5 Fun Sensory After-School Activities
Finding new ways to entertain your child after school can be a challenge. Incorporating sensory activities is a great way to offer new and creative experiences for your child. Learn more about five sensory activities that are sure to engage your child’s senses.
Painting Objects From Nature
Taking objects like pine cones and sticks from around your home and painting them can engage your child in a new way. This activity can open up their imagination to think differently about the world around them. Taking things from nature will allow them to look at the world from a new perspective. This will also teach them to appreciate nature and respect the things around them.
Creating Sensory Containers
Sensory containers can be built from everyday home objects. First, you’ll need a base: this can be water, shaving cream, or sand. Next, you’ll need some kind of figurine or object big enough to be buried and seen within the base. Lastly, you’ll need some kind of retriever that your child can use to separate the base from the figurines. For example, you can create a sandbox with dinosaurs in it, ask your child to sift through the sand with a wide paintbrush, and call it an excavation activity.
Building a Birdhouse
This activity does require adult supervision and careful planning with safety measures in place. Building a birdhouse requires a plan, wood, tools, and paint. This activity will teach your child how to use their hands and eyes attentively because of the precision required. After they build the birdhouse, they will be able to observe the birds as they flock to their creation. For instructions on how to build a birdhouse, click here.
Going on a Rainbow Walk
A rainbow walk is not walking around looking for rainbows, but it could be! Start by creating a scavenger hunt for your child to look for, collect or come up with items in their surroundings that are a certain color. This could look like taking a walk around your neighborhood or a nature park and asking your child to identify some things around them with a specific color. This activity will help to expand your child’s sense of sight, teaching them to look inquisitively in places that may otherwise be mundane.
Introducing Musical Instruments
Music is a tool that helps children to explore different sounds and express themselves through sound. Picking up some instruments from a department store or renting one from a music store can be a fun way to engage your child in a new sensory experience. Allowing your child to play with musical instruments has positive effects on their brain growth, coordination, and memory.
Creating ways to spend time with your child in engaging activities after school is an important way to expand their creativity at home. With over 57 years of academic excellence, St. Teresa Catholic School, a Titusville Catholic school, provides a quality education that challenges and empowers students to develop to their full potential while also serving them spiritually. Students foster qualities that are essential for lifelong learning and are equipped for future success. To learn more about why St. Teresa is the perfect fit for you and your student, contact us today.