There’s no doubt that slime creation and play has become a popular activity amongst kids! But did you know that playing with slime actually has sensory benefits? It allows children to get in touch with almost all their senses- Focusing on how it sounds, feels, looks and smells.
Why is sensory play important?
It promotes learning through problem solving, exploration, creativity and curiosity! It helps build nerve connections in the brain encouraging the development of language and motor skills. It encourages the development of hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. It also can help children feel more grounded and manage their anxiety.
So what are the benefits of playing with slime?
It is a calming process
The greatest benefit is that it is calming. Feeling the gooey, icky substance in your hands has been shown to lower stress levels and put you in a better mood.
It can assist with coordination and fine motor skills
Slime creation and play requires children to exercise their hand-eye coordination. It is a great way to practice dexterity, strength and fine motor control. The best slime recipes for this are glitter slime, crunchy and fluffy slime (recipe below).
Encourages children to focus
We all know that children can find it hard to focus for long periods of time. Creating slime forces children to focus on the task in front of them because it requires following measurements and attention to detail.
Fluffy Slime Recipe
- Have ¼ cup of glue ready in the bowls.
- Mix in ¼ teaspoon of bicarb.
- Kids then choose the colour of the paint and mix in.
- Add the shaving foam.
- Then go around and squirt in the contact lens solution. You might need to do this up to 3 times, just keep going around the table.
- Then ask the children to put their hand up if their slime is no longer sticking to the edge of the bowl.
- Follow the above demonstration steps and individually put slime in each of the children’s hands.
- Now it should not stick & they can stretch it and play with it.
If you are interested in hosting a fun-filled slime party for your child, get in touch with us through this link – www.boptillyoudrop.com.au/home/specialty-parties/slime-parties/