It's easy to overthink and over complicate play experiences for kids, however when it comes to toddlers especially, simple play is often the best. Toddlers don't have the greatest attention spans, so instead of spending ages creating elaborate set ups then being disappointed when they only play with it for a few minutes, simply pick a few key items they love and you'll often be surprised how long they play {because they're not overwhelmed with options}.
When my 2yr old wanted to do some Easter sensory play I set up this super simple Easter sensory tub for her using a few larger Easter themed items. It only uses 4 different items and only took me less than 2 minutes to set it up {not even joking}. The best part is all the items can be sourced for only a few dollars.
Supplies Needed:
I set our sensory bin up in one of our trofast trays inside our flisat sensory table. I used styrofoam carrots, moss bunnies and plastic eggs because they're all quite large so not choking hazards {although please always supervise toddlers} and we already had all of them at home.
I'm somewhat of a craft hoarder and stock up on all the things, especially cheap novelty holiday items! If you don't already have them they're usually all readily available around Easter time from local dollar shops, craft stores and even supermarkets. You can also find them online at Etsy, Spotlight {AU}, or Amazon.
To set up the sensory tub simply add the shredded paper as a base then spread the bunnies, carrots and plastic eggs throughout the tub. If you want to make it an Easter hunt sensory tub, bury the carrots and eggs under the shredded paper so kids have to dig for them. You can also get the kids to sort the items by colour and count them to add in some extra learning.
When we did this sensory tub I thought she would initially just throw everything out of the tub or throw the shredded paper on the floor, however she surprised me by initiating her own imaginary play. She was calling the eggs mummy, daddy and grandma based on their colours {mummy was pink, daddy blue and grandma green because it's her favourite colour}. She was making them walk around and pretend to eat the carrots saying mmmm yummy.
The plastic eggs are also great for fine motor practice and hand strengthening as kids try to open and close them. It didn't take her long to realise that they opened and closed. It was a bit tricky for her to try and line the shell up to make them click back together, but that provided some great incidental hand/eye co-ordination practice.
She played with the sensory tub for a good 20-30 minutes initially and then kept going back to it over the next few days. By setting it up in a tub in our sensory table I could easily just put the cover back over the top so it was all contained until she wanted to play with it next. If you only have a tub or tray to set it up in simply remove it to another room or cupboard and bring it back out when they want to play with it again.
MORE EASTER IDEAS
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