The best kids craft & activities are the spontaneous ones and sometimes involve practical life activities. If that kids activity can be inexpensive and simple too, you are golden.
Practical Life
One afternoon I was boiling a half dozen eggs. My 1.5 year old desperately wanted to be involved in the process. The beginning of the process is a bit fragile but I knew there was a way to get him involved in this practical life activity at some point.
So after I boiled the eggs, as always, I placed them in an “ice bath”. This time, however, the ice bath happened on the floor (with a towel beneath the bowl).
Making sure my son was closely watching, I slowly transferred the hot eggs into the ice bath. He quickly began to explore the ice water and the eggs.
Sensory Activity
Then we took a “crack” at peeling the eggs and discovered that it makes for a great sensory activity. I am not a fan of sacrificing (i.e. wasting) food for kids activities but in this case I let an egg or two go for the sake of sensory exploration. There was the fine motor skill development, the heat, the cold and the smell.
I think doing this exercise blindfolded would be a wonderful experience for an older child. My 3 year old will have a go in the next few weeks. In the meantime, my 1.5 year old can’t stop talking about the “eg-gah” in the “iss”. Very sweet.
Thank you for reading. I hope that we inspired you today.
Marnie
Practical life activities are a great way for children to experience the world around them. For more sensory activity ideas, you may want to take a look at these other kids activities from the Quirky Mommas:
- Sensory Activity for Development
- Baking Soda and Vinegar Sensory Activity
- Sensory Activity: Water Beads and Flowers
