Exploring the sense of touch is a great kindergarten readiness activity for babies to older children. This morning we saw pussy willows and were able to bring a few home to touch and feel. They were so very soft and not just for fingers; I rubbed them on L.’s cheeks, too. To extend the activity we went on a treasure hunt around the house to find more soft things. We talked about how things felt and used other words like fluffy, scratchy, cozy, hard,etc. L. put some soft things on a pillow. (A few toys even got picked up off the floor and put away because they didn’t ‘belong’.)
Making a group of things that are soft involves lots of thinking. Kids have to hold the concept of soft in mind and then objects have to be judged and compared to see if they belong or not. Making groups and categories also makes brain connections.
Touch sensations help children develop awareness of their body. The sense of touch is also important for language and safety and how things feel can also impact emotions. Lovely as the pussy willow feels, a hug feels even better. What does your child like to touch and feel?