Hellobee

Do your children like to use a sensory tub or tray? It isn’t a Montessori activity, but it provides the opportunity for lots of hands-on learning and open-ended play!

Sensory trays are often used with toddlers. However, my five-year-old likes to use them too! We often pull out our sensory tray on rainy days or on sick days when my children need some quiet and calming play.

I love sensory tray play as it provides:

• hands-on learning experiences
• opportunity for concentration and creativity
• open-ended free play
• small world play and play scenes for role play
• multi-sensory experiences
• opportunity for language development and story telling.

We use materials in our sensory tray that we already have at home such as:

• sand, kinetic sand, coloured sand
• sand shapes and other sand tools
• mini vehicles such as diggers and cars
• dried beans, rice and coloured rice, with scoops and tongs
• paints and finger paint, coloured yoghurt is a good option for little ones
• goop, slime, shaving cream, instant snow
• fabrics such as play silks, wool, cotton, ribbons
• natural materials such as shells, twigs, branch cuts, bark, pine cones, seed pods, feathers and leaves
• model animals such as from Schleich and TOOB sets
• glass stones, beads, natural stones and smooth river stones
• crafting materials such as craft sticks and small wooden spools.

I would love to hear what you put in your sensory trays!