Sensory play can be so beneficial for our kids for many different reasons but personally I find it to be such a great learning resource especially for young children. Teaching your toddler to love learning as early as possible will be a huge blessing later on.
Today I have 3 educational sensory bins for you to try with your toddlers to encourage them to explore learning new things.
The Number Frog Pond
This is a fun way to begin teaching your toddler to count while still exploring sensory textures.
Materials needed:
- One Medium Size Bin / Sensory Table
- 5 Frogs
- Permanent Marker
- Foam Sheets / Card Board with Green Paint
- Water
Optional Materials:
- Blue Food Coloring
- Leaves, Grass, Moss, Rocks, Flowers
Take your 5 frogs and either label them one through five or add dots to them one through five, Then add them to the table. Take your foam sheets or card board that you painted green and cut it into lily pads. Either write the matching number on the lily pad or add dots for counting. Fill Second bin with water and add your lily pads for matching. This is where your optional pieces can come into play, you can use food coloring to dye the water blue or add moss, flowers etc. for added texture to observe.
Alphabet Fossils
If you have a Dino lover in your house, this one would be for you!
Materials Needed:
- 1 Medium Bin / Sensory Table
- Small Alphabet Pieces ( We use a puzzle)
- Something With Matching Alphabet
- Some Kind of Brush
- Moon Dough Dirt or Kinetic Sand
Optional Materials
- Dinos
- Shovels
Add your moon dough or Kinetic Sand to a bin then hide your letters in it. If you are using a puzzle like we do, sit that next to the bin or use larger set f letters or a sheet of paper with the letters for matching. You can also add Dinos at this point if you would like. Then provide the tools to dig up or brush off their “Fossils” and guide them with the first letter to match. They should then be able to see what they are doing and match the alphabet with your assistance or without depending on where they are at developmentally.
Color Fizz
Your toddlers first little science experience, I bet they will love it!
Needed Materials:
- 6 Cups / A Cupcake Pan
- Baking Soda
- Food Coloring
- Another Separate Cup
- Vinegar
- A Dropper
Add a light layer or baking soda in your cupcake pan, I use a half dozen pan so its only 6 but its completely up to you. Then make each color of the rainbow and cover with another layer of baking soda. Pour the vinegar into a separate cup and add your dropper. Demonstrate with a small amount of vinegar in one cup for your toddler then allow them to explore this fun color experiment and watch the colors pour out like a volcano!
I find that exploring learning and play together can make for such a more enjoyable experience for you and your child. That is why I think sensory play is so important.
I hope you found these useful and beneficial for teaching your toddlers, my son personally loves all of these activities. If you try any of these out please let us know in the comments below or share with us some activities you do with your toddlers for learning.