Children (and adults) learn best and retain the most information when they engage their senses.

By giving children the opportunity to investigate materials with no preconceived knowledge, they develop and refine their cognitive, social and emotional, physical, creative and linguistic skillsets.

For this activity, we searched for hearts and letter Hs in bins of red tinsel.

Once these items were located, your little ones were directed to place their Hs onto Hs that were drawn on the sidewalk, and their hearts into heart-shaped bowls.

The primary cognitive skills sharpened by this sensory play were problem solving and decision making; students were presented with a problem and various materials with which to find a solution.

This activity also allowed your budding writers to be in complete control of their actions and experiences, which boosted their confidence in decision making and inspired their eagerness to learn and experiment.

This kind of sensory play also teaches kids about cooperation and collaboration.

As the children work together or side by side, they learn to understand someone else’s viewpoint.