23 Messy and Sensory Play Ideas In Pictures

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Life has been crazy lately

One of the things that I have neglected

Over the past couple of years

Has been my blog

I kind of lost my way with it a bit

And I think the blog has lost it’s soul

But I am determined to turn it around

Edspire is now in it’s 10th year

And I would like to continue writing for as long as I can

I would like the blog to document our Edspire Edventures

Be a place for all our play ideas

And to share our home education lessons and activities

I want my blogging to go back to it’s diary roots

I have not stopped doing all those things

I have just been doing them over on Instagram

Rather than here

And so I wanted to use this post to collate some of our play ideas

Messy and sensory play ideas

Art activities

Ideas that you might like to try

SUNSHINE POTIONS – LEMON AND DAISY WATER PLAY

PEA PLAY – FROZEN PEAS IN THE WATER TABLE

PLANTING A RAINBOW – BOOKISH PLAY

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Mary, Mary, Quite contrary, How does your garden grow? We are loving this sunny weather and being able to spend long lazy days in the garden. Edie had lots of garden themed gifts for her second birthday last week including this beautiful wooden flower bed from @tenderleaftoys @threadbear.design The wooden flowers can be planted by slotting them into the brown earth base. Children can arrange the flowers in different ways and then water them with the cute little watering can. The flowers can be picked and arranged as a posy or bouquet. This toy is perfect for playing gardening, florists and garden centres. All my girls adore this toy and it has been played with non stop since it was unwrapped. It is also perfect for #bookishplay and a great complement for one of our favourite books Planting a Rainbow 🌈 Taking our flower bed outside offered another way to play with this colourful cute flower garden toy #somanywaystoplay #woodentoys #toddlertoys #bringbooksalive #bookinspiredplay #imaginativeplay #creativeplay #roleplay #playandlearn #playfullearning #preschoolplay #toddlerplay #natureplay #toysattwo #ecotoys #slowtoys #playtime #playathome #learningthroughplay #gardenplay

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DUCK POND WATER PLAY

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Another day another water play. Today we had ducks in the water table. I bought Edie 60 mini rubber ducks for her birthday. They are brilliant for creating small worlds, story baskets, water play. They are great for fine motor activities and for counting. I think they cost about £2 from Amazon and we use them all the time. They are great for acting out songs and nursery rhymes and books. They can be used in the garden, in the bath and taken out and about. #somanywaystoplay Today we used blue food colouring to make a really vibrant duck pond in our water table. We read some of our favourite duck stories and acted out some of our favourite songs and rhymes. We also had duck races. We took the ducks with us to ballet where Edie and I read stories and played with the ducks making a pond on an old blue towel. Tomorrow we are going to add frogs to our pond before doing some rubber duck painting. Another sunny day filled with play. Summer is coming!! #welovespringplay #waterplay #chatplayread #bringbooksalive #bookishplay #bookinspiredplay #nurseryrhymes #nurseryrhymeplay #playfullearning #sensoryplay #watertablefun #messyplay #springplay #manywaystoplay #ericcarle #10littleducks #5littleducks #ducks #ducksofinstagram #playislearning #playideas #toddlerplay #preschoolplay #playathome @nosycrow @worldericcarle #timetoplay

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ALL ABOUT BEES – INVITATION TO LEARN

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We have been learning all about bees today. Through books and imaginative play we have talked about what bees are, what they do and why what they do is so important. Edie and I had a lovely time acting out bees collecting pollen from the flowers and doing a waggle dance. We acted out a meeting between our Queen bee and her workers. We made honey in our honeycomb for the baby bees to eat. We are going to be exploring the bee lifecycle and the role of bees on earth as we start our minibeast topic. We always learn about minibeasts at this time of year and every year we delve a little deeper and expand our knowledge a little further. With this #invitationtoplay I included four books, each suited to my different children and their reading abilities and style of books they enjoy. The @quartokids Tales From Nature Bee Book was for Edie, the @usborne_books Why Do We Need Bees for Bee and the other two for Esther and William. The Book of Bees is a brilliant book for older children jam packed with information and awesome illustrations. Today is #worldbeeday a wonderful celebration of these misunderstood creatures whom we should all do more to protect. #worldbeeday2019 #beeday #welovebees #bees #playinmay #welovespringplay #bookishplay #bringbooksalive #bookinspiredplay #invitationtoexplore #invitationtoread #invitationtoreadandplay #invitationtolearn #chatplayread #savetheearth #savethebees @plantoysofficial @lankakade

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WE’RE GOING ON AN EGG HUNT – BOOKISH PLAY

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We’re going on an egg hunt, We’re going to find them all, what a beautiful day! We are ready to play! Today I hid 24 coloured eggs around the garden for the children to find. If they worked together and found them all they would be allowed to share our very last Easter egg after tea. They loved the hunt and I really made them work hard for their chocolate. While they ate their egg I read them the very cute story of Dora’s Eggs. The perfect way to end our day after our adventure on the farm. @kent_life_farm @littletigerbooks #doraseggs #playinmay #invitationtoreadandplay #invitationtoread #bookishplay #bookinspiredplay #welovespringplay #egghunt #egghunting #playandread #readandplay #sensorystorytime #outdoorplay #playfullearning #hurrahforplay #somanywaystoplay #toddlerfun #preschoolactivities #homeeducation #playathome

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DORA’S EGGS STORY BASKET – SENSORY STORYTELLING

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I have made a story basket to accompany the story Dora’s Eggs. This is a lovely story of a proud mummy hen who wants to show off her eggs but all the other animals on the farm are too busy with their own babies. Dora goes home feeling sad as she sits on her nests the eggs crack and Dora is so upset as her eggs are broken but then her baby chicks hatch and they are just perfect and all the farm animals agree. The perfect story for Edie who has been learning all about baby animals. This little story basket will help us to act out the story together and remember the different names for the baby animals. Calf, piglet, duckling, 🐣 chick There are #somanywaystoplay with this #invitationtoreadandplay The animals are a mix of @lankakade @holztiger_uk and some rubber animals from @babipur Cannot wait to explore this with Edie in the morning #playinmay #invitationtoexplore #invitationtoread #invitationtoplay #playfullearning #bookishplay #bringbooksalive #bookinspiredplay #sensorystorytime #sensorystorytelling #sensoryplay #play #playandlearn #learningthroughplay #storybasket #toddlerplay #preschoolactivities #childrensbooks

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PETAL POTIONS AND STEM STEW – WATER PLAY

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After collecting the flowers from Baby Tilda’s garden yesterday we added them to our water play. Making petal potions and stem stew is an old favourite activity of ours. Edie loved separating the flowers from the stems and peeling off the petals. She loved adding the ingredients to the water and stirring and scooping her soup. She loves pouring the mixture from one container to another. As a child I loved making perfume with flowers and it gives me all the feels to see my own children engaged in this play too. A lovely water table activity for a warm spring day. #somanywaystoplay #waterplay #sensoryplay #playinmay #welovespringplay #watertablefun #flowerplay #play #timetoplay #hurrahforplay #playtime #letthemplay #playathome #invitationtoexplore #natureplay #invitationtoplay #toddlerplay #preschoolactivities #homeeducation #learningthroughplay #playislearning

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NUMBER HUNT – PUZZLE PLAY

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An early post for #mathsonmondays Today I started some work with Bea using a gorgeous number puzzle from @hapetoysuk The tray puzzle features chunky wooden numbers from 1 to 20 as well as the signs for add, subtract and equals. First I got Bea to hunt for the puzzle pieces in a tray full of rainbow drops. This met her sensory needs and served as a fun number warm up. Finding and feeling each number and positioning on the base board the right way round. I then set up some simple addition and subtraction calculations for Bea to solve and show her answer using the puzzle numbers. I then got her to order selections of numbers from smallest to largest and highest to lowest. We used lots of great maths vocabulary doing this activity. We then did some work on doubling. I put a number on the board and Bea had to place its double next to it. This was such a fun practical physical sensory way to cover some of the key maths objectives that Bea is currently exploring. We will definitely be using this puzzle lots more for maths. And it was so good working outside in the sunshine. #somanywaystoplay #playfullearning #multisensorymath #sensorymaths #makingmathsfun #homeeducation #homeeducationuk #eyfsideas #earlyyearsmaths #eyfs #sensoryplaytime #playandlearn #learningthroughplay #preschoolactivities

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RAINBOW POM POM PLAY

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We love #rainbowplay We love bright colours, making patterns, sorting and ordering. We love the magic of rainbows and like to include mythical creatures in our rainbow play. Our #trayfortheday is filled with rainbow Pom Poms at the moment. Pom Poms, @grimmswoodentoys rainbow bowls and @joguines_grapat bowls. I have also included a range of fine motor tools from @learningresourcesuk The children are loving scooping, grabbing, pushing, pulling and pouring the pom Poms. They have made rainbow food for magical creatures. A@rainbow garden for a rainbow fairy, they have served scoops of rainbow ice cream in bowls #somanywaystoplay the children have been sorting the colours, counting the Pom Poms, making repeating patterns #somanywaystolearn a great rainbow tuff tray keeping us busy on a rainy day #rainydayplay #rainydayactivities #RainbowBabyDay #manywaystoplay #colourplay #toddlerplayinjune #toddlerplay #sensoryplaytime #sensoryplay #tuffspot #tufftray #play #playmatters #playandlearn #pompomplay #rainbowbright

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RAINBOW TOWERS – PAPER CUP STACKING

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RAINBOW TOWERS we have had so much fun with these paper cups this week. We have built towers and walls, castles and compounds. We have filled them with pom-poms and play people. We have ordered them by colour and together with friends we have used our imaginations and found #somanywaystoplay We have always loved paper cup and Pom Pom play and adding a rainbow element this week means we have extended our experience wjth these non toy toys! #betterthananytoy #playmatters #waystoplay #rainbowplay #playandlearn #playfullearning #learningthroughplay #invitationtoplay #play #playinjune #welovesummerplay #colourplay #letthemplay #timetoplay #playtime #playtogether #playideas #ideasforkids #creativeplay #imaginativeplay

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SUPER SIMPLE WATER PLAY

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Some simple water play this morning with my littlest rainbow looking super cute in her sunsafe suit from @welovefrugi Everyone else has gone sailing but it is too hot for this little one. We have been pouring using measuring cylinders and funnels. We have moved water from one container to another. We have used little colanders to make rain and chatted all the whole. I very rarely get one on one time with Edie. As our fifth baby she mostly just has to slot on around everyone else. Today is our day to rest and play and chat, just the two of us. I love our conversations while we play the water table has so far been a soup kitchen for making flower soup, a place to make magical potions, a fairy swimming pool and a washing up bowl with daisy sponges #somanywaystoplay #watertablefun #waterplay #waterplayday #watertable #hotdayplay #heatwaveuk #heatwave @step2uk #outdoorplay #sunnyday #play #letthemplay #playbasedlearning #playislearning #howweplay #watertray #watertrayplay #toddlerplay #edspireedventures

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FREE THE SEA CREATURES – ICE AND WATER PLAY

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This afternoon Edie and I played with ice. Last night I froze lots of starfish, tropical fish, shells and seahorses in muffin trays and plastic tubs. Today I put our mirror surface in the tuff spot and emptied the iced sea creatures on to it. Edie then had to rescue the sea creatures by melting the ice. We had great fun skating the ice discs around the tuff tray to help them melt. We used spoons and knives and lots of water to set the creatures free. This was a lovely cooling sensory experience for a hot hot day. I have frozen all the creatures again for Esther, William and Bea to pay with tomorrow. They will be adding some other elements to their play as they try to rescue the sea life and set up an aquarium with different habitats for the different fish. #somanywaystoplay #manywaystoplay #exploringnaturewithchildren #sensoryplay #trayfortheday #tufftrayplay #tuffspot #tuffspotideas #waterplay #iceplay #seacreatures #ourblueplanet #playtolearn #playfullearning #learningthroughplay #playmatters #summerplay #heatwaveuk #edspireedventures #toddlerplayinjune #toddlerplay

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WATER BEADS COLOUR AND LIGHT – INVITATION TO EXPLORE

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Today we played with some clear water beads and they generated a lot of discussion about colour and allowed us to think about things being opaque, translucent and transparent. We talked about reflections and how clear materials can take on the colour of other things around them. There was lots of practical play and a lot of scientific language used as we played. I think if we do this again I would add prisms and crystals too to try and make rainbows. This #trayfortheday kept all four children engaged and excited for ages. They scooped and poured, made cups of tea, made coloured pies and pretended they were magically able to make colour disappear. Lots of creativity, lots of imagination #somanywaystoplay All the children loved the feel of the beads running through their fingers and Edie could not resist the temptation of standing on the water beads and feeling them squidge beneath her toes! Loved using our mirror tuff spot inlay in the sunshine again today #play #playfullearning #sensoryplaytime #sensoryplay #scienceplay #messyplay #tuffspotideas #waterbeads #tufftray #tufftrayplay #letthemexplore #letthemplay #homeeducation #homeeducationuk #playandlearn #learningthroughplay

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PAINTING WITH TRAINS – BIG MESSY PAINTING

EXTREME BODY PAINTING!

FROZEN FROG POND – WATER BEAD PLAY

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Today the children had great fun using salt water solutions to melt frozen water beads. A whole family of frogs with tadpoles and frogspawn we’re trapped in the ice. The children used coloured water and salt as well as tools to try and set them free. William loved experimenting with putting the salt into water or directly on to the ice. This kept everyone busy for well over an hour. Working together to free the frogs and learning how salt can be used to melt ice. #playfullearning #scienceplay #dissolving #messyplay #waterbeads #sensoryplayideas #sensoryplay #trayfortheday #tufftrayideas #tufftray #minibeasts #froglifecycle #scienceisfun #changesofstate #waterplay #playtolearn #playislearning #learningthroughplay #playandlearn #homeeducation

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WASH THE MUDDY FARM ANIMALS – MESSY PLAY

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We had great fun today playing Mrs Wishy Washy’s Farm. I made a muddy field with chocolate flavoured Instant Whip, I put out a tray of warm soapy water and cool plain water. I also put out sponges, brushes, cloths and a towel. The farm animals had a wonderful time stomping in the mud before having their bath with Edie singing wishy washy wishy washy! Edie loves getting herself and the animals all muddy and then all clean again. This sensory set up kept her busy for ages today. We used lots of lovely onomatopoeia … sound words! Squelch squerch splish splash plop! A fun book inspired messy play. Perfect for mixed age play groups and siblings. Esther, William, Bea and their 10 year old friend all got stuck in to our Mrs Wishy Washy bookish play inspired by the wonderful @imaginationtree

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KOALA CREEK – SMALL WORLD PLAY

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Today we watched the first episode of @cbbc #animalpark summer special and we saw five koalas safely transported from Australia to their new homes @longleatofficial We have all fallen in love with the koala bears and hope to visit them this September. Today we created our very own Koala Creek small world play to celebrate the #longleatkoalas and this beautiful new book from @usborne_books We were #gifted this copy of the book as part of #usbornebooks #thatsnotmy20 celebration campaign. In our play tray we had a family of three koalas. Edie loved playing with them. Making the mummy cuddle and carry her baby. Giving the Koalas their food and drink. Cleaning their enclosure. She liked making the koala bears climb and balance and play. She also liked singing them lullabies as we learned today that Koalas can sleep for up to 20 hours a day. Esther also loved this #sensoryplay and she now wants to learn more about koalas and their natural habitats. Think we will need some more Australian animals for our play!

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A SQUASH AND A SQUEEZE – BOOKISH SMALL WORLD PLAY

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Today I set up a farm themed #invitationtoplay for Edie. We are learning about farms this week and reading lots of farm themed books including some of our favourites written by #juliadonaldson We are off to @lsqtheatre on Friday to see The Scarecrow’s Wedding @scamptheatre Today we read and played A Squash and a Squeeze which is a brilliant book illustrated by #axelscheffler I used bird food, seeds, instant mashed potato and dedicated coconut for the different farm enclosures. These ingredients are great for sensory play and we then put the mix outside for the birds to eat. And the squirrels! Edie loved this farm set up and played with it for ages. She fed the animals, moved them to different enclosures, gave them baths, acted out conversations. I played with her for a while but then it was lovely to sit back and watch her play independently. She has a brilliant vocabulary and a wonderful imagination. She is great at doing character voices too which is super cute. We love #cutlerytrayplay for farms and zoos and other sensory small world set ups. This will be adapted tomorrow for a sensory storytelling of What The Ladybird Heard illustrated by the lovely #lydiamonks #bookishplay #bookinspiredplay #farmplay #playfarm #sensoryplay #sensorystorytelling #chatplayread #asquashandasqueeze #cutlerytrayplay #toddlerplay #smallworldplay #imaginativeplay #creativeplay

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ANIMAL SANCTUARY – TUFF TRAY PLAY

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Esther and William are really into their animals at the moment. We have been to a series of workshops with @thebigcatsanctuaryuk and visited @paradisewildlifepark We have also been watching life @longleatofficial through @cbbc Animal Park. I think I might have a couple of conservationists on my hands. We have loved learning all about animal keepers and how they work to care for the animals. Animal Park has been especially exciting and emotive. We have fallen in love with the cute koalas it are also fascinated and excited by the category one carnivores. We all love big cats. The children have got lots of books out of the library and to include Edie we have been using some of our favourite #thatsnotmy books from @usborne_books and Where’s Mr Lion? from @nosycrow I set up this tuffspot so that the children could play at being zoo keepers and vets and animal trainers, even documentary makers @benfogle #somanywaystoplay #invitationtoplay #invitationtolearn #bigcats #trayfortheday #playislearning #learningthroughplay #playandlearn #playfullearning #littleexplorers #curiouslittleexplorers #letthemplay #play #homeeducator #homeeducationuk #homeeducation #homeschoolmama #toddlerplay #tufftrayideas #tuffspot #bookishplay #bookinspiredplay #playtogether #siblingplay

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ROSE PETAL ROSE WATER PLAY

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With the Bank Holiday Weekend set to be a scorcher we are settling in for a weekend at home and in the garden. We will be doing lots of water play and having fun in the paddling pool. It will be our one last summer hoorah! I think I am going to set this tuff spot water play up again. We did this about a month ago inspired by @imaginationtree It is rose water and rose petals, ice chips and colourful reusable ice cubes. The children set about making fairy potions, ointments and perfumes before deciding to get in the tuff tray for a little foot spa session! Edie was fascinated with the ice cubes and seeing how many she could fit into a tall measuring cylinder. The smell of this water play was just wonderful. A multi sensory experience. This weekend I think we are going to make a fairy lagoon. You can buy rose water from Sainsbury’s or you could use some rose oil in tap water. A wonderful way to explore water in a slightly different sensory way #somanywaystoplay #sensoryplay #waterplay #trayfortheday #potionmaking #tuffspotideas #tufftrayideas #messyplay #playfullearning #playmatters #letthemplay #timetoplay #welovesummerplay #letthemexplore #playandlearn #play #playideas #toddlerplay #preschoolplay

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SLIDE RACE – BIG MESSY PAINTING

Do you like our play ideas?

Would you like to see more of them on the blog?

Do let us know if you give any of these a try

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