Lesson Plan
Shake Your Senses!
Students will explore different sensory materials and create their own sensory jars, engaging their senses of sight, sound, and touch. They will also practice fine motor skills and following multi-step directions.
This lesson helps young children develop sensory awareness, fine motor skills, and creative expression. Sensory play is crucial for cognitive development and provides a calming, self-regulation tool.
Audience
Pre-K
Time
30 minutes
Approach
Hands-on creation of sensory jars with guided exploration and discussion.
Materials
Various small, safe items for sensory jars (e.g., glitter, beads, small toys, pom-poms, rice, dried beans, water, oil, food coloring), Clear plastic bottles or jars with secure lids, Funnel (optional), Glue (for sealing lids), Shake Your Senses Slide Deck, Sensory Jar Script, and Sensory Exploration Worksheet
Prep
Gather Materials & Review Resources
15 minutes
- Gather a variety of small, safe items for the sensory jars. Consider items for different senses: visually stimulating (glitter, colorful beads), auditory (rice, dried beans), and tactile (pom-poms, soft fabric scraps).
- Ensure you have enough clear plastic bottles or jars for each student, with secure lids.
- Have funnels ready to assist with pouring smaller items (optional, but helpful for Pre-K).
- Prepare glue for sealing the lids at the end.
- Review the Shake Your Senses Slide Deck and the Sensory Jar Script to familiarize yourself with the lesson flow.
- Print copies of the Sensory Exploration Worksheet for each student.
Step 1
Introduction (5 minutes)
5 minutes
- Use the Shake Your Senses Slide Deck to introduce the idea of senses and sensory jars.
- Read through the introduction section of the Sensory Jar Script to engage students and explain the activity.
Step 2
Explore Sensory Materials (10 minutes)
10 minutes
- Lay out all the various sensory materials on a table.
- Encourage students to gently touch, look at, and listen to the different items.
- Ask questions like: 'What does this feel like?' 'What color is this?' 'Can you hear anything when you shake these beans?'
- Guide students to fill out the first part of their Sensory Exploration Worksheet, drawing or describing what they see and feel.
Step 3
Create Your Sensory Jar (10 minutes)
10 minutes
- Explain the steps for creating the sensory jar, using the Sensory Jar Script.
- Guide students to carefully choose 2-3 items for their jar.
- Assist students in putting their chosen items into their clear bottles/jars. Provide funnels as needed.
- For liquid-based jars (water, oil, glitter), assist with adding liquids and food coloring.
- Once filled, securely glue the lids shut to prevent spills.
Step 4
Shake, Observe & Reflect (5 minutes)
5 minutes
- Have students gently shake their newly created sensory jars.
- Encourage them to observe what happens: 'What do you see moving?' 'What sounds does it make?'
- Guide students to complete the second part of their Sensory Exploration Worksheet, drawing or describing their finished jar.
- Lead a brief class discussion about their creations and what senses they used, using prompts from the Sensory Jar Script.
Step 5
Clean Up
Ongoing
- Supervise students as they help clean up the sensory materials and their workspace.
use Lenny to create lessons.
No credit card needed
Slide Deck
Shake Your Senses!
Let's discover our amazing senses and create something wonderful!
Welcome students and get them excited for a fun, hands-on activity. Ask them what they think 'senses' are.
What Are Our Senses?
We use our senses to explore the world!
- Sight: What do we see?
- Sound: What do we hear?
- Touch: What do we feel?
Introduce the concept of senses. Focus on sight, sound, and touch as they relate to the activity. Ask students to name things they see, hear, or feel around them.
Explore Our Materials!
We have so many cool things to choose from!
- Glitter
- Beads
- Rice
- Pom-poms
- And more!
Show various examples of materials students might use in their jars. Encourage them to guess what each material might feel like, sound like, or look like when shaken.
Time to Create!
Let's make our very own sensory jars!
- Choose: Pick 2-3 favorite items.
- Fill: Carefully put them in your jar.
- Shake: Watch and listen to your creation!
Explain the step-by-step process of making the sensory jars. Emphasize choosing a few favorite items and being gentle. Remind them to think about what senses their chosen items will engage.
My Amazing Sensory Jar!
You made it! What do you see, hear, and feel?
Conclude by celebrating their creations and reinforcing the idea of using their senses. Ask them to share what they like about their jars.
Script
Sensory Jar Script
Introduction (5 minutes)
"Good morning, everyone! Today, we are going on a super exciting adventure to explore our senses! Can anyone tell me what a 'sense' is?"
(Allow for student responses. Guide them to thinking about what they see, hear, smell, taste, and touch. Focus on sight, sound, and touch for this activity.)
"That's right! We use our eyes to see, our ears to hear, and our hands to touch and feel things. Today, we're going to make something really special called a sensory jar that will help us explore these senses even more! It's going to be so much fun to shake, look, and listen to our very own creations!"
(Transition to the Shake Your Senses Slide Deck and go through the first couple of slides to reinforce the idea of senses.)
Explore Sensory Materials (10 minutes)
"Look at all these amazing things on our table! We have so many colorful, shiny, and interesting items here. Before we put anything in our jars, let's explore them with our senses."
(Point to different materials and encourage students to interact with them safely.)
"What about this soft pom-pom? Can you gently touch it? What does it feel like? Is it rough or smooth?"
"Now, listen to these dried beans! What sound do they make when I shake them?" (Shake a container of beans.) "Can you make that sound too?"
"Look at this glitter! What colors do you see? Imagine how sparkly it will be in our jar!"
"Take a few minutes to explore these materials. Remember to use your gentle hands and just explore with your eyes, ears, and hands. As you explore, try to fill out the first part of your Sensory Exploration Worksheet. Draw or tell us what you see and feel!"
Create Your Sensory Jar (10 minutes)
"Okay, adventurers! Now it's time to build our own sensory jars! We've explored all these wonderful things, and now you get to choose what goes into your very own special jar. Remember, we want to pick just 2 or 3 of your favorite items so your jar isn't too crowded."
(Demonstrate with an empty jar.)
"First, carefully choose your items. Which ones did you love to see, hear, or feel?"
(As students choose, hand them a clear bottle/jar and help them add their items. Use funnels if needed, and encourage careful pouring.)
"Great choices! Now, gently put your chosen items into your bottle. We want to be careful not to make a big mess!"
(For liquid jars, assist with adding water, oil, and food coloring.)
"Wow! Look at your jars filling up! When you're done, I will help you put the lid on very, very tightly with some special glue so nothing spills out."
Shake, Observe & Reflect (5 minutes)
"Alright, everyone! Hold up your amazing new sensory jars! Are you ready to activate your senses?"
(Encourage students to gently shake their jars.)
"What do you see happening inside your jar when you shake it? Are the glitter and beads dancing?"
"What do you hear when you shake your jar? Does it make a soft sound or a loud sound?"
"How does it feel when you hold your jar? Is it heavy or light? Smooth or bumpy?"
"Fantastic job, everyone! Take a moment to complete the second part of your Sensory Exploration Worksheet, drawing what your finished jar looks like inside and out!"
"You have created a wonderful tool that can help you calm down or just have fun exploring your senses! You can shake it, watch it, and listen to it whenever you need a sensory break."
Worksheet
Sensory Exploration Worksheet
Name: ____________________
Part 1: Exploring Materials!
Draw or describe some of the things you saw, touched, or heard before you made your jar!
What did you SEE?
What did you FEEL?
What did you HEAR? (If any materials made sounds!)
## Part 2: My Amazing Sensory Jar!
Draw your finished sensory jar! What does it look like inside and out?
What do you SEE when you shake your jar?
What do you HEAR when you shake your jar?