You have this happen to you: setting up an activity for your kids and somehow their play takes off in completely different directions than you anticipated?
Yes, this is what happened today with what was meant to be a simple cereal sensory bin (as you will see later). Somehow, kids turned it into baking cakes and pizzas! Don’t you just love when your child’s creativity takes over the play and turn something totally ordinary to their own vision of ways to use a medium!
We started with very basic set up: bin filled with cereals right next to kid’s kitchen full of pots and pans, cups and spoons. Toddler started to play with transferring cereals from a bin to a pots and stirring as she cooked it. She tried different spoons to find the one she prefers the most.
That spoon turns out to be her favorite pink ice cream spoon. Somehow kids always pick and go back to their favorites, don’t you find it interesting? It’s like you could give them 20 spoons although you could start with only one because in the end, that’s what they choose!
At some point, she decided that she needs play dough because she wants to make pancakes and pizzas! So, we took from a fridge our orange scented play dough made for winter scented cookies. It was a little cold so she had to wait for a little for play dough to warm up on room temperature. She used our set of round cookie cutters to cut out and decorate, what she called pancakes and somehow, little by little, pancakes turned into 3-tier cake! Don’t you love the final result? All of this is still in the kitchen and waiting for new day to come and new creations to be made!
To get a bit more background about the importance of sensory play, we recommend you to read book Sensory Bins: the What, the How & the Why. It has basics covered with many play ideas, all in easy to understand language (for parents like me!). Another great book to check is 99 Fine Motor Ideas for Ages 1-5. Packed with fun things to do with toddlers and preschoolers!
In January, we are participating in 31 Day Sensory Play Challenge with different daily sensory prompt. You can read more about this challenge over at Adventures of Adam.
TOMORROW WE ARE PLAYING WITH
DRINKING STRAWS!
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