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My first daughter was born six years ago.
In those six short years, I have fallen in love with hands-on activities for toddlers, preschoolers, or just any kid in general who loves to learn through play and getting their hands involved!
I have scoured Pinterest for the absolute best hands-on activities and I have tried so many with my children. I love them! My kiddos immensely enjoy getting their hands dirty or creating something.
Not all of these activities are “messy’ activities, but they do involve active participation for your kids. As a mom with a kinesthetic learner, I am always on the lookout for activities that my children can learn by doing.
Here are my favorite ones I have found from the web or created myself!
Beads and Pipe Cleaners.
This one is so simple and you may have the materials already laying around! (Disclaimer: Only do this activity with complete adult supervision. Beads are a choking hazard and a child should not be left alone with them at any time. If your child likes to put things in their mouth I suggest skipping this activity!)
You just need a bag of beads and a bag of pipe cleaners.
I glued paper with numbers on one end of the pipe cleaners, asked them to put that number of beads on the pipe cleaner and then set my kiddos lose!
You could practice color recognition by having your child match the colors of the beads and pipe cleaners. My oldest daughter loved this. Miss S did as well, she preferred to fill the pipe cleaners all the way with beads and pay no mind to the numbers.
Whatever floats her boat is cool with me.
Box with ABC’s.
This was another Pinterest find! I have yet to refind the link I originally saw it! Once I do I will link it here.
Find an old box, tape it up, put white paper over it and then cut 26 slits into the top. (I used the bottom of the original box because it was sturdier).
You will also need popsicle sticks and foam letters.
Glue or stick (if they have sticky backs) the letters unto the popsicle sticks. We used the upper case on the popsicle sticks and wrote the lower case on the box.
Your child can match the upper and lower case letters with one another! You can also use numbers if you’d like. The possibilities for this activity are numerous!
Homemade play-doh.
Have you ever made homemade play-doh? I have tried many recipes and this is our favorite.
Making play-doh with your kiddos is a fun activity in itself. Set them loose after the play-doh is made and you can have hours of fun playtime!
Or use store-bought play-doh if you don’t have the ingredients or time to make homemade.
Homemade moon sand.
My girls LOVE LOVE LOVE this stuff. Yes, it is messy. But I’m okay with cleaning up a mess because my girls will play with this stuff for hours!
They will sit and make up stories with their toys, build, etc. Plus think of all that sensory play they are getting!
We make this several times a year and have been making it since Miss B was a toddler.
Get the recipe we use here.
Coloring Printables.
This one is pretty self-explanatory. If you have a child that loves to color like mine and a printer then you should give coloring printables a try!
We also use regular coloring books and white computer paper for hours of coloring fun.
You can have access to our free resource library (it includes printables!) by signing up here!
Shaving Cream.
If you hate messes then this may not be the activity for you. But if you don’t mind cleaning up and supervising (don’t let your kids eat this stuff!) then grab your shaving cream and go to town!
We like to squirt it on a cookie sheet and let the kiddos trace the ABC’s, 123’s, and words in it.
Puzzles!
This one is self-explanatory! Grab some puzzles and set your kiddos loose.
Stickers and Paper
This one is also very simple. Grab a pile of stickers, a stack of paper and let your kids decorate to their heart’s content!
Colored Rice
My kids LOVE this activity! We only do it every couple of months because the food dye can be messy.
You need gallon-sized plastic bags, rice, food dye, and vinegar.
See how to dye rice here! Or better yet watch the video below!
Paint in bags.
This activity is hit or miss with my kiddos. They much prefer the messy version of the painting. But if you have a toddler who loves paint but you don’t want to clean up the mess this is worth a try!
Squirt paint into a plastic gallon-sized bag. Seal it up! Tape the bag to the table with a white paper underneath and then allow your child to trace whatever they want into the paint!
Trace in sprinkles.
Pour any type of sprinkles unto a cookie tray. Grab your kiddo a paintbrush and trace letters, numbers, or words into the sprinkles. Then have them copy you!
A fun sensory activity they will most likely love!
While I’m thinking about it check out five simple number activities to do with your preschooler (tracing in sprinkles is one of them!) If you don’t want to read the post, watch the video below! 🙂
Magnetic popsicle sticks.
These are so easy to make! You just need popsicle sticks, plain or colored. and a strip of a magnet. Place the magnets on one side of the popsicle sticks and set your kiddos loose! It’s a great way to learn shapes and colors. My girls love creating houses and other shapes out of these. Perfect for when you have a toddler and need to do one on one work with your older kids!
These aren’t the only hands-on activities we have tried but they are by far our favorite! What are your favorite hands-on activities to do with your children?
Bonus activity: Try these 11 paper plate crafts for hours of fun!
Hi there, I’m Jenna! I am a devoted mommy and wife. As well as an advocate for children and creating a peaceful atmosphere for those we love. I co-wrote Faith Actually: Living Life After Tragedy with my husband. I have my Bachelor’s Degree in Biblical Studies and currently working toward my Master’s in Positive Psychology. My number one desire is to create a peaceful home life for my family. My second desire is to share with you the tips I learn along the way!
Sierrah
Tuesday 18th of June 2019
Nice list! I love all the sensory activities.
Jenna Jury
Tuesday 18th of June 2019
Thank you Sierrah! I am a huge fan of sensory activities :)