Tuning into the 5 Senses: Mindful Sensory Play Ideas
By Angelique Loverso for Oskar's Wooden Ark | October 01, 2021
In celebration of World Mental Health Day on the 10th October, we have partnered with Guest Blogger Angelique Loverso of Head, Shoulders, Knees to bring you some ideas for magical mindful play. Angelique is a teacher and Mum to two lovely boys. She is passionate about early learning, play and and conscious parenting approaches and she shares her knowledge on a variety of topics on her Blog and Instagram account. Today, Angelique is sharing some wonderful sensory play tray ideas for helping little ones tune into their five senses and embrace a quiet, mindful moment or two.
The world is an uncertain place right now and we all want to provide our children with the best tools to be resilient and peaceful as situations arise. While we can’t guarantee our children’s emotional and mental wellbeing, we can certainly encourage their resilience through the practice of Mindfulness. This can be done every day, simply through the magic of PLAY.
What is mindfulness and why is it important for our kids?
Mindfulness is a simple technique that encourages paying attention to the present moment in an accepting, non-judgmental manner. It can offer children some relief from any difficulty they might be experiencing without being caught up in the magnitude of it all. When children engage in mindfulness practices they are able to better manage conflict and stressful situations, they have increased focus and also improve academic performance. Wow! Sounds like integrating mindfulness into your child’s play might be just the thing they need to tackle life ahead.
Mindfulness and the 5 Senses
There are many different ways you can encourage mindfulness with your children. Doing this through day-to-day life and play would have to be the most accessible.
We practice mindfulness when we play with loose parts, create concoctions in our mud-kitchen or even when we are designing craft. Children are constantly exploring with their senses; taking in new information and nursing their curiosities. They may notice the sounds of their toys, the smell of cookies baking in the oven, or the taste of a sour blueberry. When we integrate and encourage small mindful acts into the daily lives of our children, it ensures that mindfulness becomes part of their lives
and they can immediately turn to it when adversity does hit.
How can we explore the 5 senses through Play?
Utilising the 5 senses is a great way for children to practice mindfulness. In our home, we like to practice mindfulness with sensory trays. Here, I will show you 3 different set ups for you to try at home. I will also provide some discussion prompts so you and your child can get more out of the mindful experience. Notice that the prompts are not to get your child to judge the experiences. But rather, the prompts help to get them curious about the experience and to take great notice of what is happening to their senses.
Three simple sensory play tray ideas for you try at home:
1. Lavender Sensory Tray
We used:
- Sarah Mini Silk in Lavender
- Grapat Mandala Purple Eggs
- Grimm's Wooden Tweezers
- Glueckskaefer Wooden Kitchen Scoop
- Gem Stones
- Flowers
- Yogurt Lids
Senses at work:
See, Touch & Smell
Things to say:
CAN... you notice the smell/you describe what you smell, see & feel?
HOW... do the materials feel/does it make you feel?
WHAT... colours do you see/words would you use to describe the tray?
HAVE... you smelt this before/you seen fabric like this somewhere else?
2. Fruity Sensory Tray
We used:
- Fruit Slices
- Garden Herbs
- Iced Berries
- Water
Senses at work:
Touch, Taste & Smell
Things to say:
HOW... does this feel in your hands?
DOES... it feel comfortable/it remind you of something?
CAN... you describe what you feel, taste & smell/you remember the taste or smell?
WHAT... do these things taste like & feel like in comparison to each other?
HAVE... you smelt this before/you seen fabric like this somewhere else?
3. Rice Sensory Tray
We used:
- Rice
- Grapat Mandala Pieces
- Grimm's Rainbow Forest
- Grimm's Wooden Tweezers
- Glueckskaefer Wooden Kitchen Scoop
Senses at work:
See, Touch & Hear
Things to say:
CAN... you notice the colours in the tray/you describe what you see, hear and feel?
HOW... are the colours different/does the rice feel in your hands?
WHAT... do the colours make you think of/do you feel/sound do they make?
WHERE... have you seen these colours before/can you use these elements?
DO... the materials feel different to each other/they feel different in your hands?
Bringing your child’s attention to their 5 senses through play not only keeps your children present, but it is an amazing tool for developing language. We have been doing this exact model of mindful play with both of our boys since they were under 1. Curiously taking part in mindful sensory play makes it easy to expose your children to new words and experiences. It keeps their minds steeped in the present moment and best of all, it provides a beautiful connection with you!
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/guides/well/mindfulness-for-childrenhttps://www.mindful.org/mindfulness-for-kids/?
