Great Sensory Learning Activities for Kids
Sensory play is a powerful way for children to explore the world using their five senses touch, sight, sound, smell, and taste. It supports brain development, language growth, fine motor skills, and emotional regulation. Here are some fun and educational sensory activities perfect for your bilingual audience:
1. 🧂 Rainbow Rice Sensory Bin
What you need: Uncooked rice, food coloring, ziplock bags, vinegar.
How to play: Dye rice in assorted colors, let it dry, and pour it into a bin. Add scoops, cups, and small toys. Encourage kids to describe what they feel and see in both English and Spanish.
Skills: Color recognition, fine motor skills, bilingual vocabulary.
2. 🫧 Bubble Foam Play
What you need: Water, dish soap, food coloring, hand mixer.
How to play: Whip up colorful foam and let kids explore the texture. Add small objects to find and name in both languages.
Skills: Sensory exploration, language development, hand-eye coordination.
3. 🍫 Hot Chocolate Sensory Bin
What you need: Cocoa puffs, mini marshmallows, cups, spoons.
How to play: Create a pretend hot chocolate station. Kids can scoop, pour, and “serve” drinks while learning related vocabulary like “cup / taza,” “chocolate,” and “marshmallow / malvavisco.”
Skills: Imaginative play, bilingual food vocabulary, measuring
4. 🖐️ Texture Walk
What you need: Fabric scraps, bubble wrap, grass, sandpaper, etc.
How to play: Create a path with different textures. Let kids walk barefoot and describe how each surface feels in both languages.
Skills: Sensory awareness, descriptive language, gross motor skills
5. 🌈 Color Mixing with Shaving Cream
What you need: Shaving cream, food coloring, tray.
How to play: Let kids swirl colors together and observe the changes. Ask them to name the colors in English and Spanish.
Skills: Color theory, creativity, bilingual color vocabulary
6. 🎶 Sound Matching Game
What you need: Small containers, different fillers (rice, beans, coins).
How to play: Fill pairs of containers with matching sounds. Kids shake and match them by sound, then name the items inside.
Skills: Auditory discrimination, memory, bilingual object names