Are you looking for ways to occupy your kid(s) so you can actually get things done? These no-prep easy sensory activities will occupy your kids with little to no prep for you!
No-Prep Sensory Activities
It happens to every mom (sometimes multiple times a day): you need a few minutes of uninterrupted kid-free time to make a phone call, get supper started, or whatever! Of course, those are the times that your little ones are at your feet, making constant demands.
Is there a solution?
You bet! Sensory bins are amazing for occupying children. They’re also great for development, allowing kids to be exposed to different textures and also allow for a great deal of creative play.
You’ve probably seen gorgeously designed sensory bins on Instagram or Pinterest. You know, the intricately placed figurines, the rainbow coloured-dyed rice. These kind of set-ups can take hours. That’s time you just don’t have.
So what’s a mom to do?
Well, there is another way. A not-so-instagram worthy way, but effective all the same.
These little-to-no-prep sensory activities may not look pretty, but can be set up with almost no effort.
Easy Sensory Activities
1-Sink of Bubbles
Use a ton of dishsoap and fill your sink up with bubbles. Alternatively, you could skim the bubbles off the top and fill a container with bubbles (great for playing on the deck).
2-Pouring Station
Gather up a few container with spouts (pitchers, measuring cups, etc.) and a few clear plastic cups or containers. Fill pitches with water and a few drops of food colouring. Put you child at the sink, in the tub, or on the deck and let them pour to their hearts content. This is a great way to experiment with colour mixing. Bonus: Great for fine motor skill development!
3-Rice Bin
Fill a bin with rice and add a few plastic characters, measuring cups, or whatever you have handy. Your kiddo can bury and dig to their heart’s content.
4-Q-tip Painting on Aluminum Foil
Set out a few gobs of paint, q-tips instead of paint brushes, and a big sheet of alumnimun foil. Let your kid get a little messy with painting and colour mixing.
5-Snow Dough
Mix cornstarch and hair conditioner together to make fluffy and light snow dough. Add a few plastic toys (characters, cars and trucks, etc.). Pretend there’s been a snowstorm and have your characters play in the snow. Our fav is little Paw Patrol figurines (how cool would Everest be in this sensory bin?).
6-Magic Mud
Mix water and food colouring together, then slowly add to cornstarch. Consistency should be hard when still, but when you pick it up it will drip through your fingers. Add some cookie cutters and enjoy!
7-Clean the Animals
Fill a bin with mud (or make ‘mud’ using magic mud recipe and brown food colouring (mix red and green to make brown). Fill a second bin with soapy water. Add some plastic animals (farm animals, pets, dinosaurs) and a scrubbing brush.
8-Crunching Station
Grab any old stale cereal from the back of your cupboard. Pour in a container and add some spoons, toy hammers, etc. and let your little one crunch away.
9-Sink or Float Bin
Fill a bin with water and grab a bunch of household objects (can be absolutely anything that can get wet). Have your kiddo predict if the object will sink or float, then test. Sort into a sink/float pile. Throw in an orange or even a melon for a challenge.
10-Magic Milk
Pour milk in a bowl and add some food colouring drops. Soak a Q-tip in dishsoap and touch the surface of the milk. Your little one will be wowed!
11-Baking Soda and Vinegar Reaction
Sprinkle some baking soda on a baking sheet and fill a spray bottle or pippette with vinegar. Let your child spray away and watch the reaction. Bonus points if you add some food colouring!
12-Paint the Snow
The easiest sensory activity ever in the winter months! Grab some snow from outside and set out some water colour paints. Let your little artist paint away on a very ‘cool’ canvas!
13-Paint the Ice
Try the above activity in milder weather by setting out ice instead of snow. You can use a bunch of ice cubes, or freeze a larger ice block ahead of time (using silicone baking pans is a fun way to amp up the fun). Use water colours and paint a frozen masterpiece.
14-Shaving Cream and Foam Blocks
If you have a set of small foam blocks, put them in a pan and add soem shaving cream. The shaving cream will make the blocks stick together and building will be extra fun!
15-Scoop and Tranfer
Grab two bins (place both in a larger bin to contain the mess). Fill one with water and floating toys (anything that floats). Leave the other empty. Give your kiddo a slotted spoon and challenge them to transfer the toys from one bin to the other.
16-Trucks in the Mud
Throw some mud in a bin (or let your child sit in a mud puddle) and add some trucks. Instant fun! If you don’t have quick access to mud, combine cocoa powder and oil to make fake mud. Part two: set up a truck washing station with soap and water.
17-Bubble Blow
Fill up a pan with about an inch of water and add dish soap. Give your child a straw and let them blow bubbles in the pan to their hearts content. *Be sure they know to blow out, not in!*
18-Rice Search and Find
Add small figures, plastic letters, etc. to a bin and pour rice over top. Let your child search and find whatever you’ve buried. Extension: add two of each item and have them match the items.
19-Flower Tea
Add some flower petals and food colouring to water. Add a tea set and let your little one pour away.
20-Super Foam
Pour water, constrach and dishsoap in a blender and blend. This creates a stiffer, more lasting foam to play with. Extra fun: Add some blue food colouring to the water to make water, and throw in some ocean animals!
21-Pom Pom Water Play
As simple as it sounds, pour water in your bin and add some pom poms. Add spoons and bows and voila! Pom pom soup!
Well moms, those are 21 very quick and easy sensory activities. I hope your little one loves their sensory experiences as much as mine do!
If you are looking for more sensory activities, try this Witch’s Poition activity that is perfect for Halloween, or anytime at all!
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