As teachers and parents, can you imagine anything better than stepping into a world of fun and learning while engaging in some awesome St. Patrick's Day festive activities? Seize the opportunity to bring this holiday alive with interactive, sensory-friendly activities to engage your students in the celebration!
Whether creating their leprechaun traps or making homemade play dough dyed green for slime, there are plenty of ideas to make teaching on St. Patrick’s day something to look forward to every year. Today, let's explore some special St. Patrick's Day sensory activities for kids!
As most of you know, I love easy and simple activities that carry a big punch. Add in “inexpensive,” and you have me. This activity defines as simple and inexpensive! Have fun with these St. Patrick's Day Sensory Activities. Does it get any better than jello activities with kids?
Why Jello Sensory Play?
Sensory play is an important part of any child's development, as it helps shape sensory integration and fine motor coordination. It has been found that sensory play with jello as a sensory medium is especially beneficial; when children are presented with the unique texture of jello, they engage in imaginative play that can be both calming and stimulating.
This sensory experience helps children explore their environment while strengthening their sensory motor skills and increasing sensory awareness. Integrating elements such as toys or other items into the jello further sparks creative thinking and exploration.
Not only does sensory play with jello allow for fun, entertaining activities, but more importantly, it leads to invaluable learning experiences for young minds.
St. Patrick's Day Activities – Jello Sensory
Here is one example, perfect for St. Patrick's Day, using lime green jello and the concept of searching for treasure, or the “pot of gold.”
Jello is gooey, sticky, and full of flavor (lime in our case) and will bring loads of fun textures and smell for kids to explore. No matter which color you choose (green in our case), the color is always vibrant and playful to the eye.
Sensory Materials:
- Lime jello (we used six packages, but you can feel free to use a smaller bowl or fill your whole bathtub. Go crazy!)
- A medium-sized container
- Gold Coins
- Shamrocks
- Shamrock, rainbow, and treasure cookie cutters
- Measuring cups are a fun item to add to any sensory bun
- Misc items (dinosaurs, sea creatures, matchbox cars, anything that defines “treasure” to your child) you might think your child would find joy in discovering and digging out
Have fun. If you are worried about messy pickup, place the container outside or on a splat mat or, better yet, in the bathtub!
Thank you for visiting!
Marnie