Children love sensory play, messy science experiments, and hands-on activities. While it seems like children are “just playing” during this time, they are actually learning quite a bit. Hands on play activities are important for children to develop and practice many different skills.
In this post, Mary Catherine, author of Fun-A-Day is sharing the importance of hands-on learning and what children really do discover through different play opportunities:
Recently, my children played with a Coffee and Flower Sensory Bin. During that activity, they:
• Explored their senses
o Smell — The coffee beans gave off a unique scent, which most of the children enjoyed. A few thought it smelled “extra stinky” though.
o Sight — Looking at the different colors and shapes of the beans, the play dough, and the fake flowers
o Hearing — The beans made a fun sound as they cascaded through the children’s hands.
o Touch — Each item in the sensory bin had a different texture to it, which some of the kids commented on.
o Taste — Thank goodness they decided against eating a coffee bean. I just don’t think they would have cared for the taste!
• Worked on their math skills
o They compared sizes with the larger coffee beans and the smaller black beans.
o They discussed more and less while scooping handfuls of the beans.
o They counted as they added beans to the play dough.
• Used their fine motor skills
o Placing the beans into the play dough required the children to use their pincer grasp, which is helpful in developing the muscles required for writing.
o Kneading and playing with the play dough gave the kids a chance to strengthen the muscles in their hands.
• Discussed what they’d learned about flowers and plants
o One of the girls pointed out the flowers were fake. She then went on to talk about petals, leaves, and roots.
o In relation to her comment, another child explained that we had to use fake flowers because real flowers needed soil, water, and sunlight to grow. “The dirt is pretend dirt. It’s just not dirty enough!”
• Developed their language and conversation skills
o The kids made up a story as they played in this sensory bin. It was about an alligator who was planting flowers in his swamp. They took turns adding parts of the story.
Even better, all of this learning took place while the children were having FUN! Children learn by exploring the world around them, asking questions, and “just playing”. Encouraging a kid’s natural curiosity helps build a foundation for life-long learning.
Hands on fun is a wonderful way for children to fall in love with learning and discovery! Get more ideas here:
About the Author:
Mary Catherine is mama to a very curious 6-year old boy, teacher to a fun group of pre-kindergartners, and caregiver to a gaggle of children of all ages. She has a background in teaching kindergarten and is passionate about early literacy. Mary Catherine loves science fiction books, traveling, and messy science experiments with her son. Stop by Fun-A-Day for more learning fun, or find Mary Catherine on facebook or Pinterest. Images belong to Mary Catherine and Fun-A-Day.