Christmas Mark Making Glitter Tray

How are your children getting on with all the festivities? Some children seem to take it under their wing, others get agitated and overwhelmed. Regardless of how your children are coping with the endless changes, constant excitement and bustle around them this is a lovely calming Sensory activity.

Simple to put together and extremely inviting and pleasing on the eye - it doesn't take long to become fully absorbed in this invitation to play.

You will need:

Trays (will be available to purchase in our shop very soon)

Glitter

Cards (as prompts)

Mark Making tools - straw/paintbrush/pen with a cap etc

Pour your glitter into the tray. You only need a shallow covering. Although glitter is extremely tempting - adding more than you will need wont make the mark making very effective. If you find this happening, you may need to remove some from the tray.

I also popped some Christmas coloured glittered beads in the tray. I thought it would add another texture. It would stand out from the glitter and I also wondered if the children would pick them up and use them to decorate their words/marks/pictures.

I popped a stash of cards in the end tray. This was a free choice activity so although the cards were placed there - the children didn't HAVE to use these. It was a feature they could use if they wanted to. Sometimes they did, sometimes they didn't. At this age allowing opportunities to explore freely and lead their own play - is key to successful learning.

When drawing, making shapes or simply taking their finger for a walk - key learning is taking place. They are experimenting with cause and effect. They are developing fine motor skills and control. They are building on their abilities. When given rich opportunities like this - learning unfolds naturally.