Activity for 1-2-Year-Olds: Touch and Feel Exploration
Engage your toddler with sensory summer exploration! Sensory play can be set up right at home with safe household items. It's fun, messy, and a fantastic way for your little ones to explore their world.
Materials:
- Whipped cream
- Play dough
- A shallow tray or baking dish
- Drop cloth or towels for cleanup
Instructions:
1. Lay out a drop cloth or towels to define the play area and simplify cleanup. We suggest you do this outside or in a space that is able to get a little messy.
2. In the tray, place small dollops of whipped cream and pieces of play dough.
3. Feel free to start with one, and then add the other to create new textures and extend play.
4. Encourage your child to explore! Let them feel the cool, fluffy whipped cream and the firm yet malleable play dough. Watch as they discover the differences in textures, temperatures!
5. Feel free to add any molds, utensils, or anything else that will help your child extend their focus.
Don't forget to capture all their fun in your Qeepsake journal!
Activity for 3-4-Year-Olds: Taste Safe Play dough and Slime Recipes
Roll up your sleeves, it's time for some gooey, squishy sensory fun!
These homemade, taste-safe play dough and slime recipes are perfect for kiddos wanting to dive into a messy, scientific, and sensory experience. Not only does this help children practice exploring their senses, but it also encourages creativity and fine motor skill development.
Materials:
For the Play Dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup salt
- 2 tablespoons cream of tartar
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 to 1.5 cups boiling water
- Food coloring
For the Slime
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 cup water
- food coloring
Instructions:
For the Play Dough:
- Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.
- In another bowl, mix the oil, boiling water, and food coloring. If including your child, ensure you're supervising them pouring the boiling water, or doing this part yourself.
- Gradually add the wet ingredients into the dry, stirring until a dough forms.
- Allow the mixture to cool and then knead until smooth.
You may want to wear rubber gloves—food coloring may stain your hands, but should come off with a few washes.
For the Slime:
- In a bowl, mix the cornstarch and water until you get a gooey mixture.
- Add a few drops of food coloring and mix well until a slime forms. If the mixture is too thick, add a little more water. If too runny, add more cornstarch.
Suggested Play for Play dough:
Shape and Sculpt: Provide kid-friendly tools like cookie cutters, molds, or rolling pins. Let your little one shape and mold the play dough to explore!
Hidden Treasures: Hide small toys or objects in the play dough and let your little one have a mini treasure hunt!
Pretend Play: Encourage your little one to create characters, animals, or food items with the play dough and engage in imaginative play.
Slime: In a bowl, mix the cornstarch and water until you get a gooey mixture. Add a few drops of food coloring and mix well. If the mixture is too thick, add a little more water. If too runny, add more cornstarch.
Suggested Play for Slime:
Stretch and Squish: Let your little one explore the unique texture of slime. They can stretch it, squish it, roll it, and more—what do they enjoy most?
Slime Art: Place a sheet of paper in a baking tray and let your little one drop, spread, and drizzle slime on it to create abstract art.
Slime Race: Set up a start and finish line. See whose slime can "run" the fastest when tipped on an inclined surface!
Remember these memory making activities with a lot of photos and journal entries for your Summer Qeepsake Book.
Safety first! Always supervise your kids and step in to help or complete difficult tasks yourself.
Capture these memory-making moments forever with plenty of photos and texts in the Qeepsake App.
