"My 5 Senses"
SPROUTS ages 2-6. Our senses are a gift from God that we want to use for good!
PARENT NOTE
Use this lesson as it fits for your family! Spend a cozy Saturday morning with a hot cup of coffee and hot chocolate in discussion together using the whole lesson or use parts of this lesson for several conversations throughout the month! There are so many activities to apply and experience the lesson together. You're the parent and know your child best- enjoy making it your own!
PURPOSE
Children come to appreciate their five unique senses given to them by God and desire to use them for good.
MATERIALS
SENSORY: Different textured items such as: cotton balls, styrofoam balls, slime, sandpaper, rubber worms, squishy toys, sticky toys, golf ball, aluminum foil, bubble wrap
CRAFT: Paper plate, pom poms, buttons, pipe cleaners, stickers, markers, construction paper
GAME: Tray, 5 or more varied objects, paper, crayons or other coloring tools, pencil
INSPIRATION:
Read these scriptures together. Idea: use one as a memory verse!
“The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both.” -Proverbs 20:12
“But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.” -Matthew 13:16
“We can perceive the world through our five senses, but when we talk about the original ideal, would we use [only] those five senses, or something more? We have four senses situated in our head, plus touch. In addition to that we feel through our mind, like a sixth sense, and feel even more deeply through our heart, a seventh sense. In this context I designed the word “heartle”.” -Rev. Sun Myung Moon, The Way of Original Form
SENSORY ACTIVITY
Ahead of time: Place a variety of different textured items - some that make sounds if possible - in a cardboard box with a hole cut out of it on one side - just big enough for your child’s hand to fit through, or a tissue box. (See examples listed above in Materials)
Mystery Box- Ask your child to put his or her hand inside the box and feel around the box to see what’s inside. Then, talk about what they felt. What kinds of things are in the box? How do they feel to your fingers? Bumpy? Smooth? Sticky? Hard? Soft? Did any of them make any sounds? Older children can write out their responses on a piece of paper and draw pictures.
INTRODUCTION
God made each and every one of our bodies with great care and love. He gave us our five senses to use to experience the world around us. We should use them for good.
STORY TIME
Read Matthew 9:27-30 (International Children’s Bible)
“When Jesus was leaving there, two blind men followed him. They cried out, “Show kindness to us, Son of David!” Jesus went inside, and the blind men went with him. He asked the men, “Do you believe that I can make you see again?” They answered, “Yes, Lord.” Then Jesus touched their eyes and said, “You believe that I can make you see again. So this will happen.” Then the men were able to see. But Jesus warned them very strongly, saying, “Don’t tell anyone about this.” -Matthew 9:27-30
Ask: How do you think it made them feel when the blind men could actually see?
*TEACHING MOMENT*
Read this script to your child like a story time. Optional lesson extension: show children props representing each of our five senses. For example: magnifying glass, instrument, perfume, candy, feather as you teach about each sense.
Our bodies were created by God and the five senses we have are His gifts to us. He designed us with a purpose. He gave us two eyes to see, two ears to hear, a nose to smell, a mouth to taste, and two hands to touch and feel. We are blessed to have these senses and we should be grateful. Our senses are important and totally unique. None of them are exactly the same as anyone else’s!
Using our senses, we can learn more about God and all of the good things in our world. We should use our five special senses to praise and honor God, to serve others and to care for and enjoy God’s Creation. We even have our mind and heart as senses to help us! We can call them our sixth and seventh senses. By thinking and feeling with our mind and heart, we can be good and true children.
Since our senses are so very valuable, how can we protect them and keep them totally safe? What should we do if we see or hear something that doesn’t feel right? We should always talk to our parents about anything that makes us feel uncomfortable or funny. If pictures or movies we see or songs or sounds we hear gives us a strong or scary feeling, we should stop what we’re doing and tell our parents, or another trusted adult, right away! There are some pictures and movies that are not good for our precious senses, and our minds, bodies and hearts. If we see bad pictures or movies, we should be brave and go talk to Mommy or Daddy (Optionally, add Grandma or Grandpa if deemed appropriate for your family.)
Note- Good Pictures, Bad Pictures, Jr. by Kristen A. Jenson is a great resource if you want to extend this lesson and elaborate more on the topic of exposure to pornography.
DISCUSSION
Have your child try to answer first and then you answer as well, sharing about your own experiences growing up.
Who gave us our five senses?
What should our five senses be used for?
What should they not be used for?
What can you do with your eyes? Your nose? Your mouth? Your ears? Your hands?
What should you do if you see or hear something you know is not good?
CONCLUSION
God made each of us with our own set of eyes, ears, hands, and a mouth and a nose! By honoring God and helping others with our five senses, we make Him so proud.
PRAYER
Thank you, God, for our senses. Help us to use them for good. Please work through our bodies, through our senses, to do your Will. Please protect our senses. Amen.
Use these activities together with your child over the next month to create ongoing conversations on their five senses!
SONGS
Five Senses Song by the Kiboomers
MORE SONGS:
5 Senses Sing Along by Mr. R’s Songs for Teaching
5 Senses Song by Rocio Sanchez Garcia
EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS
The Five Senses- The Dr. Binocs Show- Educational Video by Peekaboo Kids
My Five Senses by Aliki- Read Aloud by AllTheFunToys
GAMES
Play I Spy: Take turns saying “I spy with my little eye…” and saying something you see around you, such as “...something blue!” The other person guesses. You can choose to give up to 3 chances to get the correct answer, or leave it open ended. Then, switch.
Memory Game- Choose 5 (for those closer to 6 and 7, you may choose to include a few more) items from around the house and place them on a tray. Place the tray in front of your child for 15 seconds (for those closer to 6 and 7, you may choose to decrease the time), asking them to think carefully about what they see on the tray. Take the tray away, remove one object, put the tray back in front of the child, and ask What object is missing? Play a few more rounds with different objects, taking 1 or 2 objects away each time. (For enrichment, switch roles! Your child can remove objects and you can guess what’s missing.)
Taste & Smell Test- Using various foods, baby food purees or smelly things (lotion, perfume, flower, etc.) from around the house, do a blindfolded smelling or tasting test. Guess what the smells/tastes are!
Listening Game: Listening Game - Guess The Sound | Help Children Improve Listening Skills and Improve Attention by Kreativ Leadership
ACTIVITIES
Hand Game- Play “Patty Cake”
Nature Walk- Go on a nature walk together. What do you see? Listen to the sounds of the birds chirping. Feel the grass between your toes or listen to the sound of stepping on crunchy leaves or soft fluffy snow with your boots. Feel tree bark with your hands and smell the beautiful fresh air. Say hello to the sun or goodnight to the moon.
Freeze Dance- Put on your favorite upbeat tunes and show off your best moves with a family dance party! Freeze every time the music pauses. Have fun expressing yourself!
CRAFTS
Paper Plate Face- Create a paper plate face using materials listed above. Draw or glue on eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. Use construction paper to cut out two hand shapes (optional to trace child’s hands to cut out) and glue towards the bottom of the plate.
Drawing- Draw a picture of someone using one of their senses to a) help someone or b) honor God. (Optional: Write about what you drew)
PARENT RESOURCES
Good Pictures Bad Pictures Jr Book teaching children ages 3-6 about Porn
SOL Interview with Kristen Jensen Author of Good Pictures Bad Pictures
“What Can My Senses Do?” 5 Board Books
