Moms are always looking for ways to engage the 5 Senses of our curious little ones. Look into your pantry today to see whether you have any of these items used here for sensory play. Some of these items are staples in many family pantries or are purchased quite often.
Some Benefits oF These Activities
Sensory play is a great way to help children grow and develop. Furthermore, there are so many items for sensory play, that your child’s experience can be as unique as you want it. Here are some sensory play ideas to awaken those 5 senses in your little ones. These sensory play activities will:
Help child use their 5 senses during their daily playtime
Develop an awareness of how their 5 senses work
Understand the purpose of each of their senses
Acquire an appreciation for different items in the home that are generally used for other things
Here This is For Your Child's Sensory Play Sessions
There are more than 30 items from your pantry that you can use for sensory play. In this post, we will look at the 10 I use and which of the 5 senses they can contribute to developing.
I have also include my free 5 ways to play sensory work sheets it include pages dedicated to individual senses or all five senses. Also included is my 5 sense word chart that you can use to help your child learn words related to the 5 senses.
Disclaimer – As a parent you have the freewill to choose which items you will allow your child to play with that may be recommended in this post.
Here is Another Great Sensory Play Idea for Your Kids
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Orbeez Sensory Play Activities For Kids
Sensory play does not require only large amounts of an item, small amounts can still be effective in sensory play. One of the purposes of sensory play is to help activate a child’s senses to their environment and things around them and enjoy play at the same time. So let’s look at some of the items from your pantry you can use for sensory play.
1. Dried peas and dried beans
Main senses involved include sight, hearing and touch
Dried peas and beans can be found in almost everyone’s pantry. They are affordable and available in many different colors. This makes them great for sensory play. Some of the dried peas and beans include lima beans – white beans, lentils – brown, split peas – yellow, green – split peas, orange – lentils, red beans, pink beans, and black beans among others. You don’t need to have all for your child to enjoy sensory play with them you can use one or two.
How to use dried beans and peas
- Create a sensory bin – using several colors will engage the sense of sight. As child pours and plays with these dried beans, they also make various sounds that engage the sense of hearing.
- Use for artwork – use beans and peas to create simple art. As children stick them onto the different surfaces the sense of touch and sight is awakened
- Add to bottle – Simply use any empty plastic bottle and allow the child to add one color or different color beans to the bottle. Your child can just fill the bottles as a part of a race or activity or bottles can be closed tightly and used to make music
2. Sugar and flour
Main senses involved include taste and touch
Use separately of course these two items are great for sensory play. Sugar is available in brown and white, but I prefer brown sugar since the grains are bigger. My daughter loves these two. Both are safe to taste and are fun for kids to use. Don’t worry about the mess. Sensory play is always messy!
How to use sugar and flour for sensory play
- Use with child size kitchen toys – For my daughter I love to allow her to use it with her little kitchen cooking toys. Watching her mix and taste is fascinating for me and fun for her
- Touching Tray or Bowl or Counter – Add small heaps on counter kitchen counter or on a tray and watch child explore how it feels and taste. If the you don’t want to use the counter or tray you can add it to a large bowl.
- Salt Dough or Play dough. Help your child make salt dough or play dough with flour to create a different experience altogether.
3. pasta
Main senses involved sight, touch and hearing, (taste cooked)
Pasta is available in various shapes and colors. It can be used raw or cooked. I tend to use it raw, it’s easier to prepare for play time and much easier to clean up. You can also keep it for longer periods of time to use for other activities.
How to use pasta for sensory play
- Place a packet of pasta in a metal bowl or colander and give the child a wooden spoon. My daughter’s first action was mixing and the sound was fascinating for her and that’s exactly what I wanted. Try it and comment below.
- Pasta sensory bin – these can be done cooked or raw. Both will create a different effect on the 5 senses
- Colored pasta color sort– color sorting a fun simple game you can play with raw colored pasta is encourage child to sort the pasta
- Pasta patterns, jewelry and art – children can make rows of patterns with pasta, shapes, simple jewelry and art using different types of pasta.
DIY Montessori Shape Matching Activity For Toddlers
Here are some other creative ideas you can try with your kids.
Glue Bottle Printmaking For Kids
Garlic and Onion
Main Senses Involved Smell, Touch and Sight
Yep! It may seem risky but with proper supervision, these two items are great for simple guided sensory play. Garlic is available in different sizes while onions may vary in size and color. That doesn’t matter much though. With your help, your child can have a unique experience without any negative effects.
How to use garlic and Onion for sensory play
- Garlic/Onion Peel – Allow the child to peel only the outer layers of the garlic or onion. They will still be able to get a fair idea of how they smell without the eye burning effect. Peeling will also help develop fine motor skills in their fingers. Once I am in the kitchen and my daughter sees garlic, she wants to peel it. This is a simple engaging activity for young children.
- Use to arrange sizes from small to large. This is a simple idea that is great for teaching size to your child. Have three onions or garlic small medium and large, or big, bigger biggest have the child arrange it in the order you say. Their sight will be engaged as they look at the different sizes to arrange them in the correct order.
- Pretend garden – using a small container with soil children can plant pegs of garlic. They can use a plastic spoon to dig the holes or their fingers. Yep, it’s gonna be messy but fun.
Jello
Main senses involved taste, sight, smell and touch
After purchasing tons of Jello for my daughter, I noticed the only thing she would do with it was play with it, touch and get her fingers all involved in the process. She would scoop it up, squish it, toss it on the top of her high chair, and just get her hands into the fun. Occasionally she would taste it but never ate the entire thing. I guess she didn’t like it. So I decided to use the rest for sensory play. Jello is safe to use, it’s affordable, colorful, jiggly, smells like different fruits and many children enjoy eating it. Jello is great for sight, taste, and touch sensory play.
How to use Jello for sensory play
- Create a digging tub – Using one packet of regular jello can make a fair-sized digging tub for children. Add items to the mixture and place them in the refrigerator overnight. Then use for sensory play. You would not even need to give instructions the child will automatically start digging into the jello
- Jello cups compare – readymade – The ones I got stuck with. This is a more structured sensory activity. Have a few different colors, there are red, blue, green, orange, purple, yellow, and even mixed cups. Lay them on a table and encourage the child to talk about the colors and taste the various flavors. Have them talk about the colors they like most, how the flavor taste, and the taste they enjoy the most. Try it and let me know below how it goes. Your young children will love it!
Ketchup, Mayonnaise and Mustard
Main senses involved taste, touch, smell and sight
Not the big packets but the little ones you may get when you order take-out or fast food. Very often you are given more than you actually use. These little packets sometimes end up stored in your pantry. They are great for sensory play. Their small size is easy for children to hold and squeeze. If you don’t have these it’s fine you can still use some from your regular pantry by extracting a small amount into a bowl or cup.
How to use Ketchup, mayonnaise and mustard for sensory play
- Pretend chef – Lots of little children love to pretend they are cooking. These little packets can be used during pretend play. The child may not necessarily open them though, but the process helps them to understand that these items can be used in the kitchen, to add flavor to food. Some children may very well open it and pour it into then play sized toy pots and pans and that’s great because then they can see how it feels and even taste it.
- How does it taste game – For smaller toddlers this is a great activity, it’s particularly fun if you have more than one child, their facial expressions are amusing. You can do this first by tasting items separately. Place a small amount on a plastic spoon and allow the child to smell it and taste it and explain the flavor.
Secondly, you can try mixing two of them together example mix ketchup and mayonnaise, and then give them a small amount again to see how it tastes and ask the same question. If you have the time allowing them to mix adds to the fun and will help them to notice changes in the color and consistency of the items. It’s amazing to hear how children perceive things. This will be a moment for Kids to say the darndest things. Try it and let me know how it goes.
Pantry Sensory Play Wrap Up
So this is my list of pantry play items for all five senses. Of course, there are many other items that you can use for sensory play from your pantry. Feel free to share with others you have tried and what your experiences have been. Also, don’t forget to grab your free sensory play printable.
Be sure to stay safe and blessed.
And as always thank you for reading this post.
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