Creative Play Sensory Tray

Sensory bins are amazing for the improvement and development of…well, senses! But did you know that activities with sensory play, such as bins and trays, also help a child explore, discover and create play using the most everyday practical life skills. These skills include dumping, pouring, scooping, filling, you name it. Anything that requires the use of fine motor skills combined with senses can be classified as sensory play. And the best part about Creative Play Sensory Tray is that kids love it. They play and learn, what a wonderful combination, heh? #playandlearn for life!

RELATED: Flower Tea Party Play

This Creative Play Sensory Tray (rhyming unintentional) is focused on creating your own play, whether it be toy pots and pans like I’ve done or painting, cutting and gluing. You can get creative here, thus the name of this activity! And of course this tray is all about the beautiful season and what nature has to offer us.

My kids and I went outside and collected a wide variety of leaves, berries, twigs, flowers…anything we could find. And I’ve used a tray in this sensory play activity on purpose because it displays all of our finds beautifully unlike in a bin where it’s too deep. Laying out and sorting all of the leaves, flowers and branches out made a nice visual for the kids and they could grab what ever they wanted for their little pots of soup!

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Materials:

–Tray

–Child-safe scissors

–Toys pots and pans (I’ve linked the one’s we have)

-Leaves, twigs, berries, pine needles, dandelions, clover flowers, misc. flowers, etc.

-Water if doing soup

Instructions:

Collect as many things as you can; leaves, twigs, pine needles, acorns, clover flowers, etc. and arrange on your tray. Now, you can let your kids get creative and do whatever they would like with all of their little treasures. Create an art by gluing, painting, cutting or do a soup with all of the ingredients (and get a little messy, because mess is play too, right?)

What is my child learning?

-Creative play

-Senses (colors, textures, etc.)

-Brain development

-Nature

-Fine motor skills

Better questions is, what is my child NOT learning? Ha ha! Like I wrote above, sensory play is one of the best activities you can offer your children.