Z is for Ziplock Sensory Play
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I can't believe we are at the end of the A-Z's of Sensory Play for Kids series! I hope you have enjoyed it and gotten some great ideas for sensory play with your kiddos. Today we end with Varya of Creative World of Varya with this geat Ziplock sensory play idea.
I always try to find creative ways of including sensory play into our activities.
When my oldest was younger we played a lot with zippy paint bags (ziplock bags with paint inside) and sensory bottles that had water, oil, glitter, rocks and more inside.
Three children later we still like playing with those and today we really enjoyed playing with Ziplock Sensory Table the inspiration for which came from zippy bags and sensory bottles. It is a very simple activity, a great invitation to play with endless variations.
What you need:
- A table or a desk
- Several ziplock bags
- Paint
- White rice or colored rice
- Herbs or ground spices
- Oil
- Food coloring
- Glitter
- Scotch tape
- Scissors
Variations: shaving foam, pieces of cotton, pieces of foil and anything else you can think of!
I set up 4 ziplock bags:
1. With paint
2. With colored rice
3. With caraway seeds
4. With oil, few drops of food colouring and glitter (which was the most popular!)
I stuck them to the table with scotch tape and let the girls choose one each and asked them what they felt while exploring the bags.
First one was great for writing numbers and letters or drawing on.
Second one offered more rough experience and colorful display.
Third one was softer than the second and also had a great smell!
The last one was an absolute blast: first of all, which girl doesn't like glitter?! Second, the food coloring doesn't dissolve in oil the same way as it would in the water. So it takes some effort to combine the two. While mixing the oil and the food coloring, the child gets to concentrate, unwind and focus all emotions on this activity. Finally, the oil turned pretty pink color with glitter in it!
Even the mini-man joined in the fun!
We had a good time with our sensory table – it sure was a great way to unwind after a stressful move to a new apartment few days ago!
For more sensory play ideas, be sure to follow my Sensory Fun Pinterest board and you can also find all the other posts in the A-Z's of Sensory Play for Kids Series.
Heather Greutman, COTA
Heather Greutman is a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant with experience in school-based OT services for preschool through high school. She uses her background to share child development tips, tools, and strategies for parents, educators, and therapists. She is the author of many ebooks including The Basics of Fine Motor Skills, and Basics of Pre-Writing Skills, and co-author of Sensory Processing Explained: A Handbook for Parents and Educators.