We love doing sensory play activities for all different themes throughout the year so it's no surprise we love valentine's day sensory play ideas too. Celebrate valentine's at home, daycare or school with these fun sensory bins, slime recipes, sensory bottles and playdough activities.
It's relatively easy to make sensory activities valentine's themed by using red and pink sensory bases and adding heart themed loose parts. Have a look through the list below for 19 valentine's sensory activities created by us and other awesome kid bloggers.
VALENTINE'S DAY SENSORY BIN IDEAS
Sensory bins are a great way to introduce children to different textures, colours, sensory bases and loose parts. You can easily make sensory bins Valentine's themed by using pink, red or purple coloured bases and heart shaped items. Make sure sensory bins are only used under adult supervision as small items can pose a choking risk to young children.
For a Valentine's sensory bin without food items try this simple set up from Fantastic Fun and Learning. The sensory tubs have a base of cotton balls then heart gems, stickers and loose parts have been added. This one is great for exploring different textures and sizes.
My daughter loved this simple valentine's themed sensory bin using red sensory rice and a few love themed props. Our sensory bin was inspired by reading Spot Loves His Mum, you can read all about it and get the recipe for sensory rice here.
Another simple valentine's sensory tub idea is to use pink, red and purple sensory rice with some heart cutters like Two Pink Peonies did. Add in some scoops and spades and kids will have loads of fun transferring the rice back and forth.
This valentines sand sensory bin by Craft Play Learn is a great way to explore the colour purple, loose parts and different textures. It uses decorative purple sand as the sensory base.
This water bead valentine's sensory bin has an entirely different texture to the others shown above. Combining pink water beads with heart gems, scoops, tweezers and cups provides lots of fine motor practice. Where Imagination Grows also used this sensory bin for a fun maths game {see the details on her site}.
VALENTINE'S SLIME AND OOBLECK RECIPES
Slime provides children with a sticky, stretchy sensory experience with recipes varying from runny to thicker consistency. Slime is also a great sensory item to make at home and give as valentine's class gifts in small individual containers. Oobleck is a similar sensory experience, which can be made from basic pantry items, however as a non-Newtonian fluid it can also change from a liquid to a solid when it's squeezed together.
This heart confetti slime is so easy to make and so pretty to look at. The glitter and confetti will sparkle as it reflects the light while the kids are playing. Follow the recipe from The Farmgirl Gabs to make your own.
This sparkly bubblegum pink slime is perfect for valentines play. You'll need some iridescent glitter and heart confetti to give it some extra shine. You can find the instructions at Crafts by Amanda.
This pink valentine's slime is soft and stretchy but doesn't stick to your hands. It's made with glue, borax, shaving cream and cornstarch. Follow the directions at A Little Pinch of Perfect and add some red scatter hearts.
Inspiration Laboratories took oobleck to the next level with this frozen valentine's oobleck. The texture and temperature of the oobleck changes as it melts. Find out how to make it here.
VALENTINE'S SENSORY BOTTLES AND BAGS
If you want to do some valentine's sensory play without the mess of slime or sensory bases possibly being thrown, then try a sensory bottle or bag. The sensory items are contained, so they're mess free, but they still provide lots of visual and tactile sensory input. They're also great for younger children who still mouth as they can't get to the items inside {although as always only use them under strict adult supervision}.
This falling hearts sensory bottle is a super simple valentine's sensory bottle idea that will captivate kids. The secret is it uses clear hand soap to make the hearts fall through the bottle nice and slow. Follow the instructions at Rhythms of Play to make your own.
The very first glitter calm down bottle we ever made was this red glitter sensory bottle. We'd never made a liquid based sensory bottle before so we were experimenting and ended up creating a bottle that starts out pink then turns red when shaken, which is perfect for valentine's play.
This heart confetti sensory bottle is perfect for valentine's. You'll need some heart confetti and fine red glitter then follow the instructions Life Over C's.
You can also fill sensory bottles with rice and other items to make discovery bottles. This candy heart discovery bottle from Pocket of Preschool uses conversation hearts and pink sensory rice.
This valentine's sensory heart bag is a safe way for children to explore water beads without touching the actual beads directly. Follow the video instructions at Active Littles to make your own.
This button heart sensory bag is a great valentine's play idea that combines sensory play and fine motor fun, plus it's completely mess free! It can also be made in just a few minutes following the instructions at Happy Toddler Playtime.
VALENTINE'S PLAYDOUGH RECIPES & ACTIVITIES
If you like making homemade playdough try these awesome valentine's themed playdough recipes and play ideas. You can also make your own valentine's playdough stamps by using heart embellishments and following my DIY playdough stamp tutorial.
This valentine's peeps playdough is edible as it's made using peeps marshmallow hearts. Follow the recipe at Messy Little Monster.
This rose petal playdough is the perfect valentine's playdough recipe and a great way to use up flowers you receive for valentine's. Make your roses last for months in this beautifully scented playdough recipe. Find out how to make it at The Craft At Home Family.
Once you've made some valentine's playdough, set up a valentine's playdough invitation to play using these free printable playdough mats from Picklebums. Present the playdough and various loose parts in a dip tray along with the mats.
Another fun valentine's playdough idea is a love bug invitation to play using playdough, loose parts and heart cutters. Find out what Fantastic and Fun Learning used for their set up here.
MORE FUN VALENTINES IDEAS
- Free Printable Valentine's Day Cards & Activities
- Easy Valentine's Heart Crafts for Kids
- Easy Valentine's Cards kids can make
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