I love mindful sensory play for kids, and I prepared a sensory activity for my students at school that I wanted to share with you, too!
Sensory Bags are a popular way to introduce sensory play to young children. If you’re unfamiliar with Sensory Bags, simply put, they are bags that include items to help engage your child’s senses: hear, smell, see, touch, and taste. There are so many ways you can create Sensory Bags, such as Squishy Sensory Bags, Rice Sensory Bags, Play Dough Sensory Bags, and Paint Sensory Bags.
For the Sensory Bags I specifically made for my students, I added different items to represent each sense (example: a Starburst candy for taste, play dough for touch, a squeaky rubber duck for sound). I ask my students to fill out this Sensory Bag Worksheet (free to download and print out!) as they go through each item and focus fully on each sense. What do they hear when they squeeze the rubber duck? What do they taste and feel when they eat their Starburst treat? What do they feel when they play with the play dough?
I ask my students to be as specific as possible when they fill out the worksheet so that they can really be present with their senses and think of all facets of their sensory experience!
Why Sensory Play Is Beneficial For Kids
So why is sensory play such a big plus in a child’s everyday routine? Whether at school or for regular playtime at home, sensory play or sensory activities help children in lots of impactful ways:
Encourages exploration, mindfulness, and creativity;
Promotes better problem-solving, engages them in tactile play, and improves concentration/focus;
Can help children self-regulate their emotions and thoughts;
Can aid in calming practice when your child is stressed or emotionally dysregulated;
Reduce distraction and bust boredom so that kids don’t rely on screentime or other not-so-productive activities;
Enhances fine motor skills development and learning experiences;
A great tool for mindfulness that helps a child focus on their present moment and pay close attention to the activity at hand;
& so much more!
I do hope you enjoy this easy Sensory Bag activity that you can do any time together with your child!
How To Make Sensory Bags
As mentioned previously, Sensory Bags can be used and created for a wide range of purposes and with a varied set of items/tools. To make the Sensory Bags I did for my students, all you need to do is:
Have an empty bag that you can use. This can be a grocery bag, tote bag, clear bag of any kind (e.g., Ziplock bag), mesh bag, etc. It’s up to you what you would like to do with that!
Add an item to represent each sense: hear, smell, see, touch, and taste. You can be creative for this part, or even let your child choose what they want to add to their Sensory Bag!
Print out the free Sensory Bag Worksheet, then get started on your Sensory Journey!
Be sure to ask your child to write down everything they hear/smell/see/touch/taste as they go through each item. Make sure they only describe the item for the specific sense (We don’t want kids to be tasting scented markers, y’know!)
I also recommend doing themed Sensory Bags to make this activity more exciting for children. For example, you can do a Sensory Bag based on your child’s favorite superhero or character. You can do Sensory Bags centered around a certain holiday or season (e.g., Easter Egg Sensory Play with different items or toys/treats inside each egg!). Your options are limitless, so you can change the activity to keep your child interested in sensory play and help them “level up” their sensory fun!
Download The FREE Sensory Bag Worksheet!
If you haven’t yet, please download the FREE Sensory Bag Worksheet to go with your Sensory Bags! You can also create your own Sensory Worksheet by using the free one as a model, so you can also be creative with the way you complete this worksheet with your child.
For more Sensory Play activities or other mindfulness activities for your child, check out my other blog posts:
Free Printable Spring Gratitude Flower Worksheet
Free May 2023 Kids' Self-Care Calendar
My New Children’s Book + Free Gratitude Journal for Kids
How To Make Sensory Jars for Kids
I hope you enjoyed this blog post and the free activity!
Lots of love to you and your family,
Laura
