From birth, children use their senses to better understand the world around them. Using touch, taste, smell, sight, and sound, children learn to retain information and develop important memories by engaging their senses. Many preschools use sensory play to stimulate early brain development and encourage thinking and excellent motor skills, but what can you do to keep your little ones learning while at home? Read on for three sensory play ideas you can do with your preschool-aged children.

Fun Ways to Encourage Sensory Play at Home

1. Build a Sensory Bin

Sensory bins can be made by filling a plastic tub or another large container with carefully selected objects and materials designed to stimulate the senses of your child. Select a theme such as the ocean, space, colors, shapes, or numbers, to further boost your little one's imagination, then build the perfect bin using easily found materials such as colored beads, pom poms, seashells, sand, cotton balls, feathers, plastic insects, and more. Encourage your children to separate by colors, shapes, and sizes, or to create scenes, stacks, and patterns. 

2. Make Edible Finger Paint

Perfect for preschool-aged children and babies as young as six months, edible finger paint is an excellent way to stimulate your child's sight, touch, and taste senses through imaginative play that is both fun and safe. Prepare edible finger paints using a simple recipe such as corn starch, water, and liquid food coloring, then set them up with plenty of paper at a covered kitchen table or outdoor space where they are free to create without the worry of mess. While safe to consume, these recipes are tasteless to discourage eating. Consider adding fruit juice or powdered sugar for more flavorful fun. 

3. Create Exploration Sand Foam

A great way to stimulate your child's sense of touch and develop valuable investigative skills, sand foam can be easily made using a simple mixture of play sand and shaving cream. Create hours of adventure by adding simple trinkets and toys such as dinosaur bones, plastic gemstones, shells, toy cars, alphabet letters, and more. Your children will love the way the fluffy sand feels on their fingers and the fun of discovering buried treasure.

Sensory play is an essential part of early childhood development. For a preschool that encourages mental stimulation and creativity, contact the skilled staff at Lucky Lane Nursery School in St. Louis, MO. For over 65 years, the instructors at Lucky Lane Nursery School have shaped young minds through stimulating, age-appropriate educational programs designed to build self-confidence and encourage proper socialization. Contact them today at (314) 434-4462 to schedule a tour, or visit them online to learn more about their school.