This post may contain affiliate links. We may earn money from products we link to in this post.
If you’re a little bit like me, messy play can be pretty overwhelming. The cleanup…the set up…the mess!
Ugh. It can be hard to get over kids making these messes inside, but if you took it outside…then there is NO CLEANUP.
Benefits Of Sensory Play For Kids
- Work gross motor and fine motor skills
- Promotes independent play
- Hones creative thinking skills
- Supports language development
- Creates nerve connections in the brain
- Helps with memory
- Can calm a frustrated kiddo
There’s no reason why your tiny mess maker can’t have some fun outside now that it’s (finally!) getting warmer.
Bringing the bin outside, in fact, gives it greater space to play and its own sensory input, such as the aromas of barbecues, the sounds of birds, the feel of grass, and the taste of a freshly opened popsicle.
Water Play
This may sound obvious, but most kids love playing in water. A huge bin filled with water and virtually anything else will suffice.
For hours of entertainment, use bath or beach toys, or simply grab your measuring spoons and cups from the kitchen.
For older children, include some outside water devices such as water cannons and water balloons.
Add in an existing toy boat or create one out of recycling or tinfoil and see how many coins it takes to sink your battleship.
Natures Loose Parts
Put twigs, rocks, pine cones, leaves, flowers, and anything else you discover outside in a bin and play with loose parts in nature.
Allow your youngster to investigate the textures with a magnifying glass and grabbers. You can even include some unwitting bugs if you can discover them. This one has the added bonus of making the collection procedure part of the pleasure.
Washing Cars Sensory Bin
This is referred to as the car wash, although it may be done with any tiny toy. Simply fill a huge rectangular storage bin with soil.
Then, on one side of the bigger bin, place a tiny (typically square) tub filled with soap, water, and little brushes.
Voila! You’ve got a place where they can get their toys dirty and then clean them up quickly.
You can add food coloring to the soap if you’d like to make it even more interesting!
Sand Fun
If you’ve ever made the mistake of putting together an indoor sand sensory bin, you know how difficult it is to clean up. (How does that stuff manage to creep into everything?)
That is why this is the ideal design for an outdoor bin. Whether you use safe sand from a hardware shop or kinetic sand, your children will be able to entertain themselves for a long time.
You may also use beach toys or measuring spoons and cups for this one. Don’t forget to include a few small toys to serve as buried treasure.
Paint Outside
Another thing that we find up wiping up for days on end indoors is paint. When cleaning with a hose, though, the possibilities are limitless.
Allow your child to be creative by using their body parts, natural components such as leaves and twigs, brushes, or anything else you can think of.
I also enjoy the notion of making paint that is either natural or edible, such as mud, various flavours of yoghurt, freezies/popsicles, or coloured ice.
Outdoor Slime
Do you have a child who enjoys getting gooey? Let them loose!
Choose from thousands of easy-to-follow recipes for various types of slime and get disgusting.
Flubber, Oobleck, rainbow fluff, jelly, whatever you call it, your child will enjoy playing with it outside.
Sensory Activities CaN bE fUN fOR kIDS oF aLL aGES!
Whatever sensory activity you choose (or if you decide to try them all! ), let your child take the lead! Allow them to take the reins and demonstrate how things work for a change.
Also, ensure that your bin is age/ability appropriate and contains no choking hazards.
Keep an eye on your child at all times when they are engaging in sensory play.
Even children who are old enough to understand that they should not put certain things in their mouths (or ears, or noses) become fascinated when sensory bins are brought out, so be careful to participate in this type of play and never leave a kid unattended with a sensory bin.
And don’t forget to have fun!