Communication and language Gross and fine motor skills
Self-regulation and concentration Improves hand-eye coordination
Improves the ability to isolate and move each finger independently
The experience
Squeeze some splodges of paint into a plastic wallet. Use splodges of a single colour or mix different colours in the same one! Close the plastic securely. Place the bag/s on the floor and tape along all four sides to hold it securely in place.
Place your child on the floor (for young babies this activity is ideal for tummy time), and watch them begin to explore with their hands - pushing, pinching, squeezing and splatting! Try laying in a similar position to your child either next to them or opposite them. Copy what they’re doing, and model by exploring the splodges sensory bag for yourself. Talk to your child about what you are both doing - name the colours and describe how it feels.
Your child will enjoy you singing to them: (to the tune of ‘Here we go round the mulberry bush’) This is the way we push the paint, push the paint, push the paint, this is the way we push the paint in our splodge-y bag! (In each verse, swap ‘push’ for ‘squeeze’, ‘pinch’, ‘splat’, etc.)
You could add buttons to the bag and encourage your child to move them around in the paint - pushing, poking and pulling them.
