The Speech-Language MOMologist: Sensory Foam

This summer really has been a blast so far. We’ve been down to the Jersey Shore, to our local beach and spray park, pool hopping and even the zoo again. And still, there’s been the days we’ve spent at home enjoying each other and our backyard! We tried out this super simple Sensory Foam back in July, but with everything going on I’m only getting to share it now! It’s one of those activities that you can pull out at any time (you will likely have the materials right at home!) to add a twist to your regular activities.

Sensory Foam is actually a fancy term for regular soapy suds! Most little ones love a bubble bath and by making some foam, you can bring that joy to the backyard or your kitchen table (if you’re feeling really brave). You’ll need:

Large tub/container

Bubble bath (dishwashing liquid would work too!)

JELL-O mix (optional to add color and fragrance)

You can have your little ones help out with making this and I’m sure it would get you some giggles! Since it was the first time I was trying out the recipe, I did it myself and then placed the foam on our picnic table outside for the boys to discover on their own when we went outside. Letting your little ones discover an activity you’ve left for them is a great way to elicit some language. They’re curiousity will most likely lead them to ASK some QUESTIONS and DESCRIBE to you what they SEE, SMELL, and FEEL (sensory activities usually encourage this type of language). If your little one is only using single words or even short phrases, you can MODEL the question and observations for him/her (“I bet you’re wondering what you can do with all those bubbles!” or “Yum! I smell cherries!). Your little one is LISTENING long before they’re having in depth conversations with you, so the language you model and expose them to is very importanteven at a very young age.

Okay, fill the bottom of your tub with water (less is more) and squirt in some bubble bath (you can never use too much). If you’re using the JELL-O mix then add that as well. Grab your hand mixer and mix away! You can add more water and bubble bath as needed. I found holding the mixer still in one place made the most suds.

To make things a little more fun, I threw in our magnetic letters and numbers, but you can use any toys or figures! For really little ones, you could add toy animals to talk about their NAMES and what SOUNDS they make. Fake foods or different vehicles are two other ideas of things to add to work on expanding your little one’s VOCABULARY.

Next to the tubs, I put measuring cups and spoons so that they could scoop up the suds and pour it back and forth. I also gave the boys a cookie sheet so that they could stick the magnetic letters and numbers to it once they’d found them.