Nanny Resources: Sensory Table Products and Activities

A sensory table is a wonderful learning venue for young children, enabling them to learn through multiple senses. Children learn best by having ‘hands on’ experiences. A sensory table with rotating materials and activities provides children with hours of fun learning activities, and are especially helpful to the nanny in the cold winter months when outdoor play is limited by the weather.

Below please find two suggestions for sensory play by age group.PBS has wonderful resources for the nanny who wants to learn more about sensory play.

For the ages 3 to 6

Suggested Activities:

Sorting by color when using multi-colored water beads
Empty and Fill different sized containers
Pouring from one vessel to another
Counting beads in a container
Comparing volumes (which container holds the most or least)

Cautions:

Encourage hand washing before and after interacting with the water beads at the sensory table. Water Beads are non-toxic but could be a choking hazards for toddlers. Adult supervision is recommended.

For the school aged children 7 to 11

Suggested Activity:

Fill a large container (6 – 10 inches deep, 18 – 24 inches wide, and 36 – 48 inches long) with artificial grass or shredded/recyclable paper and refer to this as the “jungle.”
Place the container on a table that is waist high for the children engaged in the activity.
Distribute plastic jungle animals or insects of different sizes among the fill material, preferably lightweight objects that are smaller than the size of an apple.
Develop a point system and chart to record scores such as: 5 points for each animal rescued in the allotted time; deduct 1 point for each strand of artificial grass or shredded paper removed from the “jungle.”
Instruct the children to use the chopsticks to save the animals or insects with the conditions that they can only touch the animals with their chopsticks and should avoid removing any fill materials.
Have a bucket, box or container for children to place the rescued animals into once rescued next to the “jungle” or on the floor.
Give each child a trial run and increase or decrease the time allotted based on their success. If children become frustrated and cannot save any animals, increase the amount of time.
Set the timer to the allotted time. (About 2 minutes is usually sufficient for school aged children.)
For the students waiting for their next turn, have them complete any of the following based on the animals they saved or a preprinted sheet with pictures of the animals/insects in the jungle:

identify it by name
identify it by name and spell the name
share 1 fact about each
describe their habitat
identify the animal classification or attribute such as mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, carnivore, omnivore, etc.. to reinforce vocabulary development
draw your favorite animal/insect with colored pencils or pen/ink
use Playdoh or clay to construct the animal/insect

10. Allow each child to have a turn.
11. Calculate points and record on the chart.
12. You may also award points for children completing the tasks in #8. Some children will
be better at the small motor activity and others might have better recall about
animal/insect facts. This also allows children to express themselves in different ways.

Adaptations/Extensions:

Use cooking tongs in place of chopsticks for younger children. Get disposable real chopsticks from a neighborhood restaurant by asking for donations.

Use different small objects for different themes.

Change rules and time limits to meet the needs of the children. An example may be that you challenge children to see how long it takes them to rescure 1 animal. Record the individual times and do the math to compare the results.

Chart the individual times that it takes for each student to rescue one animal/insect over a period of time (every Wednesday for a month) to show their improved small motor skills. Children are encouraged to show individual improvement rather than competing with classmates.