Messy play for toddlers is the ultimate sensory experience. This pumpkin patch pudding activity is a great way to explore all of the 5 senses! 

Food in Play, the Pros and Cons

There are lots of benefits for incorporating food into play – it heightens the sensory experience by including both smell and taste and it helps children with sensory processing disorders get more comfortable with textures and tastes, to name a few.

But including food in play is not for everyone. Whether related to cultural preferences, school rules prohibiting it, allergies, or personal concerns related to food cost and waste, there are lots of reasons grown ups do not set up activities that include foods.

Our personal philosophy is to weigh the cost and benefits of including food in play. I have a son who is very selective with food and textures, so activities like this help him get more comfortable with the goal of expanding his palate. Weighing this benefit with the cost of a packet of pudding (less than $1.50), makes me comfortable to set this activity up for him. So for us, it is worth it! But, of course, we understand this analysis is not a one-size fits all scenario! 

Messy Play for Toddlers in Action!

Setting up this activity is super simple. It is a fun activity to do before it gets too cold outside, so that your kiddo can really dig in, make a mess, and then have it easily cleaned up with a hose!

In the video, you’ll see how my kids went from picking the pumpkins, to washing them up, transferring them to utility vehicles, that then delivered them to a tiny hole in one of their bins (great for fine motor skills too!).

How to Create a Messy Play for Toddlers

Don’t forget that creating a sensory bin is all about letting the kids have fun and explore. Whatever pretty scene you have set up will likely get mixed up in minutes! Because of this, don’t make it complicated, and use what you’ve got to save time and resources.

In our bin, we used pumpkin pasta from Trader Joe’s that we tried and didn’t like! (Sorry, TJ, we love you but not your pumpkin pasta!). We also had some wheat cereal that looked exactly like hay bales, so I decided to throw those in as well! Of course, there are toy versions of both pumpkins and hay bales (linked below!).

For the soil, we had a packet of pudding, but you could also make your own DIY mud. 

All activities should be supervised by an adult. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links.

• Hay Bales
• Tractors

Step 2

Place items like pumpkins and hay bales on top of the “soil” and provide some tractors to inspire pretend play!

Step 1

Follow the directions on your box of pudding or our DIY mud recipe.

Step 2

Place items like pumpkins and hay bales on top of the “soil” and provide some tractors to inspire pretend play!

5. Social Development. In a setting where multiple children are playing, sensory play also fosters social development where sharing and cooperation are often experienced.

6. Sparks Imaginations. Sensory materials are often open-ended materials allowing a child to use their imagination in the best possible ways. Dirt can become a mud pie, sand a construction site, and a bowl of water the ocean.

6 Reasons Why Messy Play is Important 

1. Language Development. Giving your children rich, textural experiences allows them to better communicate. If they can never touch something that is sticky, how will they know what to call and describe it?!

2. Physical Development. It takes time for children to develop the practical life skills to NOT be messy, and in order to figure that out they need to have opportunities to explore and strengthen their movements. If you always pour water for your child in a cup with a lid, how will they learn to pour correctly and not spill? To that end, fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination are often strengthened through messy play.

3. Sensory Development. Before a child can talk, they discover the world through their senses, and messy play allows them an incredible opportunity to explore through a sense or combination of senses.

4. Fosters Independent Play. The goal of messy play should be decided by the child. Messy play is such an immersive experience children often engage in the activity independently.

5. Social Development. In a setting where multiple children are playing, sensory play also fosters social development where sharing and cooperation are often experienced.

6. Sparks Imaginations. Sensory materials are often open-ended materials allowing a child to use their imagination in the best possible ways. Dirt can become a mud pie, sand a construction site, and a bowl of water the ocean.

This 5 senses activity is a fun way for kids to learn about the sense of smell, taste, sight, hearing, and touch with a DIY puzzle. Keep on reading to get the free printable to make your own cardboard puzzle or to simply use it as an easy matching worksheet game! 

How to Play with The Five Senses 

It’s such a fun topic to talk about with kids. Not only will they learn where all their 5 senses are located on their body, but there are 3 examples of each sense to reinforce that knowledge. 

While this activity is all about matching up the senses and putting them where they belong, challenge the kids to think of other ways they use certain senses, too. 

All activities should be supervised by an adult. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links.

How to Make This 5 Senses Activity DIY Puzzle

It’s amazing how easy it is to make your own puzzles! All you need is some cardboard, a sharp knife, and glue to easily create the foundation of a puzzle board and pieces. 

Our free printable makes it that much easier for grown ups who don’t want to draw out the images of this 5 senses activity!

I love that cardboard keeps the puzzle durable and budget friendly at the same time! A great opportunity to save money while using what you have at home for playful learning!

Get the FREE Printable for This 5 Senses Activity

This 5 senses activity printable has 2 different versions for ways your kiddo can play with the 5 senses!

You can do what we did and make a DIY puzzle out of cardboard, or as an alternative, we’ve also included a worksheet where kids can simply match the 5 senses on the page itself. We understand that grown ups get busy, so definitely wanted to included an option for those who may not have the time to create the full DIY version.

For more printable activities, visit our comprehensive collection! There are so many opportunities to turn printable pages into hands on play, like our Systems of the Human Body printable, Emotions Cup Activity with Elmo, our Brush the Teeth Activity, and our Count the Pizza Activity to name a few!

• Craft Knife
• Glue

Step 4

Glue the cardboard with the cut outs on top of the other piece of cardboard.

Step 5

Once it’s dry, enjoy playing the puzzle over and over again!

Step 1

Grab our free printable, print them, and then cut out the images.

Step 2

Glue the images to one of the pieces of cardboard in the correct order.

Step 3

Create the puzzle pieces by cutting out the objects that relate to the 5 senses. Do not cut out the mouth, nose, hand, ear, or eye.

Step 4

Glue the cardboard with the cut outs on top of the other piece of cardboard.

Step 5

Once it’s dry, enjoy playing the puzzle over and over again!

Beyond This 5 Senses Activity for Kids

This 5 Senses Activity is a great way to learn, review and reinforce what kids know about the 5 senses! It will help them connect the dots to the importance of senses while also looking for new ways to use their senses in the real world too. 

Extend the playful learning with actually using real world objects! One fun game is to have kids close their eyes and have a taste test. See if they know what they’re eating by what you put in front of them! You can also do this same game with all of the other senses – smelling items, feeling items, and hearing items too!

This Fall activity for toddlers is a fun way to enjoy all things Autumn! The set up is super easy, and it’s so great for for sensory play and fine motor skills!

An Adaptable Fall Activity for Toddlers

The great thing about sensory bins is that there really isn’t any set “rules” on how to make one. Since this is a fall theme, you can plan on everything being all about fall! 

Do you have fallen leaves, pine cones, or acorns?! Use them! Yup, it’s that simple! Throw in some fake apples and pumpkins too to talk about some typical produce of the season. We included corn kernels as well, but be sure to omit this if your kiddo is too young and likely to try to eat these. 

All activities should be supervised by an adult. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links.

Having Fun with this Fall Activity for Toddlers

Watch this video to see how super engaged toddlers can be with such simple materials! Providing bowls, spoons, and tongs will allow young kids to use real world objects that will help them strengthen fine motor and practical life skills!

No doubt, their imaginations will spark as they have fun concocting unique bowls of Autumn soup with all the loose parts!

Tips for Setting Up This Fall Activity for Toddlers

Use What You’ve Got! As I mentioned earlier, don’t underestimate the magic of natural objects that may have fallen right near your feet! Think: acorns, vibrantly colored Autumn leaves, and pine cones! 

Dealing with the Mess. When toddlers first use sensory bins it may be difficult for them to keep the items from falling all over the floor. After all, they are likely working on a very important skill of scooping and pouring. And you don’t learn how not to spill unless you make that mistake a few times! Place some towels on the ground or set this up outside to help with the clean up!

Provide Bowls and Tools. Bowls and tools will not only help your kiddo develop fine motor skills, but they will spark their imaginations by finding new ways to use the loose parts in front of them!

• Apples
• Pumpkins
• Corn Kernals (unless toddler will try to eat)

Step 2

Let the kids dig in with their hands or kid-friendly tools.

Step 1

Add all your favorite fall items to a bin. 

Step 2

Let the kids dig in with their hands or kid-friendly tools.

Language Development. Sensory play is a great time to build vocabulary! Talk about the items, explain what Autumn is, and have your kiddo repeat and explain these new words to you!

For more sensory play fun, visit our comprehensive list!

The Benefits of This Fall Toddler Activity

Sensory Play. Have you heard that sensory play helps to build nerve connections in the brain? Yes, that’s right! Including different textures and sights in this bin will allow kiddos to think and explore using their hands in new ways. You could even add some scents, like cinnamon for your kiddo to smell and explore!

Fine Motor Skills. And if you throw in some fine motor tools like tongs along with bowls and spoons they will have the opportunity to strengthen their fine motor skills.

Pouring sensory bases from one bowl to the other, or scooping up the materials with a spoon are also all wonderful practical life skills they will use for the rest of their life.

Language Development. Sensory play is a great time to build vocabulary! Talk about the items, explain what Autumn is, and have your kiddo repeat and explain these new words to you!

Tips on How to Make Mud for Play

Taste Safe Does Not Mean Edible!  Taste-safe is not synonymous with edible. It’s the opposite. Taste-Safe is all about providing a sensory base for young kids to safely use and learn these materials are not to be put in the mouth or consumed. If a child does get some in their mouth, a grown up will know that it is safe and not toxic. Muddy oobleck smells particularly delicious if used with cocoa powder, but I can promise you that it doesn’t taste good at all! 

Have a Bin of Water Nearby. Oobleck will stick to hands! To extend the play time, have a bucket of water nearby so kids can reset their hands and keep on playing!

Add Washable Toys. Touching and exploring the oobleck is exciting in itself, but it’s also fun and great for fine motor skills to stick and pull objects out of the mud, and even wash off! The set up is so adaptable we’ve included cars, farm animals, dinosaurs, and bugs to name a few!

The consistency should be a solid when squeezed in your fist, but when you relax your hand it will turn into a liquid. Add more water if too dry, add more corn starch if too liquidy.

Step 3

Grab some washable toys, tools, and a bucket of water for kiddos to clean off their hands!

Watch How to Create Swirl Play Dough!

Making Play Dough for Kits and Gifts!

Play dough is so fun to include in kits that you can use whenever you need a quick activity to set up (definitely a great rainy day idea!), or as a gift!

We have made play dough kits in so many themes: ocean, insect, unicorn, car, princess, Mickey Mouse, Power Ranger, alphabet, dinosaur, Frozen, Aladdin, Peppa the Pig, birthday, and more!

Play dough can last up to 6 months if sealed properly. We like to use clear plastic container jars with lids. These lids are small enough to fit in kits too!

Keep in mind that overtime, swirl play dough will lose some of it’s vibrancy when stored.

Step 4

Use the rolling pin to flatten all the layers together a little more.

Step 5

From bottom to top, roll the play dough into a roll to desired thickness.

Step 6

Trim the edges and then cut into individual portions and enjoy!

Perks of Playing with Play Dough

Play dough is the ultimate sensory play experience. There are a lot of sensory bases available to explore (more on that below), but play dough is such a classic! The kids can mold it, hold it, shape it, and use it to make letters and other fun designs as well. You can also explore color mixing with play dough!

It is also fantastic for strengthening fine motor skills. As they grip and mold, kid’s hands and fingers are getting a great work out! Just think about all the different movements the hands will make in just a short time of playing with play dough – roll, stretch, mold, pinch, push, to name a few!

They can also use it to work their creativity and imagination as well and build and create fun artwork and projects.

I also love to give play dough as gifts to toddlers and preschoolers, often in a themed-kit! For example, dinosaurs, unicorns, ocean, and super heroes are just some of the many themes I’ve put together! It is such a nice way to give a gift with a personal, homemade touch!