Boy did we get some serious ‘traction’ out of this Texture Walk! We started building our walk {or crawl} right after Christmas when I needed something to entertain the boys while cleaning up, un-decorating and deciding where to get next with Toddler School. If you’re looking for a fantastic Transition Lesson for between your Toddler School Units, THIS is it!
I began with only the Dollar Tree doormat and bubble wrap. Both I already had. The doormat I picked up earlier to use as a felt backdrop and the bubble wrap I had laying around after Christmas {upcycle bonus!} I used my trusting masking tape to secure them down to the floor.
The boys were fascinated for hours, upon hours. Cash eventually brought his new dinosaurs out for a stomping contest on the bubble wrap. He wants to determine which dinosaur could pop the most with their feet. The T-rex won… he had the biggest feet!
Days of entertainment passed and eventually, the bubble wrap depleted. I eventually added in tin foil for the slippery, reflection surface. Wyatt really likes mirrors and I thought this would be a fun addition. He did like pressing it into the hardwood floor which produced an unexpected bonus texture of the wood grain!
Next {to replace the bubble wrap for awhile} I added in two pieces of scrapbooking paper I had in my inventory. One is a page of glitter clouds where the glitter is raised off the page for a fun scratchy feel. The other is a piece of burlap paper… because I don’t know anyone these days {especially my wedding planning friends} who doesn’t have a piece of teal burlap just lying around!
We spend a few fun days with this runway to the window. Cash and I began playing hopscotch on it and working on our gross motor balancing skills including a one-legged hop, in and out jumping from square to square, like a jumping jack, and just two foot jumping.
We have enjoyed lots of stomping, crawling, running and entertainment for a week straight. We are now 20 days in to our Texture Walk and the boys are still really into it!
My next step was to turn the corner and expand. I really liked where Cash was going with the gross motor play and I saw an opportunity to give him more exercise indoors during these cold winter days.
Every athlete mom I know who played a gym sport at any time in her life is familiar with LADDER conditioning. Right? So I built one. I use it too, right along with Cash before bedtime and it wares us both out. I needed another Mommy Muscles opportunity too! I show him how to do fast feet, hop on one leg and active plank exercises.
Download your FREE Mommy Muscle Ladder & Plank Workout HERE. Wyatt is also very interested in how things feel on his face…. and of course, he needs to try things in his mouth to get the full effect of the situation…good luck buddy! Momma taped it down!
We took a right angle at the tin foil, which gave us a great turn to make in our ladder workout. I readjusted in some places by reducing the bubble wrap {but also bringing it back for fun!} and adding in a piece of felt {Dollar Tree pack} a piece of foam paper {Dollar Tree pack} and a square of that no-slip grip mat you put down in your cupboards {also Dollar Tree!}
We now had 8 textures {for LESS than $3 total} to jump, play, poke, scratch and crawl over. Wyatt was even more motivated to learn walking skills as he watched Cash and I jump around all morning. Cash likes to run across the bubble wrap still and count how many pops he hears as he runs.
The benefits of this fun and easy Texture walk are endless. What I thought was going to be just a simple Sensory {keep them busy} activity turned into our own little workout station. I was able to assess where the boys are, physically. Cash has seriously increased his vertical jump by a whole inch in just 20 days!
His balance and overall physical skill for movement has improved. Before he was not coordinated enough to do a jumping jack, now they’re effortless. Wyatt can also not only walk with more balance, but he can stand up in the middle of the floor on his own and stomp on bubble wrap without falling. This activity will likely exist in our home for a long time!
I highly recommend building your own! It goes far beyond sensory play!
Welcome to Mom School! This post is one of many Homeschool Preschool Lessons with #MySweetandSticky {Cash & Wyatt} As a former educator, I wanted to give them their best start before heading into public schools. (Which we LOVE!) On occasion, and throughout the summer, we continue our At-Home Learning. Cash is my Science Guy and Wyatt can’t get enough Sensory Play. Join us for every Sweet & Sticky moment.
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2 thoughts on “Sensory Play & Gross Motor Fun | Texture Walk”
[…] Walk: This topic was inspired by The Cotton Kandi Life. This topic seemed perfect for us since I had a lot of the items around the house already. I used […]
[…] Texture Walk for Gross Sensory Play (via A Cotton Kandi Life)It’s easy to set up a simple sensory walk at home with this idea for texture walk […]
Boy did we get some serious ‘traction’ out of this Texture Walk! We started building our walk {or crawl} right after Christmas when I needed something to entertain the boys while cleaning up, un-decorating and deciding where to get next with Toddler School. If you’re looking for a fantastic Transition Lesson for between your Toddler School Units, THIS is it!
[…] Walk: This topic was inspired by The Cotton Kandi Life. This topic seemed perfect for us since I had a lot of the items around the house already. I used […]
[…] Texture Walk for Gross Sensory Play (via A Cotton Kandi Life)It’s easy to set up a simple sensory walk at home with this idea for texture walk […]