Playing with colored rice is one of the easiest play ideas. We've been playing with colored rice as a sensory base for a long time. But I realize some of you may not know how wonderful colored rice is to play with. It's easy to make and leads to lots of play time in sensory bins. Before I share how we played with it, I'll share how to color rice. Here's what you need: 1 tablespoon (about) of rubbing alcohol 1 bag of white rice food coloring (I used gel food coloring) Ziploc … [Read more...]
Bubble Wrap Fun
Today's play activity is very easy and it's probably something you already have at your house...playing with bubble wrap! Before I start, please make sure your child is old enough to play with bubble wrap. If they are toddlers and still put things in their mouth, this would not be a good activity to try. I rolled out bubble wrap on the floor. I let my preschooler explore the bubble wrap and have him try different ways to pop it! He jumped, rolled, crawled, and ran on it. Then … [Read more...]
Fizzing Hearts Activity
This fizzing hearts activity is sure to bring a smile to your little one's face! My boys like any activity that involves something fizzy, and this was no exception. This fizzing hearts activity is a great activity for Valentine's Day or really any day of the year! Here's what you need for the activity: 1/2 cup of baking soda 2 tablespoons of water food coloring 1 bottle of vinegar To start, mix the 1/2 cup of baking soda with the 2 tablespoons of water. Next, drop in a … [Read more...]
Playing with Cornmeal
Today's play idea is very SIMPLE. Simple is great when you need something quick to keep your kids busy. All you need for this is cornmeal. You can also add water and toys to play with. To set it up, I laid a sheet on the ground. Then I placed cornmeal in a plastic bin and put a cup of water and cup of little animals next to the bin. Then I just let the kids play! I let them decide if they wanted to play with the dry cornmeal or add water. We added in some animals from our … [Read more...]
Ten Ways to Play with Water Beads
Playing with water beads is one of our favorite play activities. They are squishy, bouncy, slimy, and are just plain awesome to play with. Here are 10 ways to play with water beads. 1. Sensory Bin The easiest way to play with water beads is to place them in large bin and let your little one play with them. You can place funnels, cups, scoops, in the bin for them to explore with. 2. Shaving Cream Add shaving cream to water beads for some super fun messy sensory play! 3. … [Read more...]
Snowman Playdough Mat
One fun way to play with playdough is with playdough mats! There are many free printables around the web (and some that I'll highlight at the end of this post), but today I want to share our snowman playdough mats. They are so simple and can lead to lots of play time. To set up, I placed several colors of playdough on a tray next to the playdough mat. I also set out googly eyes, cut up pipe cleaners, buttons, and sequins. The boys got right to work on building their snowmen! (Also, I … [Read more...]
Vet Clinic Dramatic Play Activity
One awesome way to encourage preschoolers play is with dramatic play activities. They can use their imagination and pretend to do a job. Today, I'm sharing our vet clinic dramatic play activity. For this play activity, I set out a bunch of stuffed animals, our doctor kit, and vet checklist sheet (see the bottom of the post for the free printable). My preschooler had a lot of fun pretending to be a veterinarian! I only wish I had a lab coat for him to wear. :) He really enjoyed filling … [Read more...]
How to Make Your Own Snow
Did you know that you can make your own snow?! It's really a neat sensory activity!! If you live in place where you don't can't experience snow, here's your chance! Here's what you need: 1 can of shaving cream 2 boxes of baking soda large container To make the snow, mix baking soda with shaving cream. I just mixed with my hands until I got a good consistency. The neat thing about this, is that it actually feels a bit cold, like snow! It's soft, moldable, squishy, and … [Read more...]
Creating On Sticky Paper
Today's play activity is sort of like a craft. When I need my kids to play quietly, I pull out sticky paper to create on. For this activity, I place a piece of contact paper on the table, along with craft supplies, and let them create whatever they like! It's really simple, but it's a great quiet play idea and also a way to spark your child's creativity. Contact paper is like a giant sheet of tape. It's an adhesive and you can find it in the kitchen section at stores like Walmart. (People … [Read more...]
Balloon Rockets
Making balloon rockets is so much fun! It's a quick play activity, so it's great for a day where you need an easy play idea. Here's what you need: string balloon string tape something to tie string to To set up, tie string on one sturdy object to another object. We did this activity in our play room, so we tied the string to our play grocery store and the other end to the mini trampoline. Before I tied the string, I strung a straw through the string. Then I … [Read more...]
