11/14

Sensory Play for Toddlers … Gak Attack!!!

Happy Monday!  I hope that everyone had a wonderful Halloween weekend and that nobody ate too much candy.  I cannot believe we are now in the month of November!  The holidays are literally around the corner.  I look forward to the next few months of sharing all my holiday tips, tricks and recipes to help make your life around the hectic holiday season just a little easier.

Today we are venturing into the land of sensory play.  Sensory play is any activity that stimulates your child’s senses (touch, smell, sight and hearing).  Exposing your child to sensory play engages the senses and helps them grow physically, cognitively, linguistically, creatively, socially and emotionally.  We are tapping into our sense of touch with our Gak project.

Gak is an excellent sensory material for toddlers.  If you are not familiar with it, the texture is a bit odd especially for toddlers, which makes it a perfect texture/touch sensory activity.  Gak is slightly slimy, sticky and stretchy all at the same time.  You can make it easily (takes just a few minutes) and inexpensively from home.

Brooks wasn’t initially sold on our slimy DIY, but as we continued to play with it together he warmed up to the idea.  Remember to be patient if your child isn’t initially interested in the project.  Don’t force the issue.  Show them your interest in the activity and they will most likely join in.  If not, put it away and try it again in a few days.

I started a board on Pinterest called Toddler Crafts that has some additional sensory activity suggestions.  I definitely want to make Brooks a sensory tub and will share that project with you all once it is completed.  Now let’s make some Gak!!

Gak

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (8oz) of white liquid glue
• ½ to ¾ cup of liquid starch (depending on how thick you want Gak)
• 4-6 drops food coloring

Directions:

• Place the glue in a glass bowl and add the liquid starch.
• Stir the mixture together.  It will initially come together similar to melted cheese.
• Keep stirring to mix both items together completely.
• Once you have your desired texture add the food coloring and mix throughout.

As I mentioned earlier, Brooks was not that interested in touching the Gak at first. If your child has the same response, don’t let that deter you.  Show them that something different isn’t scary but fun by engaging them in play with the Gak.  If they are incredibly hesitant don’t worry about them being hands on with it, but just let them watch you play.  Continue to ask them if they want to join in and if they decline after a few minutes then put the project away for a few days before you bring it back out again.