The SEN Resources Blog

I love sand play, but hate that it ends up everywhere! I also hate that it can irritate little one’s eczema and sensitive skin.

That’s why we decided to try Porridge Oats. Not only are Oats nice on skin, if you do it outside the mess becomes a lovely treat for garden birds! (No food wasted here 😊)

It also means if you have a baby or child who likes to put things in their mouths…it doesn’t really matter!

Playing with Porridge oats is a lovely sensory and therapeutic activity. Great for introducing calm to energetic kids.

What do you need? 

• Container/tuff tray- we used a large, plastic container with a lid- so we could close the lid and use later in the day.

We also used our tuff tray as well to do it on a larger scale and mix a few different things together!

• Porridge Oats/ cornflakes/rice 
• Toy vehicles- any model/shape/size! For driving, scooping, building, digging, burying!

Then pour the oats into the container, give your child some vehicles and watch their imagination take over! 

We’ve been building walls, digging tractors out of holes, burying treasure and lots and lots of digging!!

What skills do they learn? 

As well as it being a lovely calming, sensory activity. Children develop their

-Creative skills

– Gross Motor, fine motor skills and hand eye coordination playing this.

By playing with another child they also develop communication skills and social skills (including turn taking)


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