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Kids toys can be expensive, and often they end up more entertained by the packaging. Enter, low-cost sensory toys. In this blog post, I am going over my top 3 relatively cheap and easy sensory activities for toddlers.
1. Dried and dyed pasta:
Take any type of dried pasta. We used mini pasta so that it was easy for scooping, but toddlers will be toddlers, so if yours is prone to putting things in their mouths…. ok, that’s all of them haha, try to do this activity after a meal or with larger-sized dried pasta. You can use plain dried pasta, but to level it up and add educational value, dye the pasta with food coloring and rubbing alcohol. Tip: Don’t use the color orange as I learned it looked far too much like actual Mac and cheese… You can get the little ones involved with the mixing. We used ziplock bags and put 2 tablespoons of rubbing alcohol, a couple drops of food coloring than the pasta. Seal the bag and let your toddler mix it up. Once the pasta is coated and colored, we let them dry on parchment paper for 2-4 hours before playing with it.
2. Old Flowers:
If you have flowers that are a little past their peak. Save them and place them in a muffin pan with some water in the freezer. Once they are frozen, pop them out and let your little one melt them with warm water or just on their own. I have also used old rose petals and placed them in a large bin to feel and play with.
3. Soap and Water:
Yes, that’s it. I usually do this activity after playing outside or painting, and they might need a little extra cleaning. It’s also just an excellent no-mess activity. Just add a little bit of water and dish soap to a bowl or on their high chair tray. Now comes the fun part. Use a paintbrush, wet paper towel, or whatever you might have around to paint the soap suds. Level this up by using a straw to blow bubbles in the soapy water, or use your hands to create a bubble!
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