What are some good Sensory activities for 4-5 year olds?

Question

I need your help on this, I need to find sensory activities which are simple and hopefully use texture techniques. Up to 5 kids participate at each setting. HELP!

Answer 1

Touch "obstacle courses" are a fun activity that keeps them moving and can be done without a lot of adults.  Setting up little activities like stretching a rubber band around a ball of rubber bands (buy several bags, then the kids can see how big it gets by the end), gluing a small pinch of sand to paper to see how nice smooth sand becomes scratchy, climbing through a box that has been filled with foam pieces/cloth, rolling up a small bit of fabric to feel how it can go from soft to hard then hard to soft.  Then there is aways a touch and feel board all over the room like you would use with toddlers but with the older kids, have them put a mitten or rubber glove on one hand so they can see what it is like NOT to feel the fur.  At 4-5, the little scientists love to see how things change since most of themcan predict how it should feel.  Have fun trying to surprise them by finding things that feel differently than they will expect.  As a fun and cheap toy to make and send home (trust me, send it home), stuff a not yet inflated baloon in another and then fill some with flour and some with sugar.  They feel different and work really well to keeps little ones' hands busy so their ears and eyes can learn well.  They usually burst or leak after a few days so send them home.

For more grandiose sensory activities, try the stuff you think of as therapy for people with disabilities.  Weighted blankets (large bean bags work well too) this requires hands-on adult supervision, lotion with various things added (sugar, sand, flour, salt etc), movement but you must talk about and emphasize the feeling so the kids know what to feel for (spinning makes your head feel heavy, rocking for awhile and then stopping makes you feel like you are still rocking or like you are light, etc), if you live in a warmer area and have some parents to help a touch and feel walk is good too.

Don't forget to use smell, music and the other senses to enrich the experience.

Hope some of this helps.

Answer 2

Make sensory boxes.  Take shoeboxes and cut holes in the sides. Place rough, slimy, soft, hard, etc. items in each box and have the kids describe the texture and guess what it is.  You'll get a kick out of what they imagine these items to be.  Try cornstarch and water mixed to make slimey stuff, rocks, sandpaper, cotton balls, all kinds of stuff!

Answer 3

here are some ideas that might be good.  play dough, rice, cornmeal, goop which is made with corn starch and water and add water color or food coloring for fun.  beans, make a sensory walk using contact paper, bubble wrap, sand paper.  the kids really like this.  bird seeds is also fun.  flour and gak is fun but i don't remember how to make it.  another fun actives is to make a block of ice and have the children  but colored salt on it or make colored ice cubes.  shaving cream and hair gel and lotion are more fun activies.  and of course classic sand.

well i hope you find these sensory activies helpful.  have fun!

Answer 4

Big pan filled with dried beans or rice with scoops and small pails they can fill and dump.

Answer 5

Buy some rubber gloves and fill each one halfway with different materials and tie off at the top.  Material ideas can include cotton balls, sand, corn starch, dried beans, rice, and ice cubes.  Remember to keep a close eye on the gloves and if they show any signs of wear just slip them into another glove.

Answer 6

you should read books and have showing tell time.