Touch (the tactile sense) plays a fundamental role in physical, mental and emotional behavior. Everyone needs tactile stimulation to keep our brain and body organized and healthy. We are always touching something – people, the ground, clothes, etc. Thus, the ability to process tactile sensations is important for a variety of skills including motor planning, learning, social skills, and body awareness.
Place the mermaid in the beans – since we are a yoga studio, we like our mermaids to do yoga poses.
Include cauldrons and wooden scoops, little ones like to scoop up the and pour the beans into the cauldron. Keep a close eye on toddlers as they like to put small objects in their nose and ears.
Make it a mindful experience, ask children what the see, hear, feel, and smell.
Let the kid’s be creative and come up with their own method of play. Our older kids, created a challenge of picking up beans with the skeleton salad tongs.
What are the Benefits of the Halloween Sensory Bin?
Playing with scoops, salad tongs, and mermaids improves eye-hand coordination.
Using both hands at the same time supports bilateral coordination.
Placing the hands in the beans can be calming and provides a fun mindfulness experience.
Feeling different textures builds tactile discrimination and body awareness.
Allowing kids to explore the bin and make the mermaids into different poses increases creativity and reviews yoga poses.
In Conclusion…
Kid’s love Halloween and so do we. Whether you are a kid’s yoga teacher or therapist, this fun activity provides hidden therapeutic benefits. Adding fun tactile experiences to kid’s therapy or yoga classes helps them to develop awareness, especially when coupled with mindfulness. This awareness promotes healthier coping mechanisms, which is something everyone needs more of.