What is big deal and why is sensory play important to how children learn?

And, what is a Busy Bag or a Busy Box? This post will explain along with 100 things to use for sensory play to put collections of bags and boxes for children to play and learn.

We all can name the 5 senses: sight, smell, sound, taste and touch. Assuming our bodies are functioning well, the more senses that the be incorporated into our learning experience the more quickly we grasp and retain a subject. This concept is particularly true with how children learn-with their senses.

Parents and teachers do not have to spend a fortune to offer learning experiences to their children/students.

The whole wide natural world is full of wonderful sensory experiences that are pretty much free.

The first 25 items on my list below are found in the great outdoors. Most are free with last few being tools to use outside.

I will share a few photos that I have snapped while I was playing with my grand children. Since this subject of sensory play is so vast that teachers have written 100’s of books and millions of Pinterest images I am going to simply give you the click to my growing Pinterest board: Click on the title to start re-pinning nearly a 1,000 or more pins with ideas and recipes.

1. dirt
2. sand
3. sticks
4. stones
5. grass
6. straw
7. seeds
8. mulch
9. frog moss
10. fresh flowers

Have you ever thought about a conversation being sensory? Why do you think I ask about why talking is sensory?

1. raw vegetables
2. raw fruit
3. leaves
4. tree bark
5. water
6. shovel
7. rake
8. bucket
9. kiddie pool
10. plants
11. live animals
12. live birds
13. wind
14. rain

15. snow

Children can learn so many skills for their future in the kitchen

Note: Parents please use wise discretion when playing in the kitchen.

• developmental stages
• age appropriateness
• safety

Learning “naturally” should be fun-never a chore.

Sure kids do learn from having chores to do, too.

Scooping out Pumpkins Questions for Kids.

It’s Fall ya’all! And almost time for pumpkins! What a wonderful time of year for families to explore with every one of the 5 senses we can. Below area few ideas on how to get a conversation started.

• What color, size, shape is a pumpkin?
• How does a pumpkin feel on the outside? Inside?
• What does a pumpkin smell like?
• What sound does a pumpkin make if you knock in the outside before cutting?
• What does raw pumpkin taste like?
• What seasonings shall we put in the pumpkin seeds before we bake them?

Mom and Dad, you should be the ones to use a big ole knife to cut a pumpkin in half then let the kids dig in to scoop and explore.

• Pumpkin seeds get on the floor 
• do the task out side of put news papers on the floor.
• Children will learn natural consequences for dropping seeds or pumpkin guts.
• What kitchen will clean up the mess best? Why?

Scooping out a pumpkin is a fun fall sensory learning experience for the family. –see post

Food for Sensory Play

I have strong reservations about how food is used for sensory play/ learning.

OK. I am going to pull the Mother-Guilt thing that is not helpful in a child’s thinking process.

“Sweetie, eat you liver. Just think about all the starving children in Africa. Why they would grateful to have a bite of broccoli and liver.”

• Use food for the purpose of sensory play how we prepare food naturally avoiding arts and crafts made with food unless you plan to eat the finished product.
• In general, we parents and teachers do not ever want to give children that idea that it is OK to waste food.
• In my opinion substituting something edible for a non-edible material ingredient.

When a baby feeds him/ herself they are learning by using 4 of 5 senses.

• Sure it is messy. But it is naturally they way babies learn.
• Set the boundaries for nourishing our bodies time and play time.

State: It is time to eat. or Which would you like to eat first? The orange carrots or the green beans?

What do you want your child to do with food?

• You are the parent/ teacher. States and follow rules for eating and playing
• Use your words to tell the child * what you want them to do with their food.
• Avoid using words that are the * opposite of what you do want them to do.

Time to eat now. Show me how you cut the banana with the butter knife.

or

Does your banana smell sweet?

versus

Don’t smear you food on the table.

Stopping dropping your spoon on the floor. ( Baby may like the clunk when it hits the floor.)

Don’t pour your milk on the floor.

Yes, parents, /teachers there needs too be consistent rules for eating and playing. Tell your child what exactly you want them to do vs what you don;t want them to focus on.

I doubt your child can read your mind, so state the rules clearly

• We are eating orange carrots and blue berries with our brown toast.
• Our farm animals got in the mud. We will have to give them a bath, now. M-m-m our pretend mud tastes like something. What is it.

Food as a Sensory Play Medium

Be sure to tell the children that this is for pretending and we are allowed to taste the pretend mud.

• Chocolate pudding or Cocoa Powder for DIRT
• Gummy Worms to decorate a “dirt cake”.

1. dirt
2. sand
3. sticks
4. stones
5. grass
6. straw
7. seeds
8. mulch
9. frog moss
10. fresh flowers
11. raw vegetables
12. raw fruit
13. leaves
14. tree bark
15. water
16. shovel
17. rake
18. bucket
19. kiddie pool
20. plants
21. live animals
22. live birds
23. wind
24. rain
25. snow

25. flour
26. corn meal
27. corn starch
28. food coloring
29. cooking oil
30. beans [not kidney beans]
31. rice
32. dried split peas
33. pop corn
34. jello
35. oatmeal-uncooked
36. dry cereal
37. macaroni – uncooked
38. pasta -uncooked
39. nuts in shells
40. baking soda
41. vinegar
42. sugar­
43. salt
44. select spices (see-additional list)
45. ice cube trays
46. measuring cups
47. tea spoons
48. measuring spoons
49. big spoons
50. mixing bowls
51. pots
52. pans
53. funnels
54. empty boxes
55. empty boxes
56. cup cake tins
57. cup cake papers
58. spatula
59. plastic knives
60. spoons
61. forks
62. rolling pin
63. wax paper
64. egg beater
65. ice scream scoop
66. cookie cutters
67. sponges
68. dish soap
69. colander

71. magazines
72. news papers
73. junk mail and envelopes
74. cotton balls
75. yarn
76. string
77. fabric scraps
78. pom poms
79. cut up straws
80. rubber bands
81. twist ties
82. paper clips
83. paper cups
84. buttons
85. zippers
86. Velcro
87. scissors
88. tweezers
89. stapler
90. hole puncher
91. eye dropper
92. glue
93. baby oil
94. hair gel
95. shaving cream
96. duct tape
97. zipper lock plastic bags
98. cookie cutters
99. card board
100. empty toilet paper rolls
101. pocket change

What do you do with a Busy Bag or a Busy Box?

A Busy Bag or a Busy Box is a safe child-size container to hold sensory play things until it’s time to play.

What the stuff in a Busy Bag or Busy Box kind-of sort-of does not really matter as long as…

• safe
• developmental-age appropriate
• holds the child’s interest for a reasonable time
• no rules – just interesting things to explore by sorting, counting, feeling , tasting, seeing, smelling or hearing

Note from No Non-cents Nanna

• I could write about 101 pages with more ideas of household tools your child can learn from, but, typing fingers need a rest…or less is more?
• I hope this uniquely inspires you mothers, fathers, grand parents, pre-k teachers from the perspective of an old Nurse and Early Childhood Educator.
• Did my word give you a new or enhanced perspective on sensory learning?

More No Non-cents Nanna’s Posts on Sensory Play

Shameless Self Promotion:

I am Malika Bourne author of No Non-cents Nanna blog. I was also the founder and owner of Heart Felt Play Store – now retired.

My goal was to offer fun stuff for kids with an educational twist. I offered a variety of sensory play items that you can purchase to enhance learning using some of the 101 things I listed above.

Follow Heart Felt Play on Facebook

Dinosaur Sensory Play Box

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