It’s exciting to learn about the five senses because we use them every day. Here are two activities per sense to help you introduce your child to his five wonderful senses.
Vision
Flash cards are a great way for your preschooler to use their sight. You can make your own flashcards using cardstock, markers, and crayons. Draw pictures of animals, objects and people in general (for example, a dog, a table and a postman or a baby). Show each card and ask your child to name the animal, object, or person.
Another way to play with our sense of sight are the popular books in the “I see, I see” series. Your preschooler will love helping you find items listed on book pages. A well-known verbal variation of this game can be modified to better suit preschool children. You can have your preschooler choose an object and describe it to you based on its exterior (for example, a red, round, shiny ball).
sound
Our ability to hear allows us to enjoy music, communicate with each other, and keep us safe.
“Name That Sound” is an exciting way to introduce preschoolers to different sounds so they can learn to identify them. Buy or create a sound CD and play it for your preschool audience. The rain, the sound of horns, the waves of the sea and the sounds of animals are extremely stimulating. Ask the children to name the sounds they hear as they listen to them.
Playing with instruments is another fun activity for preschoolers. They will delight in listening to the sound each one makes. You can then ask them “What kind of instrument is this and what sound does it make?”
Smell
Playing with scents of all kinds is a fun way to stimulate the sense of smell.
Offer a variety of foods to smell and identify – eyes closed! Or experiment with scents through scratch-and-sniff books.
You can even make your own scented playdough by baking dough at home and adding different extracts, like mint and vanilla. Your child will love helping you make the dough and will delight in the smell of it (beware of children trying to eat it!).
Play
Young children love to touch things. How many times have you caught yourself asking your child not to touch something? These fun activities invite your preschooler to touch to play.
Place bowls containing items of different textures on a table. Some suggestions are cooked noodles, water, sandpaper, and cotton balls. Let your child feel inside each bowl. Ask them what they are playing and how it feels.
Texture board books are another great opportunity for preschoolers to play with touch. Take a trip to your local library or bookstore and pick out books of textures to read and feel together.
Taste
What better way to incorporate learning than eating?
Prepare small plates of food that contain taste bud stimulators. Bitter, sweet, sour and salty are the main senses of the tongue. Some great food ideas are lemon wedges, potato chips, and assorted candies. Ask what each tastes like as your child tastes them.
You can also have your child try different drinks at different temperatures, such as warm and cold milk.
Keep pointing out when your child is using their senses and they’ll become more aware of them!
