Now that we are well into spring, it's only natural for us to want to start spending more time outside. Children are naturally curious, and it won't be long before they catch sight of all the beautiful flowers popping up, so why not make some sensory fun out of it and incorporate flowers into a few of our activities? 

1. Painting with flowers

This activity starts off with collecting petals of all different colours, an exciting way for children to explore nature whilst learning about colours! Next, seperate the petals into different colour piles before soaking them in a little bit of water, adding a drop of lemon juice can help the colour soak into the water, and before long you have DIY watercolours made from petals!

2. Flower Sensory Bin

Sensory bins can almost always be incorporated into sensory activities with how versatile they can be with themes. If you're looking to introduce your child to some more nature oriented play, a sensory bin is an easy way to do so. Fill your sensory bin with an assortment of petals, leaves, twigs, pebbles, etc. This is the perfect opportunity for children to explore and experience nature in the comfort of their own home. If you don't already have a sensory bin and you're not entirely sure where to start, check out our dedicated sensory bin blog post here! 

3. Petal Water Play

A little similar to sensory bins but with different textures! Water play is always a fun and creative sensory play activity for children to engage in and allows for some different textures compared to regular sensory bins. Adding petals into water play can introduce brand new textures that can be easily combined with other objects, such as glitter, sequins, water beads, etc. 

4. Flower Scavenger Hunt

Taking the sensory play outside to enjoy the warm weather? Try a different type of scavenger hunt by tasking the kids with finding different types of flowers! Not only does this allow kids to learn about different types of flowers, but it also means that they can enjoy nature whilst engaging in sensory play!

5. Petal Pictures

Another fun activity that can utilise flowers and petals found throughout a scavenger hunt! Try using petals as a drawing material to create pictures! You could create borders around a drawing with them, or use them to add texture to a drawing, the possibilities are endless.

There are so many ways to use flowers and petals in sensory play and allow your kids to experience nature simultaneously. Incorporating these elements of nature into playtime helps broaden children's curiosity and imagination, as well as ensuring that sensory play always has new and exciting ideas!