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Montessori Inspired Learning Your Name Sensory Bin
- Gabrielle Fischer Posted On Aug 2, 2021 | 2-4 Years Motor Skills
We love combining literacy learning with a fun sensory setup, and this is one we are enjoying on repeat at the moment. It requires just a few everyday materials along with Learning Resources’® Letter Blocks.
What you need:
- Learning Resources® Letter Blocks
- Water
- Dish soap
- Containers or a sensory table (we used our IKEA FLISAT Children’s Table)
- Sponges and scrubbing brushes
- Twisty Droppers™ and Jumbo Tweezers™ from Learning Resources
- Small towel or dishcloth
Let’s Get Set Up
Water play is a great way to make letter learning hands-on and engaging. I added water to our large container and then placed the Letter Blocks from my preschooler’s name in one of the small containers at the table. I also added sponges and scrubbers and a few of our favorite fine motor tools. A towel is also a great idea for drying the blocks. It can make life easier to set an activity like this outside than you don’t have to worry quite so much about the mess.
It’s All About the Bubbles!
My daughter is obsessed with making water turn ‘super bubbly’. Whenever we do a scrubbing activity like this, I tend to put out some dish soap as I know it adds a really fun additional sensory element to the play for her. She started the activity by adding a few (by a few, I mean way too many, of course) squirts of the dish soap, and then she used the whisk to mix it all up. This is great for working her gross and fine motor skills. If you wanted to go all out, you could also add a drop of food coloring to the water to make it a colorful washing activity.
Scrub Scrub Scrub!
Next up she grabbed a letter and dunked it deep into the water. She chose her scrubbing tool and gave the letter a really good wash. Providing various types of cleaning tools can help enhance engagement levels as children seem to enjoy getting to use ‘real life’ everyday adult tools and materials.
Once the letter was scrubbed clean, she used the sponge to get all the bubbles off before drying it with the towel. As she was playing, we spoke about the letter she was cleaning and discussed its sound. We also worked together to come up with other words which start with the letter. She is only four years old, so I didn’t expect her to be leading these discussions, but I’m a big believer in learning through exposure. Simply hearing me talking about the letters and sounds will be great for her literacy development.
It was good to have a few extra fine motor tools available to her with the set-up. She liked using the Twisty Dropper to ‘jet wash’ the blocks with. At times, this turned into jetwashing Mommy, but luckily it was a nice and warm day!
Have you ever tried a scrubbing activity with your kids? It’s such a fun way to get hands-on with your play and learning.
Writer’s Bio
Lucy Baker is a Mom of two (4 & 8 years old) passionate about creative play and hands-on learning. She firmly believes in providing children with the opportunity to learn through play and being part of their play journey as a parent. See more of her creative play ideas and process art projects on Instagram @findthelittlemind, and over on her blog, Find the Little Mind.
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Keep the learning going all summer long with our free activities at Camp Learning Resources and earn your merit badges! Print and color your merit badges as you follow our weekly learning activities!
The Benefits of Coloring:
Coloring is not only a fun activity, but it also has many benefits for children, including:
- Development of fine motor skills: Coloring requires using small muscles in the hands and fingers, helping to develop fine motor skills.
- Improves focus and concentration: Coloring can help children focus and concentrate on a specific task, which can be helpful for their academic performance.
- Reduces stress and anxiety: Coloring can be a calming activity, helping reduce stress and anxiety in children and adults.
Encourage your child to use their favorite colors and get creative with their coloring. You can also use this printable to talk about springtime and narwhals, teaching your child about nature and animals. The Printable Spring Narwhal Coloring Page from Learning Resources is an excellent activity for children of all ages. It promotes the development of fine motor skills, improves focus and concentration, and helps to reduce stress and anxiety. Download the printable today and encourage your child to get creative with their coloring, spending quality time together as a family.
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