Sensory Play – WonderHouse of Littles https://wonderhouseoflittles.com Thu, 19 Jun 2025 06:35:04 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.2 https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/cropped-logo-32x32.png Sensory Play – WonderHouse of Littles https://wonderhouseoflittles.com 32 32 Insect Sweep and Find https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/insect-sweep-find/ https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/insect-sweep-find/#respond Thu, 08 Jun 2023 16:03:14 +0000 https://sara.ideatema.com/?p=435

Insect Sweep and Find

My daughter A has been super interested in insects since around 2 years old, and since she also loves sweeping I thought she would enjoy this setup. She had to sweep the rice on the tray in order to find the insects at the bottom.

To recreate this activity, you will need:

  • a sensory base

White rice works really well for this activity because it is easy to sweep and the neutral color is not distracting.

  •  a set of picture-to-picture matching cards with control sheet.

We used a free printable from 1plus1plus1equals1.com .

  • a small brush

We used one from the Ikea MALA set.

I include a magnifying glass in most of our activity setups because my daughter loves using it and it’s a simple way to foster concentration and encourage children to look into things in more detail.

Tape the cards to the bottom of your tray and add your sensory base on top. That’s it. When you’re done invite your child to the table and model the activity.

A enjoyed sweeping to find the different insects at the bottom of the tray and identifying them on the control sheet. She got so excited every time she found a new one. 

This activity is great for strengthening fine motor skills, visual discrimination, concentration, and is also perfect for learning new vocabulary.

Cleaning up is part of the learning process, so make sure to encourage your child to tidy up once done. Model how to do it until your child feels confident enough to initiate the tidying up process independently.

*** This post may contain affiliate links. That means we may make a small commission on items purchased through links in this post at no extra cost to you! Thank you for your continued support ♡.

]]> https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/insect-sweep-find/feed/ 0 Ocean-Themed Transient Art on Kinetic Sand https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/ocean-themed-transient-art-on-kinetic-sand/ https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/ocean-themed-transient-art-on-kinetic-sand/#respond Thu, 08 Jun 2023 16:02:47 +0000 https://sara.ideatema.com/?p=368

Ocean-Themed Transient Art on Kinetic Sand​

My daughter loves kinetic sand and I find it is a great option for sensory play, especially in the summertime. I observed her pressing shells into it one time so I set up this simple ocean-themed transient art tray so she could explore this further.

I provided different types of seashells, a few ocean-themed cookie cutters so she could create images, and a few tools. I left the set on her activity table as an invitation to play. When she saw it, she went straight to it.

I love transient art because:

  • It is open-ended and process-driven. There is no final product to be achieved or any set of expectations on the child. It’s just about the joy of creating and being in the moment.
  • It enables the child to explore and express their creativity freely.
  • It makes for a rich sensory experience. They can manipulate, explore and experiment with the materials, different textures, colors, shapes, etc.
  • Loose parts also provide endless opportunities for extended learning: sorting, pattern making, exploring shapes, learning about symmetry, and so much more.

Cleaning up is part of the learning process, so make sure to encourage your child to tidy up after they finish playing. Model how to do it until your child feels confident enough to initiate the tidying up process independently.

*** This post may contain affiliate links. That means we may make a small commission on items purchased through links in this post at no extra cost to you! Thank you for your continued support ♡.

]]> https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/ocean-themed-transient-art-on-kinetic-sand/feed/ 0 Ocean-themed Sensory Play https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/ocean-themed-sensory-play/ https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/ocean-themed-sensory-play/#respond Thu, 08 Jun 2023 16:01:16 +0000 https://sara.ideatema.com/?post_type=play_learn&p=6069

Ocean-themed Sensory Play

When we started learning about the oceans I set up this little sensory play using our IKEA Flisat table. On this occasion A had a play date with her cousin who is the same age. I just love seeing little hands at work!

There were loads of sensory stimulation from different textures (water, ice, sand, shells, and even cotton for snow) and lots of opportunities for learning and language development with the different settings.

Our figurines are a combination of brands we accumulated overtime, but if you’re looking for animal figurines we recommend Safari Ltd or Terra by Battat (a slightly more affordable option).

We talked about how certain animals live in colder temperatures and others in warmer temperatures, and A even helped me sort them by habitat. 

Water play is always fun but this one was pretty messy. Cleaning up is part of the learning process, so make sure to encourage your child to tidy up after they finish playing. Model how to do it until your child feels confident enough to initiate the tidying up process independently.

*** This post may contain affiliate links. That means we may make a small commission on items purchased through links in this post at no extra cost to you! Thank you for your continued support ♡

]]> https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/ocean-themed-sensory-play/feed/ 0 Internal Organs https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/internal-organs/ https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/internal-organs/#respond Wed, 07 Jun 2023 06:13:17 +0000 https://sara.ideatema.com/?post_type=play_learn&p=6220

Internal Organs

Since turning three, my daughter has been fascinated by the human body. This, and animals in general, have been her favorite topics for months now. Science and Language are all around!

Following her interests, I got her a human body puzzle with all the different organs. To make it extra fun, I threw all the pieces in a sensory bin with blue rice. She had to retrieve all the pieces to be able to complete the puzzle. Puzzles are such a powerful activity, helping to develop so many important skills, such as early literacy, pre-writing skills, amongst so many others. And sdding another layer by combining sensory play just makes it extra fun.

Even though we’ve been on this Montessori journey for a while now it still blows me away how much a child is able to absorb when the material suits her interests and when learning is made fun.

We have used two books to explore the human body, both of which she loves: Usborne’s “Look Inside Your Body” and the “Big Book of the Body“.

Cleaning up is part of the learning process, so make sure to encourage your child to tidy up after they finish playing. Model how to do it until your child feels confident enough to initiate the tidying up process independently.

 

*** This post may contain affiliate links. That means we may make a small commission on items purchased through links in this post at no extra cost to you! Thank you for your continued support ♡

]]> https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/internal-organs/feed/ 0 Rainbow Sensory Play https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/rainbow-sensory-play/ https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/rainbow-sensory-play/#respond Wed, 07 Jun 2023 05:48:28 +0000 https://sara.ideatema.com/?post_type=play_learn&p=6210

Rainbow Sensory Play

This was my daughter’s first time playing with rainbow-colored rice so she was super excited when she saw all the colors.

She tried to carefully keep them separated on the wooden rainbow board as she was doing it. At the end I told her it was ok to mix it all however she wanted and she loved that too!

Sensory setups like these are not typical in Montessori but they work really well for us. My daughter loves the sensory input from different textures and colors, all of which sensory play setups like this offer. It keeps her engaged for longer periods of time, which really works to increase concentration, has a very calming effect on her, enabling us to have great conversations about different topics. I’m always surprised by how much she is able to absorb during these moments.

Sensory play offers a number of other benefits too. It helps strengthen fine and gross motor skills, problem-solving skills and helps support cognitive growth and language development. Research shows it helps build important connections in the brain’s pathways, which will enable the child to complete more complex learning tasks later on.

Cleaning up is part of the learning process, so make sure to encourage your child to tidy up after they finish playing. Model how to do it until your child feels confident enough to initiate the tidying up process independently.

*** This post may contain affiliate links. That means we may make a small commission on items purchased through links in this post at no extra cost to you! Thank you for your continued support ♡

]]> https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/rainbow-sensory-play/feed/ 0 Bear Family Sensory Play https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/bear-family-sensory-play/ https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/bear-family-sensory-play/#respond Tue, 06 Jun 2023 07:22:42 +0000 https://sara.ideatema.com/?post_type=play_learn&p=6172

Bear Family Sensory Play

To discuss bears and hibernation patterns during winter I created this little setup using green lentils, a bear family, and the book Green Planet, Life In Our Woods And Forests by Moira Butterfield and Jonathan Woodward. This book has been a favourite in our home for a while.

Sensory setups like these are not typical in Montessori but they work really well for us. My daughter loves pretend play and to play with her hands and feel a variety of textures, all of which sensory play like this offers.

I love how engaged and focused she gets whenever she is doing sensory activities! We can talk about different topics, improving her language development as well as her attention span. It is so impressive to see how much information she can absorb through these activities!

I also love to see how much she is able to take away from these activities and build upon. We talked about bears’ hibernation for the rest of the day and of course she tried to build the bear family a den in different parts of the house. This is how children make sense of the world, of what they are learning – through play.

Did you know that female bears often give birth during winter and they usually have twins? They stay in the dens with their cubs until the beginning of Spring, when the temperatures are not as extreme and their cubs have more fur to protect themselves from the cold.

Cleaning up is part of the learning process, so make sure to encourage your child to tidy up after they finish playing. Model how to do it until your child feels confident enough to initiate the tidying up process independently.

*** This post may contain affiliate links. That means we may make a small commission on items purchased through links in this post at no extra cost to you! Thank you for your continued support ♡

]]> https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/bear-family-sensory-play/feed/ 0 Farm Small World https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/farm-small-world/ https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/farm-small-world/#respond Tue, 06 Jun 2023 07:17:07 +0000 https://sara.ideatema.com/?post_type=play_learn&p=6162

Farm Small World

Small world play is a great opportunity for children to expand their vocabulary, organize ideas, develop sequencing skills and foster creativity and imagination.

My daughter loves animal figurines so this activity was a huge hit with her. It stayed on her table for a few days before she was ok with cleaning it up. This setup was complete with a feeding and water station because feeding the animals is the beeeest part, am I right? 

She got so excited when she saw it! Seriously, I live for those moments!

She’s super into pretend play at the moment. We try to do it based on reality and that’s why I love animal figurines that are good quality and realistic. The ones used in this activity are by Terra by Battat. You can find the set with the donkey, cow and pig here, and the set with the sheep, bull and horse here.

Cleaning up is part of the learning process, so make sure to encourage your child to tidy up after they finish playing. Model how to do it until your child feels confident enough to initiate the tidying up process independently.

*** This post may contain affiliate links. That means we may make a small commission on items purchased through links in this post at no extra cost to you! Thank you for your continued support ♡

]]> https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/farm-small-world/feed/ 0 Frozen Acorns https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/frozen-acorns/ https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/frozen-acorns/#respond Tue, 06 Jun 2023 07:07:16 +0000 https://sara.ideatema.com/?post_type=play_learn&p=6142

Frozen Acorns 

Hiding and collecting acorns is one of my daughter’s favorite things! She loved to do it with playdough so I decided we could explore this further with this activity, while also working on counting and number recognition. She had such great time!

It was the perfect opportunity to use these beautiful acorn counting cards from inspiredmontessoriliving.com (from their winter woodlands pack).

A didn’t want to use the clothespins this time. Instead she placed the corresponding quantity of acorns on the cards with the corresponding number discs. 

To make the “snow” you need only two ingredients:

– Baking Soda

– White Hair Conditioner

Mix them together until you get to your desired consistency. ”It should be a little “crumbly”.

We used wooden acorns for this activity but if you can collect real acorns on your walks with your child, it would work even better. You can also find a very similar set of unfinished acorns with bowls here!

Cleaning up is part of the learning process, so make sure to encourage your child to tidy up after they finish playing. Model how to do it until your child feels confident enough to initiate the tidying up process independently.

*** This post may contain affiliate links. That means we may make a small commission on items purchased through links in this post at no extra cost to you! Thank you for your continued support ♡

]]> https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/frozen-acorns/feed/ 0 Winter-themed Playdough Tray https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/winter-themed-playdough-tray/ https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/winter-themed-playdough-tray/#respond Mon, 05 Jun 2023 10:12:26 +0000 https://sara.ideatema.com/?post_type=play_learn&p=6097

Winter-themed Play Dough Tray

As my daughter approached her 3rd birthday she began to join me in preparing our activities. What a great opportunity to get her involved in the whole process, from start to finish!

For this activity we made the play dough from scratch and even decided together what to include in the tray. Seasonal play dough trays are the perfect opportunity to talk about all the different aspects of that season in a fun, sensory-rich and relaxing way. It’s a great way to develop language skills and learn some fun facts about the theme to be explored!

We used some DIY stampers I had made previously, some polar animals and acorns. She even helped me to set it all up in the serving tray.

She loved using the stampers and making footprints with the animals but the real hit was the acorns. We had been reading “Squirrel’s Family Tree“, a beautiful book by Beth Ferry, so A was fascinated by how squirrels bury their acorns for winter but often forget where they hide them and they become great oak trees. She kept hiding/ burying the acorns in the play dough snow and asking me to find them. Only to not let me dig them out because she had to do it herself!

Cleaning up is part of the learning process, so make sure to encourage your child to tidy up after they finish playing. Model how to do it until your child feels confident enough to initiate the tidying up process independently.

To make homemade playdough, we use a very popular recipe.

You will need:

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup table salt 
  • 1 tbsp cream of tartar 
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 cup boiling water

Instructions:

In a bowl combine the flour, salt and cream of tartar. Mix well and add the oil. If you’re using food coloring, mix a few drops into the boiling water and add to the bowl. Mix well until it is no longer sticky.

To store, let the play dough cool completely then wrap it tightly in plastic and store in an airtight container. 

If your little ones are going to participate in making this recipe, be sure to keep them away from the boiling water to avoid burning.

Playing with playdough is a great pre-writing activity. Squishing, rolling, pressing, molding and all other play dough movements help strengthen hand and finger muscles and improve fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. It also allows the child to use their imagination and creativity, while fostering language development as the child is exposed to the different elements on the tray.

*** This post may contain affiliate links. That means we may make a small commission on items purchased through links in this post at no extra cost to you! Thank you for your continued support ♡

]]> https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/winter-themed-playdough-tray/feed/ 0 Bee-themed Playdough and Bookish Play https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/bee-themed-playdough-and-bookish-play/ https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/bee-themed-playdough-and-bookish-play/#respond Mon, 05 Jun 2023 10:01:22 +0000 https://sara.ideatema.com/?post_type=play_learn&p=6088

Bee-themed Playdough and Bookish Play

To explore a little bit about bees, when my daughter was approaching her 3rd birthday I set up this bee-themed invitation to play with Usborne’s book “Why Do We Need Bees?“. This book is packed with info about bees and fun flaps which A still loves to flip now at 4 years old. On the tray I included wooden bees from our PlanToys Beehive set, playdough scissors, as well as mini rolling pins and a wooden honey dipper. 

Playing with playdough offers a number of benefits. Squishing, rolling, pressing, molding and all other movements children perform when manipulating play dough strengthen the finger muscles that will be used for fine motor movements, such as holding a pencil and using scissors.

If you want to make homemade playdough, we use a very popular recipe.

You will need:

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup table salt 
  • 1 tbsp cream of tartar 
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 cup boiling water

Instructions: 

In a bowl combine the flour, salt and cream of tartar. Mix well and add the oil. If you’re using food coloring, mix a few drops into the boiling water and add to the bowl. Mix well until it is no longer sticky.

To store, let the play dough cool completely then wrap it tightly in plastic and store in an airtight container. 

If your little ones are going to participate in making this recipe, be sure to keep them away from the boiling water to avoid burning.

For more bee-themed activity ideas, check out our bee-themed unit study  here!

 

*** This post may contain affiliate links. That means we may make a small commission on items purchased through links in this post at no extra cost to you! Thank you for your continued support ♡

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