Teaching preschoolers about the 5 senses is so much fun! There are so many activities that can be done, but today I will be sharing my favorites from my 5 Senses Weekly Lesson Plan. In the plan, each day has one of the 5 senses to focus on and the first day is touch. I like to start each lesson with a book. To kick off the week, I recommend  “Look, Listen, Taste, Touch, Smell” which is a great non-fiction book aimed at preschoolers.

Texture Sort Sensory Bin

The first activity of the day is the low prep texture sort sensory bin. All you do is print and laminate the texture cards, then you can start filling your sensory bins. The best part about this activity is that you don’t have to go out and buy any new supplies, you can easily use items you already have in your home or classroom.

Some things I have used are pom poms, felt, sandpaper, feathers, slime, small toys, pipe cleaners, etc. When choosing items make sure you think about finding varying textures. Little learners will then use their hands to explore the objects (the “I feel with my hands” is a great visual reminder) and sort them underneath each category.

After they have finished sorting, discuss the different textures they felt and decide together if any objects need to be moved to a different category. Students could also see if they could come up with other objects from the room to include.  

“How Many Can You Touch?” Math Activity 

This fun activity lets students practice their number skills and can be done inside, outside, or both! For the outdoor version, all you need to do is print the outdoor “How Many Can I Touch?” sheet and head outside. Let students freely explore their environment and see how many things from their sheet they can find and touch. For younger students, you may want to write the number for them or have them just use it as a checklist. 

To complete the activity sheet indoors, have your sensory area set up with pom poms, pillows, blankets, buttons, and stuffed animals. Talk about how these things all feel- do they have similar textures or different? 

Kids will count how many of each of the objects they can touch within the classroom or designated sensory area and record on their sheet. If you want to use this activity again throughout the year, an easy way to preserve it is by laminating the record sheets and having students use dry-erase markers to write. 

 All of the printables for these activities can be found in my 5 Senses Weekly Curriculum, along with 5 days' worth of book recommendations, activities, and printables. You can also find all of my 5 Senses book recommendations here on my Amazon Storefront.