Play is the work of the child.

–Maria Montessori

After teaching in a classroom for several years, teaching our girls at home is a real gift for our family. I love being able to personalize our days to how each of our children learn best.

Our older daughter loves to write and illustrate her own stories. Her free time is either spent with her nose in a book, drafting in her favorite notebook, or creating a craft at her desk.

Our younger daughter much prefers hands-on play. She’s the touchy-feely kid who loves pom poms, playdough, building with blocks, and using water beads. Her Kindergarten experience has been quite different from her sister’s, in part because I’ve lightened up a lot and also because both girls have a learning style all their own.

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I’m a big believer in knowing our personality styles and using them to parent according to our strengths. Personalizing our parenting in relation to our children’s profile improves communication and strengthens our family dynamics.

Our younger daughter is an ISFP, and this quote from Nurture By Nature describes her (and our Kindergarten philosophy) to a T:

“And for learning to have any real impact or attraction for ISFPs, it must also be fun. Given that many ISFPs have trouble sitting still for long periods of time and have to work hard to develop a real work ethic, they need to be completely engaged or they may find it impossible to resist their playful impulses.” (page 260)

Here are some of our favorite activities for rainbow tactile play! (Bonus: they are great for teaching colors,too.)

Learning Colors with Tactile Play

"Hands-On Rainbow Learning Activities For Kids"
  • Water Beads

We ordered these water beads earlier this week, and I was ecstatic to see how many came in the package. This picture shows what two TEASPOONS of dry water beads looks like after following the directions!

Try these tactile activities for your hands-on learners!

  • Gradient Blocks

I saw a tutorial on Pinterest last week that uses a set of Jenga blocks and paint. Our set had 54 blocks, so I painted each group of nine blocks in the six colors of the rainbow. I am so excited about how they came out!

 

Try these tactile activities for your hands-on learners!

Click here to see the original tutorial.

  • Rainbow Noodles

These rainbow noodles were a happy accident last week, and after a lot of interest on Instagram, I ended up making a quick tutorial for our dyeing process:

If you try any of these rainbow tactile play activities, I would love to hear how your family enjoys the experience!


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Rainbow Noodles, Water Beads, and Gradient Blocks for Tactile Play | tactile sensory activities, hands-on learning, fine motor skills, learning through play, water beads

Rainbow Noodles Sensory Play