SENSORY PLAY FOR SICK DAYS | If you have a preschooler who started school this fall, you know the endless cycle of germs and illness. It’s wild how a 3-year-old can have a fever and still zoom around like nothing’s wrong! Eleanor is no exception and getting her to slow down and rest is nearly impossible. But one thing that’s worked for us is sensory bins! They keep her seated, entertained, and promote learning. Her favorite is her “dinosaur dig” bin. We layer rice (“grass”), beans (“rocks”), and oat flour (“sand”), then bury plastic dinosaurs for her to dig up with a spoon. It’s super simple, cheap, and she loves it! With the cooler weather, we have moved this activity outside, so she gets fresh air without sprinting around the yard. Plus, it can get messy, so taking it outside is a nice bonus haha!
This activity is awesome for building fine motor skills and boosting creativity. Eleanor loves pretending with the dinosaurs, using her imagination, and practicing language through hands-on, open-ended play. She also enjoys adding trucks and other toys to create even more elaborate stories during her playtime.
Sensory bins are a great way for Eleanor to Explore Through Movement and Play without leaving the house, which is a lifesaver when she’s not feeling her best. She can scoop, dig, and discover all kinds of treasures right from home… and there are lots of different materials that can work like real sand, play sand, different types of beans, etc.!