Sensory Play Ideas for Fourth of July

Sensory projects are so much fun for little ones — and for grownups, too, as we get to see their joy in experiencing squishy, colorful or otherwise fun stuff.

The Fourth of July is a fun theme for sensory play, but these ideas can be used any time of year and often done with different colors for different seasons if you like.

Check out these Sensory bin supplies we found on Amazon.

My Bored Toddler has great ideas for red, white and blue shaving cream play and a patriotic sensory tray that could be made with sand or salt (or try dyeing rice to make red, white and blue rice!).

This red, white and blue water play bin from Simple Fun for Kids is super easy to set up (and you could do it in the bathtub when kids need a cool down).

No sensory list is complete without slime, and 24 Hour Family has a good simple recipe for red, white and blue slime. Crafts by Amanda has another slime recipe that’s full of glitter and stars if you’re into those sorts of things.

My daughter loved cloud dough when she was little, and this patriotic twist on it from Glitter on a Dime is another fun way to use it. Also check out their patriotic potions, another easy project you can do throughout the year.Are you looking for the best sensory toys and activities for your child? Explore our comprehensive resources to enhance your child’s sensory play and development. Check out our curated Amazon Idea List featuring top-rated sensory toys and items, and don’t miss our expertly written articles on sensory activities. Start creating fun and educational sensory experiences today!

Next Plan Idea:

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As I write this, back to school time is right around the corner, and if you have kids going to school for the first time or who might need a refresher on what school is like, books can be a big help in calming fears and letting them know what to expect.

School Days by Fabiola Sepulvelda is a wordless picture book full of photographs of various things that happen during the school day, such as leaving home, getting off the bus, greeting your teacher, raising your hand to talk, circle time, reading, quiet work, lunch, recess, art and music, and greeting your parent at the end of the day.

This is a nice book to prompt conversations about the way things might look and things that might happen at school, and could also be used in the classroom to talk about routines and what happens each day. It’s meant to be for kids who don’t yet know how to read, but could be used with older kids as well.

Ready for School by Dona Herweck Rice and illustrated by Amanda Morrow follows a little girl through a day getting ready for school and thinking about all the things that happen at school. It covers things like calendar time, mat time, being read to, math (they’re learning to count to five), recess and art. She’s so excited to go she wakes her mom up and it’s still nighttime.

This one is good for kids who like reminders of how the routine goes (both getting ready for school and being there) and those who might be apprehensive about what’s going to happen or if it will be fun.

The same author has a series of books that are meant to be for ESL learners but would work for others as well. Welcome to School has photos and single words or short phrases for things you do to get ready for school, different ways you might travel there, greetings, morning meeting activities. people you might see at school (like teacher, student, custodian), places and objects you’ll find around school, things at recess and school rules (like line up and raise hand).

Your School Day uses longer phrases (“riding in car” instead of just “car,” for example) and older children in the photos. The routine is also for older kids and uses bigger words like announcements and equipment. It also shows photos of different subjects kids might study, different kinds of learning groups and more people and places you’ll find in school.

A Day at School is kind of in between these two, with older elementary students going through many of the same things. This one doesn’t mention morning meetings but also doesn’t use the level of vocabulary of the book for older kids. Either this one of Welcome to School would be fine to use with young kids who already speak English but might like to see all the things and people they’ll see at school.

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