We hope you and your families are staying cool this summer! We wanted to share some fun summer ideas for sensory and fine motor play. Summer is a wonderful time to explore sensory activities, especially outside and in nature.
Sensory activities are not just for our little ones – it’s also great for us as adults to use sensory activities as an opportunity to be present and de-stress, even if momentarily. For example, now that we are spending more time at home, we can take the time to notice the birds’ sweet morning chirping, spend time gardening, or smelling the flowers. As adults our sensory activities may look different than the ones recommended below for our kids, but simply taking the time to look, see, and feel our surroundings more, especially in nature, we can be much more present and mindful.
Below is a list of some fun summer activities. Some of these activities can be a bit on the messy side and would be fun to do outside, weather permitting and if it isn’t too hot!
Water Sensory Play
1. Go ‘Fishing’: Grab a container/bin and fill it with water. Add a variety of small toys/items and use small tongs to pick them up!
2. ‘Dig for Worms’: If you are planning a spaghetti dinner, save some to make ‘worms’! Place cooked spaghetti in dirt or sand, and use fingers or tongs to pick them up and place in a container.
3. ‘Nature Soup’: Grab a bin and fill it with water – add items you would find outside in nature or your backyard, such as rocks, grass, twigs, leaves, flower petals, lemons -you can cut the lemons into quarters and your child can squeeze the lemons into the ‘nature soup’! Use a spoon or tong to pick out the items; or use fingers and encourage picking up and feeling all of the different textures found in Mother Nature!
4. ‘Beach’ Sensory Play: Fill a bin with water, sand, and smooth shells; if you have small ocean animal toys add them in!
