Children love exploring their environment and using their senses. So give your kids a chance to use and learn something about their five senses.
You will need:
6 pieces of paper
Hole punch
Yarn or string
Glue
Crayons
Senses objects (see examples below)
Old newspapers or magazines
First make a page for each of the five senses and write or have your child write Smell, Taste, Touch, Hear, and Sight on the top of each page. Then you or your child can draw a nose, mouth, hands, ears, and eyes on the corresponding pages. Punch three holes on one side of each page; you will use the holes to bind the book together later.
Now you are ready to collect and glue objects that correspond with each of the senses. Use the items listed below or think of your own things that you could put on each page.
Smell
spices – ground cinnamon or sticks, cloves, nutmeg
scratch and sniff sticker
cotton ball sprayed with perfume
cotton ball dipped in peppermint, almond, orange, or vanilla extract
Taste
draw or cut out pictures of different foods
marshmallow
macaroni
dried beans
Touch
feather
material – cotton, lycra (silky), denim, wool, nylon
sandpaper
felt
cotton ball
macaroni
dried beans
Hear
music notes
draw or cut out pictures of things that make noise (fire truck, police car, people, animals, machines)
Sight
draw or cut out pictures of things that you can see (nature, home, work place)
As you glue the items on to each page talk about the child’s senses:
Smell – Explain how important the sense of smell is how it lets you know when Mommy has made cookies or if there is a fire your nose helps you smell the smoke. You might also explain how smell and taste are related. Have your child taste something then plug their nose and taste the same thing. With their nose plugged the object doesn’t taste the same.
Taste – Talk about taste and taste buds on the tongue. There are four different taste areas on the tongue sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. This allows us to taste different things. Some things we like because they taste good, other things might taste bad to us but good to someone else.
Touch – Our hands are important because with them we can touch everything. Underneath our skin are nerves that send messages to our brain about what we are feeling. We can feel if something is soft or hard. We can feel hot or cold.
Hear – Ears are used for hearing. Using our ears we can know when the doorbell rings, listen to music, hear a dog barking, or the siren of a police car.
Sight – Our eyes help us see. Have your child close their eyes or use a blindfold and try to walk around. It is difficult to get around without your eyes. Explain that when a person goes blind there other senses take over to help them.
After your pages are complete you can make a cover for your book and title it “My 5 Senses”. Then stack the pages together and loop string or yarn through each of the holes and tie them in a bow. Now you can use your senses every time you read your five senses book.