Beat the Summer Slide Through Play: Five Senses
- Rylan Payne
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
From the moment children wake up, they're using their five senses to explore the world around them. They feel the softness of a blanket, smell breakfast cooking, hear birds singing outside, see colorful flowers, and taste their favorite snack. Every day is full of opportunities to discover something new through the senses of sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste.
This week's theme encourages children to slow down, ask questions, and become more aware of the amazing ways their senses help them learn. Through hands-on play and exploration, children can build observation skills, expand their vocabulary, and develop a greater appreciation for the world around them.
This Week's Activities
This week's Five Senses lesson encourages children to observe, create, and explore using all five of their senses. Here are just a few of the activities included in the lesson:
👀 Five Senses Mindfulness Children begin by slowing down and exploring what they can see, hear, smell, touch, and taste. They'll use simple prompts and breathing exercises to become more aware of how their senses help them experience the world around them.
🦁 Playful Yoga & Movement Get little bodies moving with a playful sun salutation, the featured Sphinx Pose, scarf play, and the 5 Senses song by Pinkfong. These activities encourage movement while reinforcing each of the five senses in a fun and engaging way.
🖐️ Five Senses Sensory Tray Children explore a variety of objects that represent each of the five senses—from bells and crinkly paper to soft cotton, smooth rocks, herbs, and spices. It's a wonderful way to encourage curiosity, descriptive language, and hands-on discovery.
🎨 Sensory Board Person Using materials with different textures like felt, cotton, foil, and paper, children create their own sensory person while talking about how each material feels. This creative craft encourages sensory exploration while letting children express themselves.
🥔 Hot Potato Yoga Game A familiar game gets a mindful twist! As children pass the "hot potato" while music plays, they'll pause to strike a yoga pose whenever the music stops, keeping everyone moving and laughing together.
📚 Storytime & Meditation The lesson ends with a themed story followed by a calming guided meditation, giving children time to relax, reflect, and think about everything they discovered through their senses.
Keep the Fun Going
The fun doesn't have to stop when the activities are over! Explore even more ways to bring mindful play into your day with our free resources:
🎥 Watch movement, mindfulness, and playful learning videos on YouTube:
🎵 Listen to our favorite songs and themed playlists on Spotify:
These free resources make it easy to continue the learning and bring mindful play into your everyday routine.
Ready to Explore Even More?
If these activities sparked your child's curiosity, you'll love everything included in our Five Senses Lesson Plan. It offers a complete themed experience with guided mindfulness activities, yoga, songs, crafts, sensory play, games, book recommendations, and more—making it easy to create meaningful play experiences at home, in the classroom, or in your play space.
👉 Download the Five Senses Lesson Plan:
Looking for even more themed adventures? Browse our collection of lesson plans and card decks to keep children learning through play all year long.
👉 Shop Lesson Plans & Card Decks:
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