The Chaos and the Clutter

sensory play

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

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

Peter Rabbit Playdough Invitation to Play

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With the new Peter Rabbit movie coming out soon, we thought it would be cute to set out a Peter Rabbit Playdough invitation to play for the kids. This playdough tray evokes imagination. Your child can explore and create scenes and stories.

blue tray with rocks, twigs, wood slices, green playdough. Text reads "Peter Rabbit Playdough Tray"This sensory play activity is engaging and a wonderful learning opportunity. If your child has seen the movies or read the books, they can recreate scenes or they can just use their imaginations to build their own Peter Rabbit world. They can then act out scenarios with the characters.

Using the playdough, they can create a garden or a field and have the characters interact with each other. This activity is cute for any time, but it would be especially appropriate for Spring or Easter time.

Peter Rabbit Playdough Recipe:

Supplies:

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup salt
  • 2 Tbsp. cream of tartar
  • 1 Tbsp. oil
  • green food gel
  • 1 cup water (boiling if making with KitchenAid)
  • optional: a few drops of peppermint essential oil*

*a note about choosing a playdough scent: Some scents are calming while others are alerting. Peppermint is an alerting scent. This is great if you are wanting kids to stay focused. If you want this activity to be a calming one, be sure to choose a more calming scent.

KitchenAid Directions:

  1. Put the dry ingredients into your KitchenAid mixer.
  2. Add the oil and colour and begin mixing on low with the flat beater.
  3. As it is mixing on the lowest setting, pour in the boiling water.
  4. If you want to scent the playdough, add a few drops of essential oil in peppermint or the scent of your choice. Mix until it is the texture you want.
  5. Store in an airtight container or resealable bag when not being played with.

Stovetop Directions:

  1. Mix the dry ingredients together in a pot and stir in the oil, water and the food colouring.
  2. Cook over medium heat, stirring, being sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the pot.
  3. Cook until the dough forms a ball. Remove from heat.
  4. Place dough on a piece of wax paper. Knead. If you want, add a few drops of essential oils for scent.
  5. Allow to cool. Store the playdough in an airtight container or resealable bag.

Peter Rabbit Playdough Sensory Station:

Supplies:

Peter Rabbit Poseable FiguresPeter Rabbit Poseable FiguresPeter Rabbit Poseable FiguresFruits & Vegetables ToobFruits & Vegetables ToobFruits & Vegetables ToobPlay-doh-resealable GreenPlay-doh-resealable GreenPlay-doh-resealable Green

Directions:

  1. Set the green playdough in the middle compartment in the tray.
  2. Place all the other items in the compartments around it.
  3. Invite your child to explore, play, and create.

This activity is so sensory rich. Kids engage their visual, tactile, and proprioceptive sensory systems when they are squishing, moulding, sculpting, shaping, rolling, and pressing the dough and the other items in the invitation to play. If scented playdough is used, then they are also engaging their olfactory sensory system.

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

Check out some of our other playdough invitation to play activities:

White Snow PlaydoughSnow Playdough and invitation to play

Nativity Playdough Invitation to Play

Valentine’s Playdough Center

Dinosaur Fossils in Playdough

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Playdough offers so many opportunities for great sensory play. Create dinosaur fossils in playdough to accompany a dinosaur unit study or just for fun.

orange playdough with little hands pressing a dinosaur skull into it with text that reads "Dinosaur Fossil Playdough Activity"This simple activity which also gives fine motor skill practise is great for preschools or home. For older kids, it can be a good way to involve sensory into a unit study.

Dinosaur Fossil Playdough Activity:

Supplies needed:

Directions:

  1. Invite your child to roll out the playdough.
  2. Set out the dinosaur fossils.
  3. Encourage your child to press the Dino skulls into the playdough and carefully remove them. This will create a fossil impression.
  4. Another way to use this activity is to have the kids create the impressions and then match the dinosaur skulls up like a puzzle.

Sensory and Learning Opportunities:

Kids get proprioceptive feedback by pressing into the dough and from rolling it out. They also get input from the visual and tactile systems with this activity. If using scented playdough, the olfactory system will also be engaged.

If you are doing a unit study on fossils or dinosaurs, this is an easy and relevant hands-on activity to accompany that.

Are you looking for other easy to create 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.

Other great hands-on activities for a dinosaur unit study:

Dino Slime

Dinosaur Fossil Sensory Bin

Gross Motor Action Cube (dinosaur theme)

Dinosaur Sensory Bottle

St. Patrick’s Day Fluffy Slime

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Fluffy slime has such a great texture and stretch. Bring sensory play to your home or classroom in March with this green St. Patrick’s Day fluffy slime.

child's hands stretching green goo. Text reads "St. Patrick's Day Fluffy Slime"You can set out a Shamrock cookie cutter and some extra Shamrock play coins to expand the opportunities for kids to explore through play. Check out the video below to see the fluffy slime play in action.

St. Patrick’s Day Fluffy Slime Recipe:

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. Drop in a few shamrock play coins and fold them in.

Fluffy Slime Troubleshooting Tips:

You’ll need to use contact solution as the activator to create the right texture for your slime. Otherwise, the glue and shaving cream will just be a big blob of goo.

If your slime isn’t fluffy enough, try to fold in some extra shaving cream.

If the slime isn’t stretchy after a few days of playing with it, you can add a bit of hot tap water or a small amount of lotion to it.

Or if the slime is too sticky, add a drop or two more contact solution or a small bit of baby oil and knead.

These troubleshooting tips should help you to get the right consistency with your slime.Looking for more easy sensory play recipes to inspire creativity? Join us for a five day email series on Sensory Activities and Solutions and get a free sample of our Sensory Play Recipes eBook.

Here are some other St. Patrick’s Day activity ideas:

St. Patrick’s Day Sensory Bottle

Easy St. Patrick’s Day Sensory Bag

St. Patrick’s Day Fun Breakfast

Zoo Mini Sensory Bottle

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Recently, we discovered a new way to bring excitement to our sensory bottles by making mini ones in little play test tubes. This Zoo Mini Sensory Bottle is so cute.

small bottle with animals and text that reads "Zoo Mini Sensory Bottle"

Zoo Mini Sensory Bottle:

Supplies needed:

Directions:

  1. Pour clear dish soap into a mini bottle until it’s about half full.
  2. Drop in the tiny animals.
  3. Add in sequins and glitter.
  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 any other sensory play activity including this one, adult supervision is recommended. Even with the lid glued in place, it can be opened by determined kids or when the glue gets old. The bottle contains small parts that could be a choking hazard for kids.

This mini sensory bottle allows kids to bring it with them anywhere. It can be tucked into the seatback pocket of the vehicle, put in your child’s backpack, kept on their bedside table, or included in their calm down kit.

This adorable mini calm down bottle engages both the visual and tactile sensory systems. Because the glitter and sequins stay suspended in the dish soap and fall slowly as it is turned, it also produces a calming effect. Kids can watch the items fall slowly as they work on regulating their breathing.

If you’re looking for other sensory play ideas, join us for a five day email series on Sensory Activities and Solutions. You’ll also get a free sample of our Sensory Play Recipes eBook.

Check out our other mini sensory bottles for kids:

Football Mini Sensory Bottle

Baseball Mini Sensory Bottle