Sensory activities that encourage children to combine the sense of touch, sight, sound, taste and smell, help to build children’s cognitive skills.
They have long been utilized in early childhood education as a vital activity for learning.
The activity below is a fun way to teach young children about being a responsible dog owner and why dogs love to be dirty!
You will need:
- Two medium sized containers (plastic is best)
- Dirt
- Soap
- Sponges, brushes, towels, etc.
- Dog figurines
Directions:
- Fill one tub with soapy water. Place brushes or sponges in the bath.
- Fill the second tub with dirt and water.
- Place the dog figurines into the dirty water bucket.
- Encourage your child to help the dogs “play” in the mud. This is a great article about why dogs love mud and dirt. You could read this article prior to the activity. If you have a dog or know someone who does, discuss with your child if your dog is one who enjoys getting dirty. Muddy Dogs
- Next, encourage your child to find the dirty dogs in the mud and give them a bath in the clean tub.
- The dogs can be muddied and cleaned as many times as your child desires.
- As a follow up activity, your child can learn about all the ways you take care of a dog, including bathing, with these fun coloring pages: Be a Responsible Dog Owner
References
Leigh, P. (2015, November 17). One Happy Mud Puppy. Retrieved from https://www.akc.org/dog-owners/canine-partners/spotlight/one-happy-mud-puppy/
Cullingford, A. (n.d.) Untitled [photo]. Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/en/puppy-bath-foam-dog-shampoo-1022421/.