Preview draft. Activities have not been tested with caregivers.
Sensory · The activity desk
Ocean animal cloth discovery
Explore soft cloth waves and find a large toy sea animal hiding underneath.
Let's play →
A little plan for play
Open interactive activity →Add to play journal →What you need
A shallow open bin, two large clean cloths, and one large washable age-appropriate toy sea animal
Age: 3–5 years; choose for the individual child.
Stay with the child throughout. Check the space and supplies, including anything within reach of younger siblings. Skip any activity that is unsuitable. Stop if a child puts non-food material in their mouth or becomes distressed. Use intact books, full sheets of paper, a large child-appropriate crayon and a clean, dry towel. Follow product labels; remove torn paper and keep broken crayons and caps away from children. Adult handles and stores supplies.
Set up: An adult checks the toy has no small detachable parts and loosely folds the cloths inside the bin, leaving part of the animal visible.
Adult's role: Stay beside the child, keep cloth away from faces, and let them decide whether to touch the materials.
Let's make it happen
- Touch or watch the cloth move as someone makes a gentle wave.
- Look for the toy animal and lift a fold to reveal it.
- Move the animal over and under the waves and imagine where it travels.
Make it simpler: Leave the animal on top of the cloth and move a cloth wave together.
Clean up: Put the toy away and fold the cloths for washing or storage.
Use intact, large materials with adult supervision. Keep cloth away from faces and mouths and stop if a child mouths the toy or cloth.