1.Calm Down Your Kids With Bubbles!
By teaching your children to blow bubbles you can eliminate their fear of the bath tub and calm them down. (Sounds too easy right?)
All you need is a bowl, water, washing up liquid and a straw!
Place an inch or two or washing up liquid and water in a bowl or tupperware container. Use the straw to blow into it to create bubbles! You can try making a bubble bigger by putting the straw in it a blowing. To avoid mess you can show your toddler to blow bubbles in the bowl sitting in the bathtub. This can give your child a sense of fun and security whilst being in the bathtub, this easy activity can save you fortunes on bath toys!
So how can this calm your children down? Blowing bubbles stimulates deeper, more regular, breathing naturally calming your child’s mind and besides - it’s fun!
If you are worried about your child drinking the washing up liquid, you can use milk as an alternative however less effective. Also to get a bit more creative you can add a bit of paint to the washing up liquid and by pushing a piece of paper down on the bubbles your child can create a bubble picture!
2. Teach Your Child To Write Their Name With a Salt Sensory Tray
A salt sensory tray can be a great tool for beginning writing. Salt has the benefit of being slightly translucent so you can provide a guide underneath for your child as the learn to write their name.
All you need is a tray and salt! If you don’t have a tray you could use a box lid for a jigsaw etc.
Write your child’s name on a piece of paper and place it on the bottom of the tray / box. Start with all capital letters.
Pour salt over the name.
Your child can still see the letters beneath the salt so they can use them as a guide.
If your child would like, you may guide their hand at first to show the direction of the letters.
To make it more interesting for your child you can add confetti stars etc and refer to it as “star dust” or “fairy dust”.
A salt tray is great for sensory integration (just swishing fingers and playing), for practising letters, and as a base for imaginary play scenes. The ability to just shake away the salt can be very liberating for kids who have a perfectionist's streak!
3. Make Your Own Gluten Free Play Dough Activity
Play Dough is the ultimate sensory activity for toddlers and older children. Play Dough can take a bad afternoon and turn it around. All that mooshing and rolling just absorbs up all chaotic energy and transforms it into blue cookies or oddly shaped dinosaurs.
To create your own gluten free play dough at home you need:
½ cup of rice flour
½ cup corn starch or arrow root
½ cup of salt
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 cup water
and 2 tablespoons of oil.
In a sauce pan mix flours and salt, then mix in the remaining ingredients and cook on low heat, stirring until thickened (a couple minutes). Turn out mixture, and once cool enough knead until smooth. To top it off you can add a food colouring of your choice.
It’s really that simple! If you’ve been missing out on dough sensory play, GO! Make some!
4. Lego Sensory Play in the Sink
Does your kids’ Lego need a clean? Save yourself a job and get the kids to do it!
Guess what? Legos are yet another thing you can just-add-water to, to increase the fun. This can be a simple and engaging sensory activity for your children. Just put the Lego in the sink and add warm bubbly water.
Most Lego floats so kids find the blocks really interesting to swish their hands through. Lego in water can also open up a whole new world for your kids imagination; pools, undersea worlds, lakes, boats, the list is endless!
Once your child is done playing rinse out the Lego and simply place them on a towel to dry. You will be surprised with how clean the lego comes out! You can also do this in the bath to encourage your kids to have a bath and eliminate bath times fears.
5. Playing With Gloop
If you haven’t made Gloop yet, then this is a must for every toddler and child.It is super fun and super messy, i’m not sure who will have the most fun you or the kids!
Gloop is an interesting mixture with a unique texture to explore and play with. Playing with Gloop is a highly sensory activity and science activity to learn about the concepts of what a solid and liquid is.
You will need:
2 cups of cornflour
1 cup of water
Two drops of food dye
and a large container such as a washing up bowl or large mixing bowl.
Encourage your child to mix and play with the gloop before it is completely mixed together, the excitement and learning starts here. Explore the texture and discuss with your child what it feels like, sticky, slimy, cold, powdery. Despite it being a very messy activity the Gloop can be easily wiped up but I recommend wearing an apron!
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