Summer Sensory Activities For Preschoolers

This summer, we have some amazing fun activities for preschoolers that will work all of their senses!  Whether your children have sensory struggles, or you simply want to grow their knowledge of different textures and feelings these are some fun ways to use the summer months to work with your children.  These are geared toward the younger crowd, but these fun summer sensory activities can be used for any age with a few adaptations.

Summer Sensory Activities For Preschoolers

Hit the beach.  There is nothing more sensory dense than heading to a beach with sand, water, seashells and more fun sea life.  Grab buckets, sandals, and sunscreen and let your kids explore.  Spend time with them just feeling the sand between their toes.  Show them the different feeling of wet and dry sand, as well as how the sand feels when you are standing ankle deep in the water.  Scoop sand up into the buckets and sift through it to look for larger pieces of rock, glass and other sea life like shells.  This is a great science lesson and amazing sensory activities for preschoolers all in one.  It's ideal for including the whole family!

Dig in the garden.  Getting their hands in the dirt is a great way to look for fun and different sensory objects.  If you have a vegetable or flower garden you can easily plant some things to work with your kids this summer.  From simply testing the different textures of wet and dry soil, to the feeling of different flowers, petals and leafs in their hands this is a fun way to help them recognize natural sensory objects around them every day.  If using potting soil, you may even have the blends with various textures to test out that include small bits of foam or other materials for bulking.  It is also a great time to have them learn the difference between soft and hard fruits and vegetables. Make it extra special by grabbing some kid-sized garden tools!

Finger paint.  Whether you use regular finger paints, shaving cream, pudding or any other “paint” doesn't matter.  Just let your kids enjoy the feel of the paint on their hands as they create their own masterpieces.  This is especially fun in the summer since you can set them up outside in swimsuits and hose them off easily without having to worry about paint staining things in your home.

Sensory Bins.  For rainy days this summer, you can fill a small tub with some fun summer themed items.  Colored sand, sea shells, beads, small pieces of colored glass or even rocks you might find on the beach are great for this.  Have your kids locate specific items in the bin and set aside.  You can even grab a muffin tin and let this be a lesson on sorting like items.  Have your kids put all shells in one tin, all colored glass in another and all rocks in yet another.  Using the muffin tin for sorting allows them to learn how to match and separate while teaching them about shapes and textures.

Summer sensory activities for preschoolers are going to be full of fun things to do outside and with the water, but they can also be as simple as allowing your kids to blow bubbles in your front yard and chase them to pop.  No matter what you do, adding sensory elements to your planned activities for preschoolers is a great way to create some fun times with your kids while expanding their horizons.

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