Sensory play is a wonderful way to engage children in hands-on learning, stimulating their senses and fostering creativity. It provides an opportunity for children to explore, experiment, and discover new textures, colors, and shapes. This blog post will guide you through three exciting sensory play trays for the IKEA Flisat table, each designed to transport your child to an enchanting underwater world filled with mermaids and sea creatures. Don’t forget to snag the Surf Shack Printables so that you can bring this fabulous ocean theme to life for Ocean Week!
Flisat Table Bin 1: Mermaid Insert
Our first sensory tray features the Mermaid Insert from WonderYearsPlay. This activity insert is perfect for filling with rice or chickpeas, creating a colorful and tactile experience. We used rainbow-painted chickpeas from @curiouswren to add a magical touch to our mermaid world. To recreate this setup, here’s what you’ll need:
Mermaid Flisat Table insert (Use code GOODNIGHTFOX to save!)
Colored chickpeas
Plastic fish toys
Here’s how you can create your own colored rice or chickpeas at home:
How to make colored rice for flisat table sensory play:
Measure out the desired amount of rice.
In a zip-lock bag, add rice and a few drops of food coloring.
Add a teaspoon of vinegar to help the color adhere to the rice.
Seal the bag and shake until the rice is evenly coated with color.
Spread the rice out on a baking sheet to dry.
How to make colored chickpeas for flisat table sensory play:
Place chickpeas in a zip-lock bag.
Add a few drops of acrylic paint to the bag.
Seal the bag and shake until the chickpeas are coated in paint.
Spread the chickpeas out on a baking sheet to dry.
These colorful fillers create a vibrant and interactive environment for your child to explore, matching and sorting different mermaids by color.
Flisat Table Bin 2: Coral Reef Tray
The Coral Reef Tray uses magnetic sand as a base filler, providing a unique texture that mimics the ocean floor. To create the coral reef, use dried pasta noodles of different shapes and sizes, painted in various colors with acrylic paint. Here’s how to prepare the pasta:
Select different pasta shapes such as bow ties, rotini, and shells.
Lay the pasta out on a protected surface.
Paint each shape with acrylic paint in bright coral colors like pink, orange, and yellow.
Let the pasta dry completely before adding it to the tray.
Arrange the painted pasta on top of the magnetic sand to create a vibrant coral reef, and add small sea animal figures to enhance the underwater adventure.
Flisat Table Bin 3: Taste Safe Beach Small World Play
Our final sensory tray is a taste-safe Jello beach, perfect for younger children. This tray combines crushed graham crackers for sand with blue jello for the ocean, creating an immersive and edible play experience. Here’s how to set it up:
Crush graham crackers to create a sandy texture.
Prepare blue jello according to the package instructions and pour it into a shallow tray.
Once the jello has set, add the crushed graham crackers to one side of the tray to represent the beach.
Place small ocean animal figures into the jello for children to dig out.
For added fun, use whipped cream to create white foamy water on the beach.
This tray allows children to enjoy sensory play while also exploring new tastes and textures in a safe way.
The Benefits of Sensory Play
Sensory play is an invaluable tool for early childhood development. It helps to build fine motor skills, enhances cognitive growth, and promotes language development. Through activities like these mermaid and sea animal trays, children can learn about the ocean, develop their imagination, and engage in meaningful play.
Mermaid and Ocean Vocabulary for Preschoolers:
Mermaid
Ocean
Coral
Reef
5. Fish
Seaweed
Shell
Starfish
Crab
Dolphin
Whale
Jellyfish
Octopus
Seagull
Beach
Sand
Wave
Boat
Tide
Current
Anchor
Buoy
Sailor
Lagoon
Harbor
By incorporating these words into your sensory play activities, you can help your child expand their vocabulary while having fun. Dive into these mermaid and sea animal sensory trays and watch your child’s creativity and learning soar!