wash the dirty animals. This could also be done with toy cars to simulate a car wash! -Fill a tub with dried pasta or cooked (and cooled) pasta and add plastic toy dishes, silverware, and other plastic food. -Fill a tub with pom poms or cotton balls and provide tweezers or kiddie chopsticks** along with small containers to encourage fine motor development. **To make kiddie chopsticks: You will need two wooden chopsticks from a takeout restaurant or two pencils, a small piece of paper, and a rubber band. Roll the piece of paper tightly and then place it between the two chopsticks near one end. Wrap the rubber band around both sticks right above the piece of paper (closer to the short end of the sticks). Check out our Sensory Tubs board on our Pinterest page to see even more fun and creative ideas for sensory play this summer!
Enrichment Therapy & Learning Center has locations in Johnston and North Liberty, IA, with virtual services also available. We provide individualized speech-language therapy, dyslexia and reading intervention, academic support, and executive functioning services to help children build skills and confidence. Contact us to learn more about how we can support your child.
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