Valentine's day is over, but Picture Perfect still has my heart! I love using this game because it works on building fine motor, visual motor, and visual perceptual skills. It's also a game that supports sustainable play because it can be used a variety of ways and for many skill sets. The repetitive matching nature of this game makes it a great organizing activity too. Organizing activities help kids calm down when they are very excited, anxious, or nervous. I often use t

Happy Love Day! My pick for a Valentine's Day toy is this very cute and very practical heart Tangram puzzle. I first saw this set at ABC Carpet & Home and found it online at the American Museum of Natural History shop. These puzzles are made by an Austin Texas company called Bright Beam Goods. They make high quality toys and goods, and I love that this is woman-owned company making creative and unique gifts! These tangrams are a great example of sustainable play because th

Worry stones are naturally smooth stones that you can keep in the palm of your hand and rub with your thumb to alleviate stress or get out some excess energy. While there are some beautiful natural options of gemstone worry stones, you can easily make your own with a few simple ingredients! Materials: - 1 cup Cornstarch - 1/2 cup Elmers Glue - Food coloring (optional) Directions: 1. Mix ingredients together until dough is smooth. 2. Portion dough out into golf ball siz

Learn more about the Sensory Explorer Show's Sense-O-Meter with the new Sense-O-Meter Introduction guide. Click here to find out more!

Jack Straws (similar here) is a fun classic game that that's great for working on fine motor coordination, visual motor coordination, and visual perceptual skills. It's like pick up sticks but with fun tools instead of sticks. The tool shapes are also easier to manipulate than pick up sticks. Figure ground perceptual skills, being able to focus on one specific pice of a busy visual picture, is especially important to this game. You can help children develop their visual sk