Easy sensory play

Sensory play is great for toddlers and preschoolers. Not only does it help them develop motor skills, but it can keep them engaged while Mommy does cleaning (or whatever else it is Mommy needs to get done). There are a lot of ways to have sensory play, here are some of the easier ones that I have done with the kids, that proved to be a big hit.

Moon Sand. This is simple and will keep the kids occupied for hours (but it can get messy). Moon sand is super easy to make. Grab a big bucket and mix 8 cups of flour and 1 cup of baby oil. The kids can scoop it, shape it, run it through fingers. I had the kids play with it in the kitchen (easier clean up) and gave them measuring cups and other things to scoop it and mold it with. I learned from the first time that I should do it in the kitchen.

The moon sand got smashed into my carpet, making it much harder to clean up.

The next is colored rice. This is also very easy to make (but takes a little more time because it needs to dry). Put about a cup of rice in a ziplock baggy, add 1 tbsp of vinegar, then however many drops of food coloring you want. Mix it really well then spread out on wax paper to dry. I put it in a tray, with sticks, scoops, and small toys hidden in it for them to find.

You can also do this with colored "sand". All it takes is salt and some paint. Put however much salt you want in a container and add a little paint and mix. This is also needs drying time, and it can get very messy, but the kids LOVE it.

A good motor skill activity that doesn't cause any mess is to give the kids a colander and some pipe cleaners and have them string the pipe cleaners through the holes. I didn't think the kids would be very interested in this one, but they spent hours just pulling pipe cleaners through the holes.

These activities work on gross motor skills. The first is a "string obstacle course" in the hallway. Tape stings up randomly. Have the kids go over, or under the strings until they get to the end. The idea is for them to not touch any of them (mine obviously did, but they still had fun). The second one, I put a straight line down on the floor with duct tape, and a zigzag line down. I had them do different things, like bear crawl down the line, crab crawl, hop, walk with only one foot. The kids had a blast with this one and would beg to "play" the game every morning when they woke up.

*These are all super easy to put together motor skills/sensory play activities for kids. There a ton more you can do, these a just a few examples.*