Keep kids busy, happy, and active without screens thanks to these easily DIY-able sensory materials.
Kids love exploring and playing with sensory materials! A well-curated set of sensory materials is a great way to keep kids busy and happy, actively learning on several different levels, and all without screens!
When choosing sensory materials to DIY and offer to kids, think of it like a buffet: some sensory materials won’t be amenable to your kid’s palate at all, and that’s okay! Some kids aren’t going to naturally be attuned to sticky materials, for instance, and some won’t like crumbly materials, etc. But other sensory materials will be some of your kid’s favorite things on earth. Your kid might LOOOOOVE dough-like materials, or materials they can sift or scoop, or materials that ooze between their fingers. Your goal, then, when figuring out which sensory materials to DIY and offer, is to think about leaning into what your kid likes, and stretching their interests to encourage them to explore materials they don’t yet feel comfortable with. You want to encourage kids to have a wide sensory palate, and regular offerings of all varieties will help you do that.
Below, check out my list of my all-time favorite sensory materials. Your favorite kid’s new favorite obsession is somewhere on this list!
Dyed Epsom Salts
Dye brings out the iridescence in Epsom salts, so this is a great one for kids with a strong visual interest, as well as for kids who love scooping and digging. To add a more sophisticated learning experience for preschoolers and up, introduce a handheld or USB microscope so that kids can discover the crystalline structure in the salts.
Popcorn Kernels
Not everything has to be dyed within an inch of its life! Popcorn kernels don’t take dye well, but they’re already pretty enough to hold their own with other sensory materials. They’re large enough to sweep up easily, which in my book means they’re not actually messy, and they’re wonderfully sized for scooping and pouring.
Dyed Dry Pasta
This sensory material is often a favorite of kids who love to grasp, scoop, and pour, because the variety of pasta you can dye, and colors you can dye them, is nearly infinite. Dry pasta is more delicate than most other sensory materials, too, which means that a preschooler who loves to smash things can have a perfect afternoon on the driveway with a small mallet and lots of dry pasta. Ask me how I know this, lol!
Dyed Dry Rice
The blog Fun at Home with Kids (and the book by the same author) has the BEST recipes for all kinds of sensory materials, including this dyed rice! I especially love the direct comparison between liquid watercolors and food coloring, for those who might be wondering if it’s worth it to spring for the watercolors.
Play Dough
This is the perfect play dough recipe. Make it as-is, or experiment with add-ins like glitter or sand. When my kids were little I always had this on hand in several colors, and I liked to make some special batches for holidays with holiday colors and accessories. My little kids made so many play dough Jack-o-lanterns and Christmas trees and hearts over the years!
Two-Ingredient, No-Cook Dough
This is a super simple play dough that doesn’t require cooking, meaning you can make it nearly anywhere. You can also play with the amount of oil in the dough, using a scant amount for a crumblier texture or a generous amount for an extremely smooth and soft texture. If your kid gets chapped hands in the winter, make this dough with a generous amount of sweet almond oil or similar, and you’ll be sneakily moisturizing those little hands while they play!
Sand Dough
I LOVE the texture of this sand dough, so fascinatingly gritty where other doughs are smooth. This dough is just as pliable and scuptable as traditional homemade play dough, but the texture is a very different sensory experience. If your kid really loves doughs, this one will expand their touch palate while still remaining in their area of interest. On the other hand, if your kid loathes sandy textures, this dough might help them stretch their tolerance.
Flour
Here’s another no-prep sensory activity suitable even for babies–give them some flour and watch them explore! Spread it out into a shallow layer and model drawing in it with fingers, or mound a scoop into the middle of a tray and watch them explore how to grasp it and move it.
Clear Slime
Slime can be a challenging sensory experience for younger kids, which I think is so interesting because by the time they’re tweens, most kids can’t get enough of it! Slime is one of the messiest materials on the spectrum of all sensory materials, but it’s important to explore messy stuff sometimes, too. The physics of slime is also particularly interesting, and your tiny scientists will have a LOT to explore with it.
Oobleck
Oobleck seems like it would be a lot messier than slime, and in some ways it is, but it’s not sticky, and it’s a LOT easier to clean up. Oobleck also behaves differently depending on the ratio of cornstarch to water, so this is a great one to give an older kid the materials for and let them do some significant experimenting with on their own.
P.S. Want even more sensory activities that are especially geared to toddlers? Here you go!
The post Ten Sensory Materials to DIY appeared first on craftingagreenworld.com. Author: Julie Finn.
