Toddler Fun Thursday: Sensory Play

Sensory Play

Now that my little munchkin is officially a toddler, I decided to try and fix my terrible time management skills and find a schedule that might work for the two of us and keep me sane in the process.

(HAHAHAHA!!! A schedule? For my clingy, teething little monkey? What a joke... I'm lucky if I can get a shower in without her screaming her little head off.) 

The crazy thing that happened when I checked Google for ideas was that when I typed in"toddler" it was immediately followed by the word "worksheets" in my recommended searches.

Yes, you read that correctly....

WORKSHEETS

SERIOUSLY, PEOPLE?!?!!!

When was the last time you saw a toddler (ages 12 months to just under 3 years) be able to hold a pencil/crayon correctly, let alone write/circle/color in the lines on a WORKSHEET?!?!

Kids this age learn best through sensory experiences (things they experience with their senses).  It is super important to their development to expose them to these types of activities.  Not only will it accustom them to new sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and textures, but their aversion to these types of these experiences can be a symptom of Sensory Processing Disorder, Autism, or other learning/developmental issues.   These aversions sometimes manifest as behavioral outbursts, such as having a meltdown when it comes to loud noises, strong smells, bright light, or touching different things/textures.  It's important to note that all children are different and some may outgrow these aversions, but if it happens every time and they are older than two years old, it may be worth bringing it up to the pediatrician at their next visit.

MAKING A MASTERPIECE (under mama's supervision, of course)

Music Time... (xylophones and shakers and drumsticks... OH MY!)

When it come to planning sensory activities, make sure you're taking into account your child's abilities and current developmental stage.  As I mentioned at the beginning of the post,my little one is teething, so naturally EVERYTHING ends up in her mouth. So when I take out the percussion set she got for Christmas, but I can't let her play with the drumsticks it came with without me because she'll walk around chewing them and heaven forbid she fall with them in her mouth. And no playdough unless I make the edible kind. There are tons of recipes for it online.  And NO, cookie dough doesn't count. They aren't kidding when they tell you eating it can make you sick. Funny story: I  let her play with leftover cookie dough at Christmas time and of course the second I turned around she ate it. Needless to say, we went through a TON of diapers that day...

Leave me a comment if you do/have done any fun sensory activities with your kids/students and what they were.  I'm always looking for fun ideas that are appropriate for young toddlers!