Sensory
Play
The Magic of bubbles
01
Those little soapy circle shapes are such a easy and wonderfully engaging activity for all ages! They captivate children immediately and have such
a positive effect. I have yet to meet a child who doesn't love to blow or pop bubbles in our sessions!
Bubble play (while secretly developing key milestones) can be used as a calming and therapeutic activity or to provide excitement and encourage active skills.
Bubble mixture can be easily made at home and you can make some pretty cool bubble blowing tools for some endless bubbly foam!
Have you tried to make your own bubble mixture? Its so much fun and a great hands on activity for little people...
Lets make bubbles
Here's what you need -
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375ml water
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top to 500ml with dishwashing liquid,
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Mix 1 teaspoon sugar and a dash of hot water
Instructions -
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Combine the sugar and water
Whisk the sugar into the warm water until the sugar dissolves.
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Whisk in the soap
Add the dish soap and whisk to combine.
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Get blowing!!
Holistic Play
A treasure basket is filled with objects that you may find around the home or local environment that stimulate babies senses to learn about the physical world around them.
It is often the most simple things that babies become so engrossed and curious about.
Whats inside a treasure basket
Things around the home:
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Kitchen utensils
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Metal linked measuring spoons
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CD
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Keys
Natural items:
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Seashells
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Pine cones
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Large smooth pebbles
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Driftwood
Sounds:
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Double strip of velcro for them to pull apart
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Homemade rattles made from small plastic bottles filled with rice and lentils
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Bell
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Chopsticks
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Smells:
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Lemon
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Orange
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Lavender bags in muslin
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Large fresh bay leaf or mint leaf
Textures:
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Different materials; shiny, leather, tweeds, furry etc.
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Velvet jewellery bag
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Loofah or sponge
Heuristic play was a term created by a child psychologist Elinor Goldschmeid to describe the activity of babies and children as they play with and explore the properties of everyday objects - not toys.
Develops curiosity, promotes open-ended and independent play
Helps them to gain confidence in making decisions.
It develops fine motor skills
Learning with all their senses: they can feel, taste, hear, smell and see a variety of textures, experiment and make choices.
It helps babies develop concentration and independence
It provides early experience of sorting and classifying items
How does holistic play support learning + development?
Taste Safe Play
But babies and toddlers are notorious for putting EVERYTHING into their mouths. But that doesn't mean you have to hold back on sensory play.
There are so many taste safe activities - meaning edible and safe (but not necessarily nice tasting)
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Water - This is is always a winner - hot / cold - add objects / citrus play / funnels / ice / floating / sinking / flowers / colour mixing / animals ......the list is endless!
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Ice - Perfect for summer days. You can crush it, use cubes, add food colouring or freeze objects
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Oats - This works well for construction trucks and small world play or just simply cups and scoops
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Noodles / spaghetti - Dry or cooked, these provide great exploration. (You can dye too for an extra sensory experience!)
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Cereals - These are all great for pouring and playing with
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Dried beans - You don’t want your child eating a lot of these, but if one gets tasted it’s okay
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Rainbow Rice - soak rice with vinegar and colouring in a ziplock bag - let it completely dry before playing!
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Tapioca Beads -just like water beads but totally safe for little ones
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Moon Sand / Cloud dough - Mix 1/2 cup of flour with 2 tablespoons of canola oil. (Food colouring is a fun addition.)
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Oobleck -Mix 1 part water to 2 parts cornstarch to create a fabulous smooth texture (plus super easy to clean up)
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Chocolate Dirt - Mix 1 can of chocolate frosting and 1.25 cups flour. Delicious dirt to dig around in!
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Milk powder Kynetic sand - 1 Cup dried milk powder and up to 3/4 cups of oil
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Jello Dig - hide objects in jello before putting in the fridge!
Edible playdough
Ingredients:
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1/2 cup salt
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1 cup plain flour
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2 tbs cream of tartar
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1 cup water
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1 tbs oil
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3 drops liquid food colouring
Method
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Mix all ingredients together in a medium-sized saucepan.
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Stir over heat until dough is pliable.
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Allow to cool, and store in a well-sealed plastic bag or container.
