Valentine’s Day Sensory Activity
It seems the theme this week is L O V E! I’m seriously SO excited to share this children’s Valentine’s Day sensory activity bin with you since my kids have really enjoyed exploring the materials! It’s provided lots of creative play and it keeps their attention for more than 5 minutes so that’s always a WIN! I think sensory activities are amazing because the kids just think it’s FUN but there are so many benefits for development as well.
Sensory activities can be good for so many reasons but this particular sensory activity allows for so much creativity. From fine motor to visual stimulation, sensory bins have many benefits. Honestly, in most activities I introduce the kids to I’m reminded that there is no “right” way. I may have one idea how they will enjoy it and they always show me their individual ways to learn and play! Be sure to jump over to Instagram to see this Valentine’s Day bin in action.
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Valentine’s Day Sensory Materials
Divided Tray // I love this wood tray // clear plastic tray
This is the playdough we used for this particular tray but I will include a homemade playdough recipe below. The materials for this Valentine’s Day sensory bin are flexible and there is no right or wrong. We have the playdough tools and rolling pins that we pull out often when we explore with sensory bins and when we play playdough they are always the favorites. I love the wood tray above and may have to add that to our sensory trays for the future!
How To Play
By providing different types of playdough and different manipulatives, children can find so many different ways to play. I’ll list a few of the ways we engaged with our Valentine’s Day Playdough Kit, but your kiddos will probably come up with completely different ways to play and that’s great!
My kids enjoyed pushing the hearts into the dough which is great for developing fine motor skills. They also found the cookie cutters to be so much fun and the rolling pin is always a favorite when we use playdough.
So many of the materials we have I simply keep in plastic storage bins and we use them again and again. There is no right or wrong with sensory play. Kids just love to explore with the tools and manipulatives. I love watching their imaginations at work.
I always like to include a reminder that you have to choose materials that are appropriate for your kids. Some of these materials would be a choking hazard for little ones or children who put items in their mouths. I’m always nearby when my kids play and make sure they aren’t putting materials in their mouths.
Other Sensory Bin Play Ideas
- Sort the hearts by color.
- Count the hearts.
- Add and subtract the hearts.
- Make a pretend cookie shop.
- Name objects in the bin.
- Name the colors of objects in the bin.
- Discuss and explore the texture of different objects in the bin.
- Play “I Spy” by describing an object using its physical description (color, shape, size, texture).
Homemade Playdoh Recipe
- 2 cups of flour
- 1/2 cup of salt
- 1 cup of hot water (possibly a 1/2 cup more)
- 2 tablespoon of cooking oil
- 2 tablespoons of cream of tartar
- food coloring
Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl and form a hole in the middle. Add the cooking oil and food coloring to the dry ingredients. Add water and stir the playdough. Knead the playdough until you reach your desired consistency.
Check out these other fun Sensory ideas for Hands-On Learning like Valentine’s Day Sensory Board, Valentine’s Day Sensory Bin, Hide-and-Seek Sensory Play, and Garden Sensory Bin!
Thank you for sharing so many great ideas.