By: Brycen Raybon, MOTR/L

When spending time at home and indoors, it’s easy to feel stuck in a rut or tired of toys and games that are laying around the house. By reimagining some household items, you turn these objects into a fun and engaging tactile activity! Tactile activities and tactile input provide a calming and organizing effect on the nervous system. These types of activities also serve to promote fine motor coordination of the fingers, body awareness, and direction following. Tactile activities and messy play can also allow for a low-pressure environment to encourage the child to engage with textures, temperatures, and smells which may be offsetting in other contexts, such as at the dinner table.

Please remember, the ingredients in the recipes below should be shifted to accommodate allergies as needed and should be completed with an adult. Also, if sensory overload is a concern, simplify the task demands on the child by requesting help with only one specific step or by playing with the activity for a shortened amount of time. Below are some recipes for fun DIY tactile activities for home.

Ice Paints
Ingredients:
• Water
• Food coloring
• Ice cube tray
• Popsicle sticks

Instructions:
1. Fill ice cube tray with water.
2. Add 2-3 small drops of food coloring to each cube.
3. Cut popsicle sticks in half and use to mix in food coloring.
4. Leave a popsicle stick in each cube and freeze overnight.
5. Paint on paper, watercolor paper, or in the bathtub!

Moon Sand or Kinetic Sand
Ingredients:
• 8 cups of flour
• 1 cup of vegetable or baby oil
• Extras: essential oils, food coloring

Instructions:
1. Add flour to large mixing bowl.
2. Add any extra ingredients like essential oils, food coloring, lemon juice, vanilla extract, etc.
3. Pour oil in center of flour and mix together, add additional oil if not the desired consistency.
4. Play!
5. Can be stored in an airtight container for one to two weeks.

Puff Paint
Ingredients:
• 1 tablespoon of self-rising flour
• Food coloring
• 1 tablespoon of Salt
• Water
• Ziploc bag
• Scissors

Instructions:
1. Combine salt and flour in mixing bowl.
2. Add water and mix until a smooth paste.
3. Add food coloring and continue to mix.
4. Pour paint mixture into Ziploc bag.
5. Seal bag and cut small corner off bag.
6. Squeeze paint through the opening.
7. Repeat for each color desired.
8. Place the final creation in microwave for 30 seconds to watch the magic! The paint will puff and the artwork will be set.

Edible Chia Seed Slime
Ingredients:
• 1 and ¾ cups of Water
• ¼ cup of chia seeds
• 2-4 cups of cornstarch
• Food coloring (if desired)

Instructions:
1. Place chia seeds and water in large mixing bowl.
2. Add food coloring if desired.
3. Cover bowl in plastic wrap and place in fridge or left on counter.
4. Leave for 12-36 hours.
5. Stir in cornstarch to your personal preference.

Homemade Play-Doh
Ingredients:
• ½ cup of table salt
• 1 tablespoon of oil
• Food coloring
• 1 cup of flour
• 2 tablespoons of Cream of Tartar
• 1 cup of boiling water

Instructions:
1. Combine salt, flour, and cream of tartar in mixing bowl. Mix.
2. Add oil.
3. Add food coloring to boiling water.
4. Add boiling water to the bowl.
5. Mix until no longer sticky.
6. Once cooled, Play-Doh can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature.