Tracing and Writing in Salt Learning Activity
Tracing and Writing in Salt has consistently been a favorite sensory learning activity in our homeschooling.
In the preschool years, it has been a fantastic sensory experience for my little learners.
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Of course, they enjoy freely scribbling or drawing in the salt.
This can be very calming for little ones while also serving as excellent prewriting practice for them.
In addition to freely exploring, they’ve also liked practicing their letters and numbers this way.
If you have a child with special needs, a sensory learning experience like this can address specific goals in a way a pencil and paper activity may not be able to do.
As your little learners grows…
…you can begin to extend this activity to include CVC words and sight word practice.
We have used many of the flashcards from this Sensory Flashcard Set to place in salt (or sugar) and use for tracing!
If you feel your child would benefit from having small flashcards to guide them, these have been a lot of fun. Super colorful and engaging!
- Lay the flashcards on a tray.
- Sprinkle a small amount of salt of sugar atop the flashcard(s).
- Provide your child with a tracing tool of some kind, and let them get to work!
Tracing/Writing Tool Ideas:
- paintbrush (Allow their little hands to explore with different sizes.)
- a clothespin clipped on a craft pom (Consider the best sizes for your student.)
- toothpick
- cotton swab
- the eraser end of a pencil
- their index finger
However, sensory learning experiences aren’t just for preschoolers.
My older kids have also enjoyed writing in salt!
Sure, those first and second-graders…
…but think even beyond that!
Yes, third graders and even fifth graders will enjoy a change of pace from writing in their notebooks and workbooks.
Older students can practice:
- cursive writing skills
- spelling words
- vocabulary terms
- Latin roots
Or maybe you’re thinking of another idea specific to your child!
As you can see in the snapshots from our house, a tray of some kind is super helpful for keeping this activity contained.
The wooden trays pictured here are from Melissa & Doug toys that have been gifted to us over the years. We’ve found so many neat uses for their wooden packaging.
Then the larger plastic trays are from IKEA. I spotted them for a couple dollars each and grabbed several to keep on hand for our learning activities at home.
More Fine Motor Activities Your Kids Might Enjoy:
- Fine Motor Activity: Cutting Straws
- Fine Motor Skills: Activities for Little Hands
- Fine Motor Activity: Stacking Froot Loops
- Letter Stamping with Playdoh
- Paint Bags: Letters, Sight Words, Spelling Words, & More!
- Tracing Letters with Water
- Painting and Writing with Water
Does your child want to learn to play chess?