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Visual Timetables

Visual Timers

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Behaviour Aids

Recommended By Parents

Sensory Play

Dough/Play doh

Use with or without cutters and moulds. Encourage imaginary play such as rolling sausages for dinner or making cakes with decorations. Dough scissors are also good for fine motor control.

Basic recipe for play doh:
1 cup flour,
1 cup water,
½ cup salt,
1 tbsp oil,
2 tbsp cream of tartar.

Put all ingredients into a pan over a medium heat until the mixture starts to bind, stirring all the time. Remove from heat

More Sensory Play Ideas

Snow Storm Shaker In A Bottle

You will need:

Empty clear plastic bottle

Water

Glitter

Craft sequins and shapes

Food colouring (optional)

Coloured tape

 

Find an empty clear plastic bottle and fill ¾ with water.

Add glitter, small plastic stars and snowflakes.

Replace the lid and secure with colourful tape.  

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Gloop (cornflower mixed with water)

Gloop

Mix an amount of cornflour gradually with water until it binds. Place in a tray or shallow container and try to pick it up! Vary the consistency occasionally and for more exploratory experiences, let the children make it themselves and feel the cornflour dry and mix it up themselves.

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Toys / Products

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Sand and Water play

Splash

If using sand remember to only use play sand and sterilise with hot water regularly.

Use various bottles, jugs, scoops, sieves, funnels, tools and containers. Filling various containers with water or dry sand gives children the experience of feeling different weights. Pouring from one container to another introduces the relationships of capacity and volume. Children love to explore floating and sinking. Damp sand feels different to dry sand, let your child explore both. Remember water play can be explored in the bath!

You could try adding:

  • Baby bath for bubbles to your water tray
  • Rice/pasta in sand or water
  • Animals, cars, dinosaurs etc
  • Shredded paper in the sand
  • Damp sand is good for building – lolly sticks make great slicers.
  • Spades, buckets and trowels
  • Shells and other natural objects

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Painting

You don’t just need brushes and an easel. Be inventive!

  • Use sponges, fingers, hands, feet and other various objects to make marks.
  • Roll out old wallpaper in the garden and encourage children to make footprints across – mix colours, compare feet sizes etc.
  • Use washing up bottles filled with watery paint to squeeze and spray across paper.
  • Flick brushes across paper to make patterns.
  • Bubble painting - Blow bubbles in pots of watery paint and lay paper across the top of the pot to catch the pattern.
  • Marble painting - Dip marbles in paint and roll them over paper in a tray to explore lines and patterns.
  • Blow painting - Make up different coloured runny paint to drop onto paper, Use a straw to blow the paint in different directions. Watch what happens when two colours mix.
  • String painting - Drop string in paint then pull it across paper like a snake in different directions.
  • Mirror image painting - Paint one half of paper, then fold it, press down and open to create a mirror image. This is good for butterflies and other symmetrical objects.
  • Potato prints - Great effects can be achieved by printing with potatoes. Cut the potato in half and cut patterns into the flat side before you dip it into paint. This is great for encouraging repeating patterns.
  • Welly boot printing - on rolls of wall paper.
  • Magic painting – draw over white paper with a white candle. Make the picture appear by painting over with watered down paint

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