Sensory play trays don't need to be complicated. Here is a quick to put together and fun rainbow invitation to play ...
Simple invitations to play that are quick to setup are a favourite at the moment. A sensory base, a few interesting items to play with and some scoops/spoons is all my kids need to come up with their own ways of playing.
Rainbow Lucite Cube Play Tray
This was a quick to set up sensory tray for my children to explore.
(IMPORTANT: Play was supervised at all times by an adult. Small parts are for ages 3+ as they are a choking hazard. Play idea suggested for children ages 3+).
Here we used:
Grapat free play tray
Grapat nesting bowls - smallest parts removed
Bauspiel lucite cubes
Dried chickpeas uncoloured
Spoons
Tongs
Extras added in while playing:
Animal figurines (added in by Miss 5)
Acrylic gemstones (added in by Miss 5)
Blue Sarah’s Play Silk
How it was played with:
Both girls played for a bit scooping and pouring the chickpeas, stacking the bowls and hiding/stacking the lucite cubes, while I sat with them.
After both girls had finished playing together, I asked Miss 5 what would make the tray even more fun to play with and she said her dinosaurs and her birds. So she added them into the tray and played by herself.
Lots of imaginative play happened once the dinosaurs and birds were added in by Miss 5.
Miss 5 created her own small world for the dinosaurs and birds, using the lucite cubes to build a wall for Queen owl and the bowls to create a tower. She enjoyed playing with her dinosaur land.
What if I don't have all these things?
You could substitute any of the following:
Lucite cubes - Pom poms, blocks or coloured buttons.
Chickpeas - This would work with any other dry sensory base.
Bowls - Any plastic or wooden bowls from the kitchen would work.
Spoons - Plastic or wooden spoons from the kitchen.
Tray - Any container or tray from the kitchen that is big enough to play in.
Learning through play happening here:
Developing fine motor skills
Developing hand eye coordination - scooping, stacking
Cooperation when playing with others.
Imaginative play
Creativity - using things in different ways to play.
Reasoning and critical thinking when stacking and deciding how to hide things under the bowls.
Vocabulary
Ability to persevere and try again when the cube wall fell down.
Plus so much more ....
Sensory play trays are always enjoyed by my children at home and by those children that I work with at school. It is such a calming way of playing and allows for them to use their imagination too, as it can be played with in many ways.
I have found the less I add into the tray, the more it allows the child's own imagination and creativity to grow.
I hope you found some inspiration for your own sensory trays.
Until next time, have fun learning in a playful way!
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