Make Your Own Texture Boards
Toddlers and preschoolers learn a lot through sensory exploration. Texture boards are a great way of encouraging this type of learning. Melissa, a school psychologist and Chasing Cheerios blogger, shares some great ideas for making your own textured learning aids.
Supplies You'll Need:
- Two pieces of balsa wood (or another lightwight wood)
- Adhesive
- Textured objects
Ideas for textured objects may include: hot glue gun swirls, popcorn kernels, tiny seed beads, sand paper, buttons, velcro, paper clips, bubble wrap, chenille stems, beans, craft sticks, netting, embossed papers, fleece, toothpicks, aluminum foil, lace, noodles, pennies, and anything else you can think of! The idea is to be imaginative and provide many different mediums to explore!
After you have chosen nine different textures, cut each piece of wood into nine separate rectangles (eighteen total) and sand the edges smooth. Use an appropriate adhesive such as hot glue, wood glue, etc. to attach the objects to the board, making two of each board so that your students can play a texture matching game. From time to time, introduce new boards to the game. By keeping them fresh, your students will be sure to love these fun learning aids!