This week in the toddler room we explored different textures through testing the cause and effect of different items against those textures.

For our first activity, we explored bubble wrap. This really sparked the children’s curiosity and was great fun to investigate. We added vehicles, play people, and hammers, and the children loved experimenting with popping the bubbles using the different items. They also enjoyed the different sensations as they rolled their vehicles over the bubble wrap and listened to the sounds it made. Through this activity, the children learned about cause and effect, developed their curiosity, and strengthened their gross and fine motor skills through pressing, rolling, and tapping.

We then introduced sensory shapes, where the children explored their fine motor skills by moving the liquid around inside the shapes to create different patterns. This encouraged concentration, hand-eye coordination, and sensory exploration while allowing the children to express their creativity through play. The children learned how their movements could change the patterns and developed problem-solving skills as they experimented with different ways to move the liquid.

We also created our own sensory bags which were secured to the floor for the children to safely explore. The children enjoyed pressing, squashing, and moving the contents around with their hands and feet, discovering different colours, textures, and movements. This activity supported sensory development, curiosity, and language as the children described what they could see and feel. Throughout the week, the children built confidence in exploring new textures and materials, developed communication skills through shared play experiences, and learned to investigate and explore using their senses.