This is a fun activity we did that helps introduce your child to new textures, stimulates multiple senses at once, and that involves virtually no coordination. Charlie is sitting in a Rifton chair for this activity, but you could easily do this in a different chair or even while lying down--just guide your child's hand if they need more help.
It's called Sensory Seahorses.
I took several Seahorse cut outs and applied various textures. I used tin foil, pom poms, foam, sand, and felt. I used both sides of adhesive-backed foam so I got two textures out of it--one spongy and the other sticky. This is a lot of work, but I made my Hubby cut out the seahorse shapes to give myself a break.
I made sheets with the Seahorses and presented them to Charlie. I was reinforcing his knowledge of seahorses (their appearance), and also discussing textures. As he touched the various seahorses I would say, "that one's sticky" or "that one's shiny."
I did notice that some textures were "too much" for his left hand. His right hand is much more forgiving of intense textures. I don't know the reason for this, but you might want to experiment with your own child--one hand might handle new sensation better than the other.
These are not magazine-quality photos. This is real-life, my-child-is-disabled-and-might-need-to-lean-in-and-lick-it-to-get-a-feel-for-it photos. I make no apologies. We encourage curiosity at my house.
