Are you looking for engaging and educational activities to keep your toddler entertained while also promoting their development? Look no further! Construction sensory play is a fantastic way to foster creativity, fine motor skills, and cognitive development in young children. In this blog post, we will explore the benefits of construction-themed activities for toddlers and provide a week-long activity plan for busy moms. Plus, we have the perfect solution for you - our Construction Activity Kit, which includes sand, rocks, toy construction vehicles, construction flashcards, road tape, and matching playdoh. Let's dig in!
Materials for this setup:
Nuts & bolts erasers from the Target Dollar Spot
Yellow/orange chickpeas
Mini traffic cones
Magnetic sand, rocks, crushed cheerios, chocolate pudding
Why Construction Sensory Play is Perfect for Toddlers
Construction sensory play is a hands-on learning experience that encourages exploration and imagination. Toddlers are naturally curious, and construction-themed activities provide endless opportunities for them to discover and experiment with different materials and textures. Sensory play also engages multiple senses, such as touch, sight, and hearing, which can enhance cognitive development and sensory integration skills.
Additionally, construction sensory play promotes fine motor skills development as toddlers manipulate and handle various objects, such as small rocks, sand, and toy construction vehicles. Fine motor skills are crucial for everyday activities like writing, grasping utensils, and buttoning clothes, so engaging in construction-themed activities can help your toddler develop these essential skills in a fun and enjoyable way.
Construction Themed Activity Bins
WATER CONSTRUCTION PLAY (0-1.5)
Bin Setup: Begin by selecting a shallow plastic bin or tray, making sure it is wide enough for the little one to explore comfortably. In this bin, use a large water-safe toy vehicle, such as a dump truck or bulldozer. Fill the bin with warm water and add some floating foam letters or numbers.
Learning Experience: This activity bin engages sensory exploration and fine motor skills. As the child plays with the toy vehicle and grasps the foam letters, they are developing their hand-eye coordination and tactile senses. The warm water adds a soothing element, enhancing relaxation and fostering a positive association with water play.
Mess-Free Alternative with Larger Fillers: Rocks
Bin Setup: Select a large bin or tray and fill it with smooth large rocks of various sizes. Add toy construction vehicles and small containers, such as trucks or buckets, for the child to fill and transport the rocks.
Learning Experience: This mess-free alternative introduces children to different textures and sizes. As the child engages with the rocks and vehicles, they develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. They can explore gravity, size comparisons, and spatial awareness as they attempt to load, unload, and transport the rocks using the toy trucks and containers. Make sure the rocks are large enough that they are not a choking hazard.
Taste Safe construction play (1.5-2.5)
Bin Setup: For this age group, you'll need a deep plastic bin or tray. Fill it with crushed-up graham crackers or blended Cheerios to mimic a construction site. Provide toy construction vehicles, such as small diggers, cement mixers, or cranes. You can also add a taste-safe play dirt. For a yummy version, use chocolate pudding. If you don’t want to encourage snacking at the table, use the recipe for a non-tasty version below.
Learning Experience: This activity bin encourages imaginative play and fine motor skills. As the child explores the bin, they can scoop, dump, and maneuver the toy vehicles through the "construction site." The textured filler materials help develop sensory exploration, while the act of manipulating the vehicles improves hand-eye coordination and gross motor skills.
Activity: Making Taste-safe Play Mud/Play Dirt
Materials:
1 cup of cornstarch
1 cup of water
1/4 cup of cocoa powder
Instructions:
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cornstarch and water.
2. Stir the mixture until it forms a smooth, thick consistency.
3. Add a 1/4 cup of cocoa power to make it dirt colored.
4. Allow the child to explore and manipulate the play mud/play dirt with their hands or with toy construction vehicles.
Learning Experience: Making play mud/play dirt encourages sensory exploration, creativity, and fine motor skills. The child can squish and mold the mud/play dirt, creating shapes and structures with their hands or by using the toy construction vehicles. This activity enhances sensory development, fosters imagination, and promotes problem-solving skills.
SAND Based CONSTRUCTION PLAY (2.5-4)
Bin Setup: Choose a medium-sized plastic bin or tray and fill it with magnetic sand. Place a variety of toy construction vehicles and a construction toys like hats, nuts & bolts from the Target Dollar Spot, yellow/orange chickpeas, traffic cones, and road tape.
Learning Experience: Magnetic sand promotes sensory exploration, as its unique texture can be molded and manipulated. The child can experiment with the properties of magnetism by using the magnetic vehicles to lift the sand or connect the magnetic letters and numbers to the vehicles. This activity encourages fine motor skills, creative thinking, and problem-solving.
25 Construction Themed Vocabulary Words for Preschoolers
1. Construction: The process of building or creating something, like a house or a bridge.
2. Worker: A person who does a specific job, like a construction worker who builds things.
3. Hard Hat: A protective helmet that construction workers wear to keep their heads safe.
4. Hammer: A tool with a handle and a heavy metal head, used for pounding nails or hitting things in construction.
5. Saw: A tool with a sharp blade used for cutting wood or other materials in construction.
6. Nail: A small, thin piece of metal with a pointed end, used to hold things together in construction.
7. Screwdriver: A tool with a handle and a metal tip, used to turn screws in construction.
8. Brick: A rectangular block used for building walls and other structures in construction.
9. Cement: A powder that, when mixed with water, becomes a strong, hard substance used to hold bricks and stones together in construction.
10. Crane: A tall machine with a long arm used to lift and move heavy objects on a construction site.
11. Bulldozer: A large, powerful vehicle with a wide blade in the front used for moving dirt and rocks on a construction site.
12. Excavator: A machine used for digging or scooping dirt and rocks on a construction site.
13. Dump Truck: A large truck with a back end that can be tilted to unload or dump materials on a construction site.
14. Hardwood: A type of strong wood often used for floors and furniture in construction.
15. Blueprint: A detailed plan or drawing that shows how something will be built in construction.
16. Tape Measure: A long, flexible tool used to measure distances and lengths in construction.
17. Safety Vest: A brightly colored vest worn by construction workers to make them easily visible to others on a construction site.
18. Ladder: A set of steps or rungs used to reach high places in construction.
19. Wrench: A tool with a handle and a metal opening used for tightening or loosening bolts and nuts in construction.
20. Electric Drill: A tool that spins a drill bit quickly to make holes in wood, metal, or other materials in construction.
21. Scaffolding: A temporary structure made of metal or wood used to support workers and materials during construction.
22. Concrete: A strong mixture of cement, sand, and water that hardens over time and is used to make foundations and other structures in construction.
23. Hard Hat Zone: An area on a construction site where it is required to wear a hard hat for safety.
24. Plywood: A type of strong, flat wood made from thin layers glued together, often used for building walls and floors in construction.
25. Construction Site: A place where construction work is happening, like building a new house or a road.
Week-Long Activity Play Construction Theme
Day 1: Construction Zone Sensory Bin Create a construction zone sensory bin by filling a large plastic container with sand, rocks, and toy construction vehicles. Encourage your toddler to scoop, pour, and dig in the sensory bin using toy shovels, excavators, and dump trucks. This activity will provide opportunities for imaginative play and fine motor skill development.
Day 2: Build-a-Road Use road tape to create a construction-themed roadway on the floor or a table. Your toddler can use toy construction vehicles to drive along the road, creating their own construction site. This activity promotes hand-eye coordination and imaginative play.
Day 3: Construction Flashcards Introduce construction-themed flashcards to your toddler, featuring images of construction vehicles, tools, and signs. Use the flashcards to teach your toddler about different construction-related concepts, such as colors, shapes, and numbers. This activity promotes early literacy skills and vocabulary development.
Day 4: Rock Painting Collect rocks from your backyard or a local park and provide your toddler with washable paint and brushes. Let them unleash their creativity by painting the rocks to resemble construction vehicles or tools. This activity promotes artistic expression and fine motor skill development.
Day 5: Playdoh Construction Use playdoh to create a construction site for your toddler. Provide them with playdoh in various colors and toy construction vehicles to build and shape their own construction projects. This activity promotes sensory exploration, creativity, and fine motor skills.
Day 6: Toy Construction Site Set up a small-scale construction site in your backyard or a designated play area. Use sand, rocks, and toy construction vehicles to create a realistic construction environment for your toddler to explore and play. This activity encourages imaginative play, fine motor skill development, and sensory exploration.
Day 7: Free Play Allow your toddler to freely explore and play with the construction-themed materials from the previous days' activities. Encourage them to combine and create their own construction projects using the sand, rocks, toy construction vehicles, road tape, flashcards, and playdoh. This activity promotes open-ended play, creativity, and problem-solving skills.
Construction Activity Kit
To make construction sensory play even more convenient and enjoyable for you and your toddler, we offer our Construction Activity Kit. Our kit includes high-quality sand, rocks, construction flashcards, toy construction vehicles, 3 jars of playdoh, road tape, a hat and cone!
SEE IT IN ACTION
Check out this amazing setup by @teachingbythemountains and follow her on instagram for the most amazing sensory play fun you’ll find on the web.
Construction sensory play activity setup