Sensory Play

Disclaimer: I prefer to keep all sensory play outside and use natural materials for the experience. This article is a reminder that sensory play can still happen indoors and gives children a chance to explore with new ingredients.

I know what you're thinking. It's way too messy. And you're right; it is messy! But it's also totally worth it.

With sensory play, kids:

think independently
increase their fine motor skills
understand cause and effect
improve memory and observation skills
develop new language
enhance their creativity

As a parent, setting up a sensory play stations for my kids also keeps them busy so I can focus on other projects or interests. Keeping a stack of towels on hand is a must for these activities. Kids can use them to clean up their own messes before it gets out of control. We store a bunch of old towels under our kitchen sink.

If I give my kids the tools and space, I can have hours of uninterrupted time to myself and they get to explore on their own!

Here are my recommendations for sensory play:

1. Baking soda and vinegar –

Put the baking soda in muffin tins.
Fill individual cups with vinegar and food coloring.
You can use pipettes, straws, or syringes to fill and drop the vinegar mixture into the baking soda. Your local pharmacy will give you different sized syringes if you ask.

Muffin tins, a jar of vinegar, a container of baking soda, food coloring, and syringes sit on top of a wooden table

four small mason jars are filled with 2 drops of food coloring while a straw lays next to them on top of a table

2. Flour

I buy the cheapest flour I can find.
Mix with water.
Provide bowls, spoons, cups of water and your kids will sit in the kitchen mixing away while you get some other things done.

3. Corn starch

This is also fun to mix with water. I think it's called Oobleck.

4. Shaving cream

I buy these in bulk because they are great for sensory play, used alone or in a mixture.

5. Food coloring

This requires more adult supervision so it’s a special ingredient. It will stain and is more difficult to clean up.

6. Hydrogen Peroxide and Yeast

This is similar to the vinegar and baking soda combination.

7. Contact solution and glue

Key ingredients in slime.

Ok, so now the kids are done mixing potions and you are stuck cleaning up! Clean up any spills with the towels and toss the load in the washer on quick wash. Set all mixtures to the side to dry out. Your kids can help you take them outside or you can leave on the counter if you have space. If you let them dry out, you can scrape the dry mixture into cups to be used for sensory play later. I put our dry mixture in the mud kitchen.

a mixing bowl with dried up baking soda is scraped to the side of the bowl with a metal spoon

play plates and cups sit on the shelves in a mud kitchen. the cups are filled with dried up baking soda so it can be used for another sensory play time

If you are not interested in letting them dry out, dilute the mixtures with water and find a place to dump them outside. Avoid any place near your garden. Never dump the potions down the drain! But if you accidentally do dump down the drain, follow it up with some boiling water to clean the drains of any potential blockage.

Amber, a Milwaukee mom, sprays the sensory play potions out of their bowls and muffin tins with a garden hose while standing outside