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Easy Outdoor Sensory Activities at Home

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We’ve been stuck inside only able to do indoor sensory activities but now it’s finally warmed up enough to spend some time outside. That means we can finally add these easy outdoor sensory activities to our days. We are so looking forward to getting some fresh air.collage of images of kids playing. Text reads "Outdoor Sensory Activities at home"The kids have already begun exploring in the trees and enjoying the sunshine. It has done wonders for their mood now that they aren’t as cooped up anymore.

Easy Outdoor Sensory Activities at Home

Not all activities have to be planned out. There are other things that can be done more spontaneously in the yard. 

Other easy ideas for outdoor sensory activities you can do at home:

  • make mud pies
  • water balloons or an old fashioned water fight
  • obstacle course – Use anything you have on hand such as hula hoops, slides, wood, pallets, tunnels, pool noodles, chairs, and tires. 
  • jump rope
  • relay races
  • sprinkler, kiddie pool, or Slip ‘n’ Slide
  • tag
  • yard work – Great for proprioception and for teaching good work ethic! Think raking, mowing (for kids who are old enough), picking rocks, and carrying firewood or bricks.
  • dig in the sandbox
  • gardening – digging, planting, pulling weeds, and picking are all great tactile sensory input.
  • bike rides
  • hikes or nature walks
  • family campfire
  • tree climbing
  • interval circuit – set up exercise stations in the yard with signs like “10 Jumping Jacks”, “1 Run Around the Yard”, “10 Supermans” (my kids loved this activity!)

Of course as with all sensory activities, adult supervision should be used. 

In case the weather doesn’t cooperate, you can find a great list of indoor sensory activities for home here.

Easter Fluffy Slime

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Bring on Spring with this feathery Easter fluffy slime. Its texture is so soft, making it perfect for celebrating this Spring holiday. I am wanting anything that makes that feel closer. white puffy goo with small colourful eggs. Text reads "Easter fluffy slime"Full disclosure: I’m dreaming of Spring right now because where I live, it is still below freezing and snow blankets the ground a week into April. So I am all about thinking about baby chicks, green grass, and colourful flowers right now! And of course Easter.

This Easter fluffy slime is soft and downy-like in its texture which reminds me of those Spring things. Watch the video below to see just how easy it is to make your own Easter fluffy slime. 

Easter Fluffy Slime:

Ingredients:

Directions:

    1. Add glue to a bowl.
    2. Mix in water and baking soda.
    3. Add shaving cream and mix.
    4. Stir in food colour.
    5. Slowly add contact solution. Mix.
    6. Add the glitter.
    7. Knead.
    8. If it’s still too sticky, add a drop more of contact solution and knead some more.
    9. Fold in the mini glitter foam eggs. Continue to knead.
    10. Store in an airtight glass or plastic container.

Fluffy Slime Troubleshooting Tips:

You need an activator in order to create the slime’s texture. In this recipe, we used contact solution as the activator. Without that, the glue and shaving cream would just be a bowl of gunk.

Fold in extra shaving cream if you want your slime to be fluffier. 

If the slime isn’t stretchy after days of play, try to add a bit of hot tap water or a small amount of lotion.

If you find that the slime is too sticky, add a drop or two more of the contact solution or a small amount of baby oil and knead. The real key here is the kneading.

These tips will help you to get the right consistency with your slime.

Looking for more easy sensory play recipes to inspire creativity year-round? Join me for a free five day email series on Sensory Activities and Solutions and get a complimentary sample of our Sensory Play Recipes eBook.

Check out some of our other Easter sensory activities:

Easter Egg and Bunny Sensory BinEaster Egg and Bunny Sensory Bin

Bubble Wrap Easter Egg PaintingBubble Wrap Easter Eggs

Christ Centered Easter Sensory Bin

Baseball Mini Sensory Bottle

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Lately, we’ve been changing it up a bit with our sensory bottles by making some of them in tiny test tubes. This Baseball Mini Sensory Bottle is one of those. baseball in background and small clear bottle filled with liquid and mini baseballs and text that reads "Baseball Mini Sensory Bottle"

You can customize the colours of this baseball sensory bottle to show your support for your favourite team! Whether it’s a professional team, collage, or school team, show your team pride. You could even take it with you to cheer on your team at their games.

Baseball Mini Sensory Bottle:

Supplies needed:

  • mini bottle (we used these plastic test tube treat containers)
  • clear dish soap
  • mini baseball beads
  • red and white tri beads (or choose a colour for your favourite team)
  • red glitter (or choose the colours of your favourite team!)
  • black mini elastics (like the Rainbow Loom ones)
  • optional: hot glue

Directions:

  1. Pour clear dish soap into a mini bottle until it’s about half full.
  2. Drop in some mini baseball beads.
  3. Add in the beads and glitter. Drop in the small elastics.
  4. If there’s any room left in the bottle, fill the the top with water.
  5. Replace the lid. If using with small children, you can secure the lid with hot glue.

With this or any other sensory play activity, adult supervision is recommended. Even with the lid secured, it can be opened by determined kids or when the glue gets old and the bottle contains small parts that could be a choking hazard.

With its tiny size, this mini calm down bottle can be brought anywhere. You can tuck it into the seat pocket of the vehicle, place it inside your child’s backpack, or you can include it in their calm down kit.  This adorable mini bottle incorporates both the visual and tactile sensory systems. Because the glitter and beads stay suspended in the dish soap and fall slowly as it is turned  or flipped over, this can also serve as a calm down bottle. Children can watch the glitter slowly fall as they focus on regulating their breathing. Are you looking for more easy sensory play ideas to use with kids? Join us for a five day email series on Sensory Activities and Solutions and get a free sample of our Sensory Play Recipes eBook.

 

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You may also be interested in these mini sensory bottles:

Football Mini Sensory Bottle

Zoo Animals Mini Sensory Bottle

Bug Action Cards for Kids

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Help kids get their wiggles out using these bug action cards with prompts for fun gross motor play. Kids can use these inside or outside. This is such an easy activity for parents to set up. You can easily add some exercise into your child’s day in a fun way.

girl in swing with arms outstretched. Text reads "Bug Action Cards for gross motor play"With prompts for climbing, marching, hopping, and more, kids can get some all important sensory input. These actions engage the visual, auditory, tactile, vestibular, and proprioceptive sensory systems. 

Bug Action Cards:

Supplies needed:

Directions: 

  1. Download the action cards.
  2. Print them.
  3. Cut them apart.
  4. Create a small stack with them. Each child can pull one from the pile and act out the instructions on the card.

These action cards make a fantastic brain break. You can use them right in the middle of schoolwork to have a five minute break before they get back to their task. This will help them refocus and have better concentration.

Get the whole body moving in a fun way. Help kids burn off some of that extra energy they have from being stuck inside or from sitting for too long. These action cards are also a cute activity to add in to a unit on insects. Kids can take the learning a step further by reading up on each of the bugs on the cards. 

Another great way to expand on this activity is to have kids create their own cards with ideas they come up with. You can have them stick with the bug theme or choose something else. 

Type your email in the box below to get your bug action cards so that the learning and fun can begin!

Check out these other gross motor activities for kids:

Dinosaur Action Cube

5 Trampoline GamesTrampoline Games and Activities

Outdoor Sensory Scavenger Hunt

Easy Indoor Sensory Activities at Home

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Sensory play is so important. It helps not only with fine and gross motor development, language and communication, and boredom, but it also improves mood and lowers anxiety. And I would say that right now, those things are very needed. I wanted to provide you with a list of easy sensory activities at home that you can do starting today.

No matter how old your kids are from toddlers up to teens, sensory play can make a big difference in how your days go. If you incorporate sensory play opportunities at regular intervals throughout your day, you’ll be surprised at how much calmer the house will be. I encourage you to participate in some of the play yourself as it will also help lower your anxiety.

These sensory activities don’t need to be complicated. A lot of the supplies you need are probably already in your home. 

Easy Indoor Sensory Activities at Home


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Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse Sensory Bottle

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In case, my matching Minnie purse and wallet weren’t evidence enough, I’m a big Disney fan. I’m especially partial to Mr. and Mrs. Mouse! That is the inspiration behind this Mickey and Minnie Sensory Bottle.

clear bottle filled with liquid, gold glitter, white beads, and Disney figures on red background with text reading "Mickey and Minnie Sensory Bottle"If you’re also a Disney fan, you’re going to love this adorable sensory tool. It’s easy to make yourself. In the same spirit as our Minnie Mouse Slime, you can bring a bit of that Disney magic right into your own home.

If you’re hosting a Mickey Mouse themed birthday party, these would make adorable party favours for your guests to make and then take home.

Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse Sensory Bottle:

Supplies needed:

Directions:

  1. Pour clear dish soap into the container until it’s 2/3 full.
  2. Add the glitter, beads, mini elastics, and Mickey and Minnie Mouse buttons.
  3. Fill the remaining space with water.
  4. Replace the lid. If you’re going to be using this jar with younger kids, then I highly recommend that you Superglue the lid in place and allow the glue to dry before giving it to your child to play with. You can instead secure it with hot glue.

As with all sensory activities, adult supervision should be used at all times. Even if you have glued the lid in place, it can come undone and the small parts inside are potential choking hazards.

Sensory and Learning Opportunities:

While the main sensory system targeted with sensory bottles is the Visual system, children also engage their tactile and proprioceptive sensory systems when interacting with this activity.

This activity presents many math opportunities. Kids can compare if there are more Mickeys than Minnies or vice versa or if there are an equal amount. They can count the number of characters inside or the number of one specific character. They can also guess how many white beads there are by counting them in one section and then multiplying that by the number of same size sections there are.

Thanks to the slow falling movement, this can also serve as a calm down jar, helping kids regulate their breathing and behaviour.

Are you looking for more easy sensory play ideas? Join us for a five day email series on Sensory Activities and Solutions and get a free sample of our Sensory Play Recipes eBook.

Check out some of other sensory bottles:

Insect Sensory Bottle

Lego Sensory Bottle

Nature Sensory Bottles