Sensory play has many benefits from language development as child care providers help to give children the vocabulary to describe their world to helping children calm by giving them a sensory experience to focus on. Sensory play does not have to involve expensive materials and equipment.
Water play can use warm or cool water paired with common items found in the kitchen or from the child’s play area. Do you have dishes, plastic dolls, or cars you can wash in warm sudsy water? Getting outside as the weather turns warmer to make mudpies, plant a garden, or dig in the ground can have calming benefits.
Having kids squeeze, sift, and feel a variety of different textured items in a sensory bin or box can be done inside or outside.
For those children or providers who do not want the mess try using unmatched socks and filling them with different ingredients that children can squeeze and move through the length of the socks during stressful situations.
Equipment Needed: water, soap, dirt, sand, toys
For more activities and discussion related to calming your children and creating stress free environments be sure to check out the rest of April's blog: Being the Calm in the Storm