Warm Sensory Play
A warm, lovely place to play.
The Set Up
This sensory play is all about warmth. Warm colours, warm tones, warm energy. It’s a beautiful counterbalance to some of the bigger, more active making across the week.
If you’re comfortable using a food base, yellow split peas work beautifully. They pour easily, make a soft sound as they move, and instantly set a warm colour palette.
If food-based sensory play isn’t right for your space, swap in non-consumable alternatives instead. Wooden beads, smooth pebbles, dried seed pods, or loose parts in warm tones all create a very similar experience without using food. I also love adding in some fluffy pom poms and other materials with contrasting textures.
Set the base into a large shallow tub or tray and then build around it with scoops, bowls, cups, funnels, and vessels in yellows, oranges, reds, and soft neutrals. Clear containers are especially lovely because you can see the colour shift and fill as artists pour.
This setup doesn’t need much and few thoughtful choices go a long way!
The Making
There’s room for quiet focus here, and also for gentle imaginative play.
Making “sun soup”, sorting by colour, lining things up, rearranging, starting over (and over again!). Or watching how the colours layer when different materials mix and listening to the sound change as containers fill and empty.
The sun's the limit!
Materials
Yellow split peas, dried chickpeas, or similar sensory base
Large shallow tub or tray
Bowls, cups, scoops, funnels, and jugs
Clear containers (optional but lovely)
Small trays or baskets for sorting
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Warm Sensory Play
A warm, lovely place to play.
Bookmark
Sensory Play
The Set Up
This sensory play is all about warmth. Warm colours, warm tones, warm energy. It’s a beautiful counterbalance to some of the bigger, more active making across the week.
If you’re comfortable using a food base, yellow split peas work beautifully. They pour easily, make a soft sound as they move, and instantly set a warm colour palette.
If food-based sensory play isn’t right for your space, swap in non-consumable alternatives instead. Wooden beads, smooth pebbles, dried seed pods, or loose parts in warm tones all create a very similar experience without using food. I also love adding in some fluffy pom poms and other materials with contrasting textures.
Set the base into a large shallow tub or tray and then build around it with scoops, bowls, cups, funnels, and vessels in yellows, oranges, reds, and soft neutrals. Clear containers are especially lovely because you can see the colour shift and fill as artists pour.
This setup doesn’t need much and few thoughtful choices go a long way!
The Making
There’s room for quiet focus here, and also for gentle imaginative play.
Making “sun soup”, sorting by colour, lining things up, rearranging, starting over (and over again!). Or watching how the colours layer when different materials mix and listening to the sound change as containers fill and empty.
The sun's the limit!
Materials
Yellow split peas, dried chickpeas, or similar sensory base
Large shallow tub or tray
Bowls, cups, scoops, funnels, and jugs
Clear containers (optional but lovely)
Small trays or baskets for sorting
Back to Top
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Thoughts?
Would love to hear if youv'e tried this or have any ideas on how to make it even better!
