Dinosaur Sensory Bag: Easy Name Recognition Activity

I want to share this super cool activity I created that’s been a hit at home—making a Dinosaur Sensory Bag. It’s perfect for little dino enthusiasts and does wonders for their fine motor skills. Plus, it’s a neat way to sneak in some writing practice and name recognition, all wrapped up in a fun, mess-free package.

So, we’ve been on the lookout for activities that not only keep the kiddos engaged but also support their learning, and this sensory bag checks all the boxes. It’s filled with little challenges that encourage them to manipulate small objects and trace letters, which is great for their hand-eye coordination and pre-writing skills. The best part? You can customize it with their names or simple words, making it a personalized learning tool.

Creating one of these bags is a breeze, and the payoff is huge in terms of developmental benefits and entertainment value. Imagine a calm afternoon, your kids quietly concentrating on moving colorful Pom Poms and squishy gel around to fill in a dinosaur and letters of their name. It’s a simple setup but so effective in keeping them absorbed in learning through play. Let’s dive into how you can make one of these engaging sensory bags at home!

Dinosaur Sensory Bag: Name Recognition Activity for Preschoolers

Material List:

• Gallon or large size Ziplock bag
• Permanent marker
• Alcohol (for cleaning the bag surface)
• Hair gel
• Green pom poms
• Lima beans
• Clear nail polish (to coat the beans)
• Dry erase marker

How to Make Dinosaur Sensory Bag:

1. Prepare Your Sensory Bag:

• First, use alcohol to remove the label on the front of the Ziplock bag.
• With a permanent marker, draw a dinosaur outline on the front of the bag. Add as many spines along its back as there are letters in your child’s name, ensuring you leave space at the top of the bag to add lines for writing their name.

2. Add Name Writing Space and Beans:

• Draw lines above the dinosaur for each letter of your child’s name. For younger kids, use dotted lines for each letter so they can trace it with a dry erase marker. This makes it erasable, allowing them to practice writing repeatedly.
• Take lima beans and write a letter of your child’s name on each. Once labeled, coat each bean with clear nail polish to waterproof them when placed in the gel.

3. Fill and Seal the Bag:

• Add green and brown pom poms to fill up the dinosaur shape.
• Place the dried lima bean letters into the bag.
• Pour in enough hair gel to allow the pom poms and beans to move easily within the bag but not too loose that they can’t control the movement.
• Seal the bag with clear packing tape and further secure it to a table or window with masking tape.

Time to Play and Learn

Invite your toddler, preschooler or kindergartner to fill the dinosaur with the pom poms, add spines to the back with the lima bean letters by putting the bean letters in order of their name. Then have them practice writing their name with a dry erase marker in the space above the dinosaur.

Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers

There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!

But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.

Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.

Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again! 

These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!

Click here for more information: Play2Learn

Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids

Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon. 

Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.

Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.

Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids

Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more. 

Find out more and grab your copy here.

Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.

Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids

Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.

• 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
• Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
• Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.

Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!

Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.

Dinosaur Sensory Bag

Servings: 0

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Materials

• Gallon or large size Ziplock bag
• Permanent marker
• Alcohol (for cleaning the bag surface)
• Hair gel
• Green pom poms
• Lima beans
• Clear nail polish (to coat the beans)
• Dry erase marker

Instructions

 

1. Prepare Your Sensory Bag: First, use alcohol to remove the label on the front of the Ziplock bag.With a permanent marker, draw a dinosaur outline on the front of the bag. Add as many spines along its back as there are letters in your child's name, ensuring you leave space at the top of the bag to add lines for writing their name.
2. Add Name Writing Space and Beans: Draw lines above the dinosaur for each letter of your child's name. For younger kids, use dotted lines for each letter so they can trace it with a dry erase marker. This makes it erasable, allowing them to practice writing repeatedly.Take lima beans and write a letter of your child’s name on each. Once labeled, coat each bean with clear nail polish to waterproof them when placed in the gel.
3. Fill and Seal the Bag: Add green and brown pom poms to fill up the dinosaur shape.Place the dried lima bean letters into the bag.Pour in enough hair gel to allow the pom poms and beans to move easily within the bag but not too loose that they can't control the movement.Seal the bag with clear packing tape and further secure it to a table or window with masking tape.

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