Pocket Animal Play Trays: Shark Shower

The winter days can be long, especially when too cold for extended periods outside. Those are the days when I try to set up a fun and inviting sensory play activity for my four-year-old. During a recent snow day, she was desperately trying to convince me that we needed to set up a hot chocolate stand just like an ice cream stand we had set up the previous summer. I was game for the hot chocolate part, but I'm not sure about the standing outside to sell it! We compromised and decided to enjoy some simple sensory play with our Learning Resources® Hot Cocoa Time! Playset and a packet of cocoa powder.

What you need:

• Hot Cocoa Time! set from Learning Resources (Amazon exclusive)
• Bowl of warm water
• Cocoa powder
• Twisty Dropper™
• Tray or tablecloth (ours is an IKEA SMULA tray, they are great for sensory play and crafting with kids!)

Let’s Get Set Up

It’s a good idea to put the materials on some sort of tray or plastic cloth as things may get a little messy. I scooped a few spoons of hot chocolate powder into the brown cocoa powder box from the set. I also put out the kettle, spoons, two cups, some warm water in a bowl (not too hot, of course) and a Twisty Dropper to help encourage plenty of fine motor work.

It’s Hot Cocoa Time!

My four-year-old was beside herself with excitement when she opened the cocoa box, and there was real cocoa powder in there. She carefully scooped the powder into the cups, counting out the scoops as she went. Of course, she felt there needed to be plenty of chocolate flavor, so I guess it’s a good thing she got to practice counting nice and high! Then she used the dropper to add lots of water to the kettle, ready to pretend to boil it. It never ceases to amaze me how patient kids are when transferring water with droppers. My kids always love to use a dropper and will happily keep squeezing and releasing over and over until the job is done. Once she was happy with how much water was in her kettle, she pretended to flick a switch, and we stood and waited as the water ‘boiled.’

‘Click’! The water was ready, and so was my little one. She poured the water into the cups right over the cocoa powder. She then used the spoons to stir in the powder until it dissolved. She was giving a running commentary as she went, telling me how the water was changing color and that she could smell the chocolate, and it was YUMMY! We both pretended to sip on our cups of hot chocolate, giving it the occasional stir as we chatted.

With these sorts of set-ups, I always like to leave plenty of opportunities for my preschooler to explore the materials however she wishes. She asked if she could make a bowl of hot chocolate next, so that’s what she did. She kept transferring the water and cocoa powder, stirring, smelling, and eventually serving. She liked to ensure that all the powder was fully dissolved before serving it to me. This activity allowed for plenty of fine motor development and working on some science fundamentals. She predicted what would happen as she mixed the ingredients, observed the changes, and then analyzed and described the outcomes. It was science without us even realizing it!

Have you ever used hot chocolate powder for sensory play? What is your favorite way to play with your Hot Cocoa Time set? We’d love to try out some fun new ideas. Now I’m off to finish my sixth cup of hot cocoa!

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 on her blog, Find the Little Mind.

Did you know? Infants and toddlers explore their worlds using their senses, particularly their mouths and hands. Touching and feeling new textures and objects builds your child’s brain by building new nerve connections. Sensory play is used for playtime activities that engage the senses and encourage your child to explore using their senses. The more sensory play experiences you can provide for your child, the better! Why?

1. Sensory Play Develops Complex Thinking Abilities

We mentioned that sensory experiences build brain connections. The more of these connections your child builds, the better their ability to engage in complex thinking, reasoning, logic, and problem solving later on.

2. Sensory Play Builds Confidence

With no one way to explore, sensory play experiences enable kids to do things their way. This lack of “right” or “wrong” and “correct” or “incorrect” outcomes is a great way to build a child’s self-esteem simply by letting them “do.”

3. Sensory Play Builds Fine Motor Skills

Exploring with their hands and fingers provides the practice little ones need to build fine motor strength and coordination. The more frequently they repeat an activity, such as pouring, pressing, scooping, sifting, pinching, squeezing, etc., the more developed those fine motor skills will become.

4. Sensory Play Builds Language Skills

Sensory play provides the perfect opportunity to talk to your child, reinforcing language patterns and introducing new vocabulary. Are they touching something smooth, scratchy, slippery, or rough? Ask your little one questions as they play – what does the object feel like?

5. Sensory Play is Calming

Engaging their senses is a wonderful way to distract and calm kids who are agitated or upset. You can engage multiple senses with a sensory bin full of things to touch and feel, play soft music, even spray a soothing scent in the air.

Wondering how to get started? Luckily, offering sensory-stimulating activities is fairly simple. Start with a large plastic bin or tray, then decide whether to use a base like sand, mud, or water and add small objects for your child to discover or create a bin full of objects to explore, like pom poms, buttons, corks, or beans (remember that children need to be supervised when exploring objects that fit in their mouths!). Consider a themed bin, say insects, for example. You might start with a base of dark-colored beans add plastic insect figurines, a scooper, a net, and a plastic jar. See if your little one can use the tools to scoop up a specific bug (can you find the green one?) and place it in the jar. Or go with a beach-themed bin full of sand, shells, shovels, and cups. You’ll be amazed how long your toddler can engage with these simple setups!