Why do children play with sand and water in preschool? Sensory play stimulates a child’s senses and facilitate exploration and naturally allow children to use scientific processes while they play, create and learn through investigation and exploration. Sensory play doesn’t have to be just sand or water – it is any activities that stimulate the child’s sense of touch, taste, smell, sight or hearing. The benefits of sensory play extend to motor skills, social skills, language development, cognitive skills as well as problem-solving.
Thanks for reading! Subscribe to Share & Remember or follow me via Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. This post may contain affiliate links which means I may earn a small amount of money when you purchase through the link. Full disclosure policy here. Your privacy is respected. Read our privacy policy here.
Sensory Play Activities
Here is a list of sensory play activities that have been featured at Things to Share & Remember. Click an image to be taken directly to the post related to each sensory play idea. Check back, I’m always adding more!
Super Soft Pumpkin Play Dough
Fall is just around the corner so you may be planning your fall fun centers. Add super soft pumpkin play dough to your list! It’s going to be a hit. Have the kids help make this recipe, it’s just a few ingredients and quite simple. Add pumpkin cookie dough cutters to emphasize the fall and…
Learning About Responsibilities
Week three of the Alphabet House theme was all about household chores and learning about responsibilities. Our activities included cleaning up, laundry, caring for pets, outdoor chores and welcoming guests. I always love setting up these dramatic play areas for a household theme. It makes learning and exploring fun! Learning About Responsibilities It’s important…
Gardening Sensory Bin
Everyone learns best by doing so I made a gardening sensory bin for my preschoolers to explore gardening. Obviously, we can garden outdoors but our wet spring was causing problems with that. Our gardening sensory bin was a hit! Like most sensory bins it was messy so if you can take this outdoors that would…
Pink Bubble Gum Slime
Loving this fun Pink Bubble Gum Slime of slime version – the texture and scent of bubble gum! Little hands won’t be able to get enough! It’s not edible, sadly, so please supervise while your kids are playing with it. The fluffy texture comes from Insta-Snow, a really fun science activity in itself. Add some bubble gum…
Ocean Commotion Sand Foam Sensory Experience
I set out the shaving cream… and the blue sand… Everyone wanted to know “What are we going to do?” They just wanted their little hands on the cream and the sand! So that’s what we did! Sand Foam requires just two ingredients and cleans up easy but it’s all about how it feels! Sand…
Coral Collages and STEAM Station
I have some awesome Coral Collages and STEAM Station activities to share with you today from our Mother Goose Time Ocean Commotion theme. We loved these activities this week! It’s been so fun to discover the coral reef colors, explore plants and animals on the ocean floor and see what is inside an ocean cave. Coral…
Create an Ocean Creature Sensory Bin
I’m excited to share a wonderful ocean creature sensory bin idea. The blue water beads look so inviting, everyone will be wanting a turn in the sensory table. That’s the great thing about sensory bins – kids love them and they offer so many learning opportunities. This month our Mother Goose Time theme is Ocean Commotion so it’s…
Easter Sensory Play Ideas
Sensory play is necessary for children all year long. We know that children learn through hands-on play that involves their senses. Sensory play usually includes fine motor skill development, which is another reason sensory play is so important. It’s fun to switch up sensory bins and play centers for the seasons and holidays so I’m sharing…
Dinosaur Sensory Bins
Creating sensory bins is one of the most fun parts of planning my environment. Each one can be different depending on the theme we’re learning about. Nearly anything can go into a bin, just see what you have! I pulled together a combination of materials we already had to create our dinosaur sensory bin. For inspiration,…
Dinosaur Fossil Clay Recipe
We are well into our January theme, Dinosaur Dig. It’s been so fun learning about paleontology! Investigating the science of rocks and fossils, creating an excavation dig and making fossils. Using a dinosaur fossil clay recipe, we mixed up some dough that dries well and looks like a fossil! Dinosaur Fossil Clay Recipe The Dinosaur Fossil…
Gingerbread Man Play Dough
The holidays are coming and it’s a wonderful time for all activities sensory for the little ones. Children can experience the scent of ginger and cinnamon with this Gingerbread Man Play Dough recipe. Put a set together for a gift, an activity center for your preschoolers or during parties for the youngest guests. Gingerbread Man Play…
All Kinds of Weather
Our first week of Weather & Changing Seasons was about all kinds of weather. Learning about different types of weather allows children to look outside of themselves and investigate the world around them with their peers. All Kinds of Weather Sun Sunny Shapes: This tabletop math activity uses linking shapes and a shape design mat….
Noodle Brain Sensory Play
Last week we started learning about My Amazing Body: Body Parts. We learned that our heads are hard bone and it protects the soft brain that is inside. Our brains make our bodies move! Our brain is the part of our body that does the thinking. So on this theme of the head and brain,…
DIY Sand Play Dough
Sand and play dough are staples in childhood but combining the two is a real hit! The sand adds a different texture to the dough and gives that beachy feeling. It’s been the perfect play dough to go along with our Alphabet Island theme this month. Use it with seashells and gems or any of…
Straws & Play Dough
Straws and play dough are nothing new but they sure are fun! We tried something different – wrapping several straws together with rubber bands. The activity focuses on fine motor work as well as visual arts. The colorful straws definitely drew the children’s attention! Straws & Play Dough The idea came from Mother Goose Time’s…
Sing a Song of Sixpence
Sing a Song of Sixpence is a strange nursery rhyme (a lot of them are!) with 24 blackbirds in a pie… how can that be? A great conversation with preschoolers! What is a sixpence? What is rye? This version doesn’t go as far as the maid in the garden and the blackbird pecking off her…
What’s Inside a Pumpkin?
What’s inside a pumpkin? Opening a pumpkin and looking inside is a seasonal, hands-on learning experience that supports science, sensory, and language development as well as curiosity. Just presenting the question to preschoolers piques their interest and creates excitement to see what’s inside the pumpkin. Our pumpkin has a stem. That’s where it was connected…
Starry Night Sensory Play
One of our favorite activities from July’s Art Studio theme was the Starry Night Sensory Play. We took our inspiration from The Starry Night painting by Vincent Van Gogh. The Starry Night is a painting of a scene at night with 11 swirly stars and a bright yellow crescent moon. In the background there are…
Treasure Sand Sensory Play
Sensory play is a major component of our play and learning in preschool. While playing in the sand, children can measure sand and map out roads developing spatial relationships. Pouring, dumping, gathering, scooping and packing works on small and large motor skills. Don’t forget the social benefits of sharing, interacting and cooperating. Treasure Sand sensory play…
Hang It Out To Dry
We had the most fun with laundry day during our Bubbles, Boats and Floats theme with Mother Goose Time. The best way to learn is hands on and through play, right? So that’s what we did – washed laundry so we could hang it out to dry. Taking play outdoors is just the best too,…
Soapy Bubbles Water Play
This month we’ve been learning about water through play with the Mother Goose Time’s Bubbles, Boats and Floats theme. The wonderful thing about water is there are so many ways to play in it! Water play is open-ended and encourages learning in all developmental areas. Water play is inexpensive, readily available and so fun. It…
Don’t Sit on a Cactus Preschool Desert Activities
We received two warnings while learning about the desert: don’t sit on a cactus and don’t get stuck in the quicksand! We loved this song on the CD: Don’t sit on a cactus! It will hurt you bad. No, don’t sit on a cactus. It will make you sad. No, don’t sit on a cactus! Good…
Discover the Desert: Lasso
We started with cowboy boots, then cowboy hats and Day 3 of Discover the Desert: Lasso. At circle time, we counted 13 knots on a rope. What a fun way to incorporate the sense of touch into counting! We noticed on the daily topic poster that the lasso has a knot. Lasso Shapes Using the…
Fizzy Ice Sensory & Science
During our Outdoor Sights & Sounds of Winter theme with Mother Goose Time, we covered the topic of ice. Simple materials like ice cubes, vinegar and baking soda offer a wonderful way for preschoolers to learn about physical science through hands on play. Science can, and should be, fun! My preschool group really enjoyed this…
Play Dough Ideas for Halloween
Originally I saw this idea to use tangram shapes or PLAY DOUGH AND PATTERN BLOCK PUMPKINS to make jack-o-lanterns on Munchkins and Moms. Check out her site, she has some great ideas for play, including this Spider Web Painting activity. I found some other fun play dough ideas for Halloween too. Our tangram shapes came from our Mother…
Nature Play Dough
All through July we’ve been enjoying nature activities along with our Nature Detectives theme. One day we played with nature play dough. We’re always looking for new materials to use with our play dough. Nature play dough is just one more way we can connect children with nature. Nature play dough is just combining a…
Alphabet House: Rooms in a House
We continue learning with The Alphabet House theme – this week is Alphabet House: Rooms in a House Doors & Windows Our project for the day was to make a paper bag house. Assorted papers and lunch bags were included for this craft. I ave extra Scholastic flyers just for this purpose – stuffing. While…
Growing Gardens: Planting the Garden
The first week of our Growing Gardens theme is all about Planting the Garden. We learned that we first need soil. What can we find in the soil? We scooped soil indoors in the sensory table… and outdoors in the garden. Digging, scooping and pouring allows children to explore, using measuring skills and work on their strength…
Chinese New Year Preschool Sensory Play
Chinese New Year is a spring festival celebrating the change of the Chinese calendar. It falls between mid-January and mid-February and celebrations last for two weeks. We enjoy celebrating Chinese New Year and learning about Chinese culture each year through foods, books, videos, music, dramatic play, sensory play, and art. See our beautiful Chinese New Year…
Dinosaur Egg Sensory Play
Dinosaur Egg Sensory Play This week in our sensory bin we have Dinosaur Eggs with Baby Dinosaurs and Kinetic sand. The dinosaur eggs came with our January Dinosaur Dig theme box from Mother Goose Time. They are a great combination with the Kinetic Sand. The eggs can be opened and the baby dinosaurs “hatch” out. The kids…
Holiday Wrap Cutting Activity Bin
This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Some of the preschoolers in my group need to work on their cutting skills. To encourage practice and work on those goals, I set a cutting bin made with holiday wrapping paper, ribbon and scissors. It’s a fun way to get kids using scissors and let them get their…
Simple Fall Science Centers for Preschoolers
Setting up a couple simple fall science centers for preschoolers is super easy. Sometimes my ideas get bigger than they need to be and I found a few that are quick to set up and fun for preschoolers. Simple Fall Science Centers Weighing small pumpkins and gourds really covers science, sensory, and math. I chose…
4th of July Sparkler Wands
While shopping at Michael’s, I spotted red, white and blue mesh tube ribbon. I’ve never used tube ribbon before and wondered what I could come up with. It was 50% off so I had to do something with it! We ended up using it several ways, including a piece cut for the cat to play…
4th of July Sparkle Bottles
Happy 4th of July! Today’s the day and I have several fun activities for the 4th to share today. First, my group was very excited about making these 4th of July Sparkle Bottles yesterday. This activity is creative yet educational. Our purpose in making them is mostly to have FUN since that’s the goal of…
Valentine Water Sensory Play
Looking for a Valentine-themed sensory bin? Look no farther. This one is pretty easy to pull together and you can use it year after year. Children love playing in the water and how much fun is pretty red or pink water? Valentine Water Sensory Play I tried a dry sensory bin for Valentine’s Day with shredded…
Preschool Water Table Ideas -Sponges in the Water Table
Preschool Water Table Ideas Simply adding: large sponges – found at the dollar store a small amount of water gentle soap if desired creates a fun water table for preschoolers! While out shopping I found these sponges and decided to switch up the sensory table with water and sponges. The sponges would be a new item…
J is for Junk Jar ~ Preschool Alphabet Activities
We did this activity a long time ago, but it was so fun, it’s one we don’t want to forget! We made “junk jars” for letter Jj. J is for Junk Jar Activity Maybe this is why I have a hard time throwing things out – possibly it’s hereditary? My mom had these small jars…
Waiter, Waiter! Preschool Restaurant Dramatic Play
Perhaps this isn’t such the glamorous part of dining out, being the waiter. Children are very familiar with waiters though. I know waiters do not wash dishes but they do often clear the dishes and it’s all related. This is really dramatic play and sensory play combined. How about adding in life skills as well?…
Snowflake Play Dough
Snowflake dough is super soft, white and lovely to play with! Not cold like real snow. I’ve been wanting to try this dough recipe for quite some time – it’s simple with just two ingredients – cornstarch and hair conditioner. I’ve also seen it made with lotion which would be equally as nice! Our Snowflake…
Alphabet Ice Painting
We’ve had some very cold days already this winter. Last week temps with wind chills were well below zero so it was a good opportunity to make some ice cubes. I mixed some food coloring (mostly liquid food coloring but the purple was a gel) and water and poured it into various ice cube trays….
Winter Snow Bin Sensory Play
Here in Wisconsin, it’s -2F with the windchill at noon today. There’s a wind chill advisory for tonight and it’s expected to be -18 to -25. That’s cold… We did go outside for just a bit to play in the snow and wear off some energy, but since it’s too cold to be out long,…
Outdoor Art: Autumn Leaf Collage
I like to incorporate a variety of activities in our outdoor play including art. This activity includes many areas of learning actually – nature, sensory, fine motor, color recognition and many more I’m sure depending on how it’s presented. This day our leaves were starting to fall and beautiful! While outside I set up our…
Preschool Community Helpers Construction Worker
There are many fun ways to explore the role of a construction worker through play. Our preschool community helpers construction worker sensory bin – corn and construction vehicles. I found these construction vehicles at the Dollar Tree store for $1.00 each. Sometimes toys from the dollar stores are not made to hold up for the “long…
Spooky Googly Eye Glitter Water Play
What a fun morning playing with spooky googly eye glitter water! I loved this idea shared by Teach Preschool & Fun at Home with Kids. We used blue food coloring in our water (not enough to stain hands) and a little fine glitter. I added a variety of spoons and small containers with lids. The…
R is for Rocks | Preschool Activities
Our rock activities included water and rocks sensory play, scrubbing rocks with water and brushes, combining rocks and playdough, investigating different kinds of rocks, shells and even a little jaw bone (rodent, I’m afraid) and writing letter Rr for rock. Download R is for rock printable Other ways to learn and play with rocks: Natural…
Little People Car Wash Water Play
Make a toy car wash with toys you already have! Our Fisher-Price Little People car wash water play was so fun! I just used toys we already had and put them in the water table to play car wash with. That’s what family child care providers are – resourceful! It’s great to be able to…
Animal Wash Soapy Sensory Play
One of the simplest sensory activities is so fun! Make an animal wash soapy sensory play activity to take outdoors. Washing plastic animals – serves several purposes – cool summer play, cleaning toys and soapy water sensory experience. Take those toys outside! It’s simple – you just need bins of clean water with a little…
Easter Egg Water Sensory Play
Make an Easter Egg Water Sensory Play bin with colorful eggs, pastel water, and some glass marble gems. It’s irresistible! Easter Egg Water Sensory Play – A simple & quick sensory bin for Easter. I used: warm, colored water (with food coloring) plastic Easter eggs large glass marble gems (those flat pebble looking things!) My varied…
Ocean Sand Sensory Bin
This sensory bin doesn’t coordinate with our current theme, but I was inspired to make it after finding the little sailboat while I was out thrifting over the weekend. I’m always on the lookout for items that will spark the imagination & this certainly did! The sailboat is a bit fragile (this toy sailboat set…
Preschool Activity Trays
This post contains Discount Supply affiliate links. My group has really enjoyed the new activity trays I created. I love this cart from Discount School Supply that can be used in so many ways. Discount School Supply Mobile Art Rack I bought the cart for additional activities that I can’t leave out because of our…
Scented Kool-Aid Paint
We’re learning about bees & butterflies this month. We’ve learned that both use their sense of smell – bees for finding flowers to collect pollen and butterflies for flower nectar. So we used scented paint to make colorful paintings. I bought the least expensive drink mix I could find (15 cents). I chose these flavors/colors:…
St. Patrick’s Day Sensory Play
Make a St. Patrick’s Day Sensory Play bin for March with simple supplies. Gather some green bowls, foam shamrock shapes, St. Patrick’s Day lucky coins, gold pom poms, long-handled spoons, and containers to fill. Add these items to a base of dried split peas. Children will be interested in exploring all the items and enjoy scooping…
Coloring Snow Sensory & Fine Motor Play
This activity is a combination of coloring snow sensory & fine motor play. Winter is dissipating here now, but when it’s really cold or you’ve just had enough outside time, here’s a snow activity to bring inside. We filled the sensory table with snow and used water droppers and liquid watercolors to making colorful snow. The…
Outdoor Play Kitchen {Messy Fun!}
Today’s fun was setting up an outdoor play kitchen. I’ve been wanting to do this activity with my group forever & finally got to it! I put the older group in charge of setting up our kitchen. They moved tables, brought sand and water toys, helped arrange materials and fill the “sink”, which was their…
Valentine Rice Sensory Bin
Valentine Rice Sensory Bin Making Dyed Rice Supplies Needed: 4 cups of rice 2 TBS of coloring 2 TBS of rubbing alcohol Directions: Previously I used slightly more alcohol on the Rainbow Rice, but really I thought 1:1 was fine. Pour all into a Ziploc bag and mix until fully colored. Pour the rice…
Mini Volcanoes
Throughout our dinosaur theme, I think the volcanoes captured the boy’s {I currently have all boys enrolled, mostly 2 year olds!} attention most. They loved making mini volcanoes. I gave them each three containers: one with colored vinegar, one with backing soda and one empty bowl. Each had a spoon and a water dropper. I…
Help Yourself Pitchers Pouring Practice
In early childhood. learning self-help skills can be part of the play. Recently I purchased a set of the Help-Yourself Pitchers to promote drinking water while children are in child care. My “Help Yourself Pitchers Pouring Practice” activity utilizes the small pitchers for the children to practice their pouring skills. I have one set out every…
Play Dough Monsters
I received this great “Rainy Day Survival Kit” set of craft supplies free, from CraftProjectIdeas.com & Horizon Group. We look forward to doing a lot more activities with these materials, but today, we made play dough monsters. I loved this idea that’s been circulating online on Pinterest, Teach Preschool, etc. We did have a rainy…
Smelling Sensory Bottles Free Printable Labels
For our “My Amazing Body” theme, I made some Smelling Sensory Bottles. Although my version doesn’t really follow the traditional Montessori method because I labeled the jars and it’s not really a matching activity, the kids have really enjoyed them. It all kind of started with this pickle relish container I put out for the…
Flyswatter Bubbles
Bubbles are a childhood necessity. Everyone loves bubbles, lots of bubbles and that’s what happens with flyswatter bubbles. It’s a fun twist on bubbles, using flyswatters to create hundreds of tiny bubbles or big clumps of bubbles. Flyswatter bubbles encourages movement, making bubbles a full body experience. We used a homemade bubble solution and flyswatters that…
Space Sensory Discovery Box
As I was gathering ideas for my space sensory box, I decided that I didn’t want to buy anything. I wanted to make it NOW. So typical of me. I started gathering some odds & ends and that’s what I went with. I realized I have plenty of great things to use for this theme….
Homemade Bubbles and Refill Station
With summer comes lots of fun outdoor play that wouldn’t be complete without bubbles! A bubble refill station is just a genius idea that I originally found on Come Together Kids. I made Homemade Bubbles and Refill Station. In the past, I’ve use a bubble machine a lot because it’s less messy and little ones tend…
Sticky Table Sensory Play
Today we tried this Sticky Table Sensory Play activity spotted on Pinterest. Actually, it came from a Teach Preschool post! I should have known. Apparently, it’s also an Ooey Gooey Lady activity. The idea is Contact Paper sticky side up taped to a table. The idea showed using pom-poms to stick & remove. I loved…
Sensory Balloons & Painting {Rainbows}
Recently we tried making sensory balloons & painting. I see Play At Home Mom recently posted about a similar activity using filled balloons as a sensory activity. Sensory Balloons & Painting Our balloons were filled with flour, rice, pasta, salt, water and corn from a sensory bin. The kids really enjoyed guessing what was in…
Rainbow Stew
Rainbow Stew 1/3 c. sugar 1 c. cornstarch 4 c. cold water Cook until thick. put in bowls, add food coloring. Put in Ziploc baggies. Let the kids play with it while it is in the bags for a neat sensory experience or use it to mix colors. Don’t save it. It will mold!
Rainbow I Spy Bottles
Rainbow I Spy Bottles are a fun summer sensory and craft activity for kids of all ages. We made them as part of our Rainbow of Summer Fun for Kids activities. It’s a different way to explore colors. Using the rainbow rice from the sensory bin, we made Rainbow I Spy Bottles….
Rainbow Kool-Aid Play Dough {with colored toothpicks}
Our rainbow theme has ended but I still have several posts that I didn’t get to last week. We’re moving on to a space theme for July! But first, here’s our Rainbow Kool-Aid Play Dough activity. Rainbow Kool-Aid Play Dough We used the recipe from Chocolate Muffin Tree to make the play dough. I love that…
Mud Pie Kitchen
I had no idea there was such a thing, but how fun, International Mud Day! Lots of parents & teachers out there are making little mud pie kitchen type play areas so I was inspired to as well. We have this space between our sandbox / under our “mountain” climber so it was time to…
Rainbow Rice & Garden Sensory Play
Rainbow Rice Sensory Play I loved this book & garden themed sensory play idea from Playful Learning. Planting a Rainbow is a new book to me and my group. I immediately bought it on Amazon. What a great color book! [PLANTING A RAINBOW] Planting a Rainbow by Ehlert, Lois(Author) paperback{Planting a…
Rainbow Ice Cube Painting
This was something new for us, Rainbow Ice Cube Painting. I froze LIQUID WATERCOLORS (filled the trays with water first, then added watercolors & stirred) overnight. I knew it was going to be a hot day so the plan was to do this activity outside. I’ve seen this activity done plenty on paper but I wanted…
Ponds and Muck
Yesterday we made a simple pond in our water table with sticks, cholla wood (logs), ivy, rocks, frogs, snakes, turtles and insects. Learning about ponds and muck is fun. Even if you don’t have a pond nearby, you can make a sensory bin pond with natural items and small toys. You can also create your…
Moving Water Sensory Play
Moving Water Sensory Play isn’t anything new, but it’s still really fun. Today we played with a variety of medicine syringes & droppers and small amounts of water. Moving Water Sensory Play Needed: small containers syringes -save from pharmacy or buy at a farm supply store water droppers small amount of water towel to cover…
Kleenex Box Challenge :: Textile Sensory Box
This is what I came up with for the Kleenex box challenge – a textile sensory box. There’s various types of {mostly} fabrics to engage the senses. Included: tulle, mesh, sequined fabric, linen, embroidered fabrics, silky pieces, felt, butterfly pattern, towel, bandana print, oriental patterns, foam, bubble wrap, and sandpaper. These are all pieces of…
Sensory Bottles
Sensory bottles are easy to make and with a few simple supplies, you can make your own! Rice & alphabet beads. I colored this rice with liquid watercolors. This one might need more rice? We made these sparkle bottles for the 4th of July one year. They’ve been around for years already. We made these…
Recommended Supplies for Sensory Play
Here’s a list of some of my favorite sensory bin materials:
- Ice cube trays – all sizes and shapes. Great for one-to-one correspondence, filling, patterning
- Jumbo tweezers – safe and develops hand strength, hand- eye coordination, fine motor skills
- Scoops & Tongs – fun for grabbing small objects, fine motor skill development
- Bear Counters – colorful, useable in sand or water. Sort, count, collect
- Plastic long handled spoons
- Kinetic Sand – hours of fun!
- Play sand – a basic. Add tools and containers.
- Water beads – colorful fun!
- Any kind of Toob Toys
- Pom poms – for a little softness and color
- Pipettes – for water play
- Gold Coins – St. Patrick’s Day or treasure sand
- Measuring Set – incorporate some math
- Sand Sieves – sift sand or strain water
- Bug Counters – add to sand, water, shredded paper
- Mini Porcupine Balls – colorful and wonderful texture
- Colorful Wood Beads – sounds so neat!
- Sponges – put in the water table for children to squeeze and develop hand strength
