A Preschool Guide to Teaching the 5 Senses
Why teach the 5 senses?
Students thrive in environments where they use their senses to learn! Elements of sensory learning and this theme also cover multiple content areas. Practice colors, use tacticle and kinesthetic learning tools, and add music. See what I mean? We as preschool teachers naturally include sensory learning. This unit gives them the vocabulary to apply to how they learn.
This post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure page for full details.
Use Circle Time to Introduce Each of the Senses
Use Song Cards
I love songs! I have made song cards for most if not all the units that I teach. You can find the set of everything I’ve made posted here. I created a song for each of the five senses so students can have a fun and catchy way to hear and internalize what we’re learning.
I used the song cards to introduce a new sense daily. I also sang them while we were working on our craft or eating snack for the day! I make them so the front has pictures for the kids to look at while the back has lyrics for me to read.
Open/Explore a "Mystery" Item Daily:
Use a class puppet that’s hiding the object in it’s “home” to introduce a sense. I have a sloth puppet that sleeps in a bed of “leaves” high on a shelf. The kids give him full attention so it’s great to use him to introduce concepts and vocabulary. If you don’t have a puppet friend, just put an item into a box or bag! Each day let the students touch, smell, or hear it and try to guess the item.
Add a New Poster Each Day:
I teach in both English and Chinese, so I love to use as many visuals as I can. I also like to incorporate cute art with real photography. My 5 senses posters are available here as part of my 5 senses unit.
Sight Activities
Play "I Spy":
“I Spy with my little eye…something _________. The something can be a certain color or shape, whatever you’re working on. “I spy something red!” “I spy something square.” I love this for my class because we can add second language vocabulary too. “I spy something 红色!”
Explore Colors:
This can be done with art, paint, light table supplies, color paddles, etc. Read books about colors and use fun patterns, colors and visuals when creating art. Honestly, any art project will work for sight because most art is based on a visual appeal.
We decided to take the opportunity to combine art and pattern/shape by doing bubble art. This way we could talk about colors, mixing colors, and the circular patterns we created.
Do a Scavenger Hunt:
Hide Photos around the room and have students walk around searching for the matching picture from their page. (This picture is from my Valentine Pack, but I made a Colorful Sight Scavenger Hunt for the 5 senses unit).
Sound Activities
Explore and Use Instruments:
You may have an instrument such as a drum, guitar or ukulele already in your classroom or you could easily bring from home. I love the egg shakers I bought from Amazon, however you could also make some using plastic Easter eggs and rice! I also linked the scarves I love from amazon even though they do not have to do with sound. They are a great visual (sight!) and are fun when listening to various styles of music and rhythm.
We made a stringed instrument that made fun sounds simply by stretching rubber bands around paper bowls (the bowls need to be pretty sturdy!)
Add Sound Effects in Centers:
This was a simple activity and the only supplies besides things you can find all around your house and preschool is these cups.
To make this I simple chose items such as beans, rice, bingo chips, pom poms and coins and put one set in a clear cup, and one set in a cup that I covered with paper. Students choose a “mystery” sound and then tried to match it to the visible sound. Tip: I taped all the lids on so students would not be temped to open them.
Do Listening Practice Games:
I made a simple “listen and color” page that practices using ears and listening skills, but you could really use any coloring page or create your own and ask students to listen carefully to directions. For example, “Color the sun orange. Color the house blue.”
Taste Activities
Perform a Taste Test:
Taste Safe Crafts:
I got a box of generic cereal loops from the Dollar Tree and we used pipe cleaners to string them into bracelets.
Taste Safe Writing Tray:
This is easiest if you’re working with a small group or homeschooling your preschooler, but you can make taste-safe writing trays to practice writing letters, numbers, learn to write your name, etc.
Easily use: crushed ritz crackers, salt, sugar, powdered sugar, sprinkles, etc.
It’s also REALLY cool if you pair it with an edible writing utensil: ranch with carrots or celery, peanut butter with an apple, chips with salsa… it brings learning and playing with your food all to one place!
Smell Activities
Sorting Smells:
A simple cut and paste smell sorting activity is a great conversation starter. It also works great for my students learning a second language because I can emphasize “good” and “bad” smells or “stinky” vs. “fragrant.” It is included in my 5 senses pack.
Matching Smells:
Add Smells to Centers:
Adding Mr. Sketch markers to your writing center or smelly dotters to the paint easels are easy ways to add a sense of smell to your sensory week!
You could also add a smell such as lavender to a sensory bin of rice or a new batch of play dough!
Make Smelly Art:
This “Smell the Flowers” page is part of my unit on TPT. You can use smelly markers, smelly dotters, or add scented cotton balls.
Touch Activities
Use Touchy Feeling Books:
Incorporate Texture in Centers:
Create a Texture Collage:
Final Thoughts:
Here is the link to all the materials I made to go with my five senses week.
Students will love to be involved in the science and exploration of this unit. Be sure to use and emphasize vocabulary and observation while also enjoying the fun and curiosity!
