Shaving cream car tracks is a legit sensory play extravaganza.
Call me crazy, but I am certain shaving cream is meant more for children to play with than adults to shave. Mix it with Hot Wheels and you have some epic shaving cream car tracks.
What started out as a problem (only three squirts of shaving cream left in the can) quickly turned into epic sensory play experience.
This shaving cream activity making car tracks may be our best idea yet!
RELATED: Want to begin sensory play and not sure how to start? I have you covered with this Sensory Play for Beginners post!
Why do kids need sensory play?
For one, sensory play stimulates the brain to make dozens of connections with learning. This educational article will help explain more about cognitive development.
When a child explores learning thought sensory play, they are preparing for concepts they will have to memorize a definition for later. Just like our list of the best toddler activities, this idea stimulates learning through exploration and play.
- When children learn the word capacity, they will remember exploring capacity when pouring the colored water.
- As children learn the word elasticity, they may remember moving kinetic sand.
- When early learners learn the vocabulary word gravity, they remember when you stacking the apples waiting to see if they fall.
You see, if we don’t allow our children to explore these concepts in the early years, they may not have the prior knowledge needed to make the connections.
They played, I watched. In mom terms, I like to call this sittervising.
If I could zoom out here, you would see my sneakers dangling over the edge of my outdoor chair.
I am on the edge of the mat making sure my boys don’t put the shaving cream in their mouth, along with watching this sensory play evolve.
The first half of this play was with cars.
The second half included foam blocks that we have used before here.
Kid activities at home are pretty much on repeat here. Each idea includes timeless toddler toys that will be used for years.
Here’s what we used in this shaving cream activity:
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To set up, I offered my preschoolers the shaving cream and How Wheels.
It wasn’t until midway that my four-year-old decided to add in the foam blocks.
Now, this sensory play had three-dimensional shapes to help make the cars roll down ramps and under bridges.
It was an introduction to physics at its best!
Don’t let shaving cream cleanup scare you!
After 47 minutes, my preschoolers finally felt like they had enough sensory play.
This is when shaving cream sensory play transitions into water play.
My four-year-old hoses down the mat and all of his supplies.
Since his clothes get wet, we take them off and toss them into the washing machine.
The mat and supplies stay outside to dry, and later on, we will pack them back into our toy storage bins.
Sometimes the cleanup can seem intimidating but do not let it scare you. When the benefits of play outweigh the longevity of exploration, it’s a true win.
You can see another way to have a messy sensory play at home from my friend, Busy Toddler.
When will you play this shaving cream sensory play activity with your preschooler?
