Activity for Toddlers – Colorful Taste Safe Sensory Play With Cereal
This activity for toddlers is a colorful way to use stale cereal for sensory play that is also taste safe! Keep on reading to find out how easy this is to set up!
A Taste Safe Activity for Toddlers
This activity is not about eating the cereal! Taste-safe and edible play are not synonymous. We prefer not to do edible play because to avoid the confusion of what sensory bases are safe to eat versus not safe to eat. I want my kiddos to assume that all sensory bases are not meant to be put in the mouth!
Therefore, this activity is taste-safe. Allowing a toddler to explore the sensory bases while learning not to put it in their mouth. Of course, if a toddler were to eat some, grown ups will know that it will not be harmful!
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How to Make This Activity for Toddlers
Watch this short video to see how easy it is to make stale cereal colorful. I want to emphasize to use stale cereal because there is no use in wasting good cereal you can eat! However, if you have cereal that would otherwise go in the trash bin, always think about how you could use it for sensory play first!
My daughter, two years old at the time, had so much fun scooping and pouring and mixing it all up!
How to Make This Activity for Toddlers
Watch this short video to see how easy it is to make stale cereal colorful. I want to emphasize to use stale cereal because there is no use in wasting good cereal you can eat! However, if you have cereal that would otherwise go in the trash bin, always think about how you could use it for sensory play first!
My daughter, two years old at the time, had so much fun scooping and pouring and mixing it all up!
Tips for Setting Up This Activity for Toddlers
Bowls and Spoons. Make sure to include them in the set up! They are perfect tools for young kids to learn the practical life skill of scooping, pouring, and transferring!
Keep it stale! As mentioned above, we don’t want to encourage playing with good food that can be eaten. Instead, this is about utilizing stale cereal that would otherwise hit the trash bin!
Food Coloring. We used a gel-based food coloring as it spreads a bit more evenly. The water-based food coloring is likely to absorb too quickly into the cereal and not spread as well. Also, be sure to let the cereal dry before playing with it to avoid the color transferring to the skin. However, if it does, wash hands with baking soda as this has been an effective way to remove stains on skin.
Materials
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Stale Cereal
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Stale Cereal
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1
In a sealed container, add 1/2 cup of cereal. We used Cheerios. Add a squirt of gel based food coloring. (It may help to squirt it to the side of the container, not directly on the cereal itself.)
Step 2
Seal the container and shake, shake, shake! Once the color is spread throughout, lay the cereal out to dry for an hour to minimize the color from transferring. Repeat for each color.
Step 1
In a sealed container, add 1/2 cup of cereal. We used Cheerios. Add a squirt of gel based food coloring. (It may help to squirt it to the side of the container, not directly on the cereal itself.)
Step 2
Seal the container and shake, shake, shake! Once the color is spread throughout, lay the cereal out to dry for an hour to minimize the color from transferring. Repeat for each color.
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The Importance of Sensory Play
It’s important to teach kids sensory play because it teaches them to learn with their bodies’ various senses.
This also teaches them colors as well as lets them feel the shapes of the cereal and hold the various colors with their hands.
Teach them the importance of not putting things in their mouth without understanding that it’s safe to do so as well.
This is one fun colorful activity that is perfect for toddlers and younger learners.
The Importance of Sensory Play
It’s important to teach kids sensory play because it teaches them to learn with their bodies’ various senses.
This also teaches them colors as well as lets them feel the shapes of the cereal and hold the various colors with their hands.
Teach them the importance of not putting things in their mouth without understanding that it’s safe to do so as well.
This is one fun colorful activity that is perfect for toddlers and younger learners.
More Sensory Bases to Explore
Beyond this taste-safe cereal activity for toddlers. Here are some more sensory bases to explore!
The Ultimate Slime and Putty Kit
This kit includes 8 fascinating varieties of slime and putty, including premade putty, magnetic slime, glow in the dark putty, and so much more.
Sensory Sand
Sensory sand is moldable! This bulk pack comes with enough to fill an entire bin for lasting fun! Bonus points for including a storage bin!
Modelling Dough
This modelling dough compound NEVER dries out! It is a fun texture – it is stretchy like play dough, moldable like kinetic sand, and odorless.
Premium Play Dough
This play dough is the cream of the crop! It is ridiculously silky and smooth, lasts for 6 months, and is scented!
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