Things You'll Need:
- 5 or 6 small items with different textures like a piece of felt or ribbon, a cork, and a ball or coins and a dollar bill
- 5 or 6 small items with simple shapes like a cookie cutter, ping pong ball, a crayon and a balloon that hasn't been inflated
- A brown paper lunch bag
- Pieces of grass, leaves, flowers and other things gathered by you and your toddler or preschooler
- A large fish bowl or gallon jar with a lid
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Step 1
Place the small objects with simple shapes into the brown paper sack and have your child feel them and then tell you what each thing is before they get it out of the sack to see if they are right or not. Touching and picking each item up is great for small motor skill development and having a sensory experience.
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Step 2
Go outdoors and gather natural things out of the yard or on a short walk in a park or down the street with your child. These items can represent any season, like a dried cicada skin, a leaf, flowers, twigs, empty insect cocoons or pretty rocks.
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Step 3
Take a fish bowl or gallon jug and let your child place the items they collected outdoors inside in any order or pattern they want. Talk about what each item is with your child. This is a great science lesson
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Step 4
Lay the different textured items out on a table and let your child touch them. Talk about whether the items are smooth or rough, etc.
