15 Sensory Activities for Daycare
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Sensory stimulation is a huge part of early childhood learning. These sensory activities for daycare are going to help your kids learn so much! And coming up with daycare activities is a time-consuming process. So start here.
Running a home daycare is a fun job, but it’s a lot of hard work. Having things for kids to do, teaching them what they need to know to be successful humans, and handling the business side of things while still having time to show love is a balancing act that only a few people can do.
Science and sensory activities for toddlers
There are so many things that kids need to learn during their time with you. But many of them can be taught with sensory activities. From the moment children are born, they use their senses to discover the world.
Sensory play is any activity that stimulates a child’s senses. Taste, smell, sight, sound, and tough. Sensory play helps children interact with the world and make sense of it. It plays such an important role in development and learning. It’s also a lot of fun!
Here are some benefits of sensory play:
- Brain development
- Problem solving
- Memory
- Cause and effect
- Understanding complex tasks
- Tactile play develops fine motor skills
- Observational skills
- Creativity
- Independent thinking
- Emotional regulation
- Language development and communication
- Social skills
Sensory playdough
This green tea sensory playdough is a delight for the senses and develops so many skills for children. The fact that it’s homemade with what you might already have makes it a real treat too!
Sand Playdough is a great way to give a classic playtime staple a little texture for loads of fun! This is an easy way to make play doh a totally different experience.
Edible Nutella Playdoh lets kids play with their food! So fun and tasty.
Play Dough Bath Slime brings the fun of play-doh into the bath with this easy recipe that makes bathtime a total splash!
Playdough and other sensory activities are great calming activities for kids.
Sensory bag ingredients
Rainbow Disc Sensory Bag is a cute and easy way to work on fine motor skills while getting to squish some gel!
This Glitter Galaxy Slime looks like an out-of-this-world experience for kids! They will love to help make it every step of the way!
This looks like the perfect Fluffy Slime recipe for kids! So much stretchy, soft handmade fun!
Pink Heart Slime is the glittery slime for anyone who has a love of slime! So much pretty, sparkly fun!
This Strawberry Scented Slime has so much fun strawberry scent. It is perfect to stretch and squish on a summer day.
Pudding Slime is soft, squishy, stretchy and so much fun! It is also taste safe in case you can’t resist!
Put leftover gummy bears to good work and turn them into the ultimate sensor toy. Kids will love this Gummy Bear Slime!
Sensory activities for young kids
This is such a fun way to play in the snow without freezing! Kids will love this Homemade Snow.
Is it a liquid? Is it a solid? I am not sure but I do know that this Oobleck is an awful lot of fun!
These easy Homemade Stress Balls are so much fun to squish and squeeze. They are a great budget friendly fidget toy for kids too.
Homemade Puffy Paint is the coolest way to make homemade sidewalk art! This puffy paint is economical to make and so much fun for kids!
Got ice? Why not make a sensory experience for the kids that is the perfect chill-out activity with these Fizzy Ice Cubes?
There are so many great homemade art supplies you can make for your kids. Most of them you can make with things you already have on hand. So they are cheap and easy!
Sensory garden
It’s super easy to make a sensory garden for kids. And sensory gardening has a myriad of benefits. Check them out here.
For more great activity ideas for home daycare, check these out:
- Planning Home Daycare Activities
- 16 Fun Activities to Teach Gratitude to Children
- Dr. Seuss Activities for Preschool
- 101 Summer Activities for Kids
- Pumpkin Activities for Kids
- Activities that Build Strength for Handwriting
- Fall Activities for Preschool
- 30 Garden Activities for Kids
- Candy Cane Math and Science Activities for Preschool
- Home Daycare Activities (That You Can Prep in 5 Minutes or Less)
- Home Daycare Crafts and Activities for Holidays
- Daycare Garden Activities for Toddlers
- Kids Nature Activities and Bug Facts
- Mess Free Activities for Toddlers
- 16 Fun Activities to Teach Gratitude to Children
