Sensory Play With Water Beads (Learn & Link With Linky)

 

Homeschooling my 8 and 6 year old boys can be kind of difficult when you have a 3 and 4 year old home too (also the baby but she is still little). Keeping the 2 preschoolers busy can be a daunting task. Sometimes I will come up with things that they love and play with for hours and others I could spend a lot of time into preparing something for them that I think they will love and to find out they have no interest.  I had heard other homeschoolers using water beads in their learning so I thought I would give it a try. 

Water Beads

 

I had purchased 2 containers so that I had enough to pour in a large plastic bin with top. In the bin not only did I  pour all the water beads but I added several difference size spoons, measuring spoons, scoops, small containers with and without tops.  My kids played with them for months! Each time pouring them, scooping them, smooshing them because they are jelly like and hard to resist smooshing and when i put the bin on my outside patio they even threw some and watched them bounce. 

Water Beads

 

If you store the water beads in an air tight container they will last for several months but after that they can smell a bit musty so I added water to the bin and let them play with them in the water one final time before I tossed them in my outside planters after they were done. They are do affordable that it’s no problem to buy them again in the future. 

 

 learn and link new button

 

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Comments

  1. Love water beads around here! Haven’t had them out for a while…. Thanks for the reminder! We may need to get them out today… Perfect for a rainy day activity!

  2. That is wonderful. My little one had some sensory issues, so this would be great for him.

  3. My best friend home schools her four boys, so I’ll be sending her the link to this post! Sounds like something her kids would love to play with.

  4. I had not heard of these for play. Great idea.

  5. You’re a saint, b/c I just don’t see how you do it!! I bet you have lots of patience. I love my son’s Christian pre-school teachers and I just hope the school he attends is like them.

  6. Tha tis so cool. I have never thought to let me kids play with water beads. But it seems like a fun way to spend play time.

  7. I had never heard of water beads, They sound and look like a great sensory play time project. Learning and playing is always the best.

  8. What a fun activity! I do admit, I need to let my boys get dirty and play more outside. I get all freaked out when they get a little dirt on them, or get wet because of my work to keep the house clean. I am seeing that clearly isn’t as important as letting the kids just be kids. You seem to do a great job at that!

  9. I’ve never seen or heard of water beads before! Such a great idea – and affordable!

  10. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of waterbeads. This is all new to me!

  11. This is amazing, my daughter would love playing with this. 🙂 They are so colorful.

  12. Thanks for your post on water beads. It looks like a lot of fun for the kiddos. I keep hearing about them too. Since it sounds like they’re economical and last a long time, I’ll give them a try. I know my daughter will love them, especially since all she wants to do right now is play in water!

  13. It sometimes amazes me how many great ideas there are for sensory bins now days. It seems like when we were kids it was water or sand and that was it. I sub and I see lots of great sensory bin ideas in the schools. I have not seen water beads before though. What a great idea!

  14. The water beads look like so much fun to play with! I didn’t realize they would last for months. Thank you for the idea. 🙂

  15. My Girls Would Love These I Must Get Some Thank You!

  16. You think of the most creative ways to entertain. Our dollar store sells water beads. I’m going to try this. I think my preschooler will enjoy this.

  17. It looks like they are having a lot of fun. I have to start doing these boxes for my daughter.

  18. Water beads just amazes me!! What a fun idea to do a sensory play with kiddo’s!!! I will have to share with all the mama’s I know!

  19. Awesome idea! We did something similar when my toddler was younger 🙂

  20. These looks great for my preschooler. I think that he would probably spend hours playing.

  21. I bet my kids would have loved these when they were little. I had never heard of water beads before I read your post. Will have to tell my sister-in-law about them. They would be great for my nephew.

  22. That looks like fun! I’ve never heard of water beads before, but now I feel like grabbing a handful so I can see what they feel like, ha ha!

  23. It is great you share ideas and stories about sensory friendly activities for kids. it is a subject many do not know about and it helps spread the word and educate

  24. This is the first I’ve ever heard of these. I would have loved them as a kid.

  25. What a fun and cool idea. Sharing this with a friend who is starting a homeschool. Thanks!

  26. I love those water beads! My kids think they are so much fun to play with too!

  27. Angela S says:

    You always come up with the most creative ideas for sensory play. Thank you!

  28. My Girls Will Love Playing With These Have To Get Some Thank You!

  29. My daughter is currently staring over my shoulder asking what these are. I think I may pick up some for summer time, they look like a blast.

  30. Oh, my 3 year old would love this! He’s obsessed with playing in the sink in the kitchen and washing his cars! Love it!

  31. Sensory play is so important! My kids would have loved playing with these when they were young.

  32. My niece and nephew would love these… really cool!

  33. Oh my; is it sad that I want to go play with them now? That looks like so much fun.

  34. Amy Desrosiers says:

    My kids would love these beads. I’m sure they would try to bite them as well though! I love the colors of them.

  35. Those look like a lot of fun to play with. I can see how they would be great for all kids! They are pretty and I even want to play with them!!

  36. This looks like so much fun! I can’t wait until my daughter is old enough to play with these!

  37. My twins would love this when they get a bit older. The are still enjoying putting little things in their mouths!

  38. I’ve never seen water beads. I suspect my 4 year old would love to have some in the house.

  39. I can totally see how kids would really love playing with these. They would be so much fun!

  40. I also have 3 and 4 year olds who need to be kept busy at times while I work on stuff with my 6 year old. My 4 year old is obessed with Reading Eggs & will try to get too much screen time in. This will be a great idea to keep her mind occupied otherwise.

  41. What a great fun activity….I can see how they would play with hours…so much you can do with them. Fun way to learn.

  42. I bought some water beads ages ago but we haven’t got round to using them – thanks for the reminder! Your activity looks fabulous, so colourful too.

  43. This looks like so much fun. You always have the neatest ideas!

  44. My son loves water beads! They are so fun to play with…he can spend hours

  45. I have never heard of water beads but I am going to share this post with a friend that has a child with sensory issues. Thanks for sharing!!

  46. This looks so fun! This looks like something that would not only keep the kids busy, but that I would enjoy playing with as well!

  47. It is great to find things that entertain and educate our children at the same time. Play is an important part of learning.

  48. This looks like such a fun activity for little ones. This seems like an activity that my niece would enjoy doing.

  49. What great hands-on fun for the kids!!! So much healthier than TV and videos!

  50. That is a very cool idea. I know my kids would love this.

  51. That looks like such a good time. My daughter loves sensory bins.

  52. That’s pretty cool! I can’t wait to let my baby try these but she needs to be older than five months first, she likes to chew on anything she can get her hands on!

  53. That looks like so much fun! I’m sure Bubbles would enjoy playing with them, too. Heck, I’D have fun playing with them!

  54. Never really seen this but that looks so much fun! I’d love to do this with my little niece 😉

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