In the post, we are sharing a few interesting Olfactory Sensory Activities for Preschoolers. The smell can be one of our most neglected senses, the one we normally only comment on when something stinks in the air.
But it is also a priceless tool in our sensory arsenal: we count on it to stimulate memories, amplify emotions and maximize our sense of taste. Look around for these simple experiences and activities with your children – they are guaranteed to take their smell test!
Olfactory Sensory Activities for Preschoolers
Olfactory sensory activities are a fun and educational way to engage preschoolers in the world around them. By providing opportunities for children to explore their olfactory senses, they can begin to understand how smell affects their everyday lives.
Here are a few Olfactory Sensory Activities for Children, and also effective in ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder)
Blind Taste Test
To make you understand that your sense of smell is closely related to your sense of taste, try an old-fashioned taste test as a mini-scientific experiment.
Blindfold your child, get them to plug their nose, and see if they can taste the difference between foods with similar textures. Let’s try the apples. fresh potatoes, orange soda vs. lime, banana yogurt vs. strawberry, purple jelly vs. green. Keep track of his assumptions throughout.
Then ask him to take a stab at identifying the flavors simply by smelling them. What was so much easier? Was it more accurate by taste or odor? How does our ability to feel affect our ability to taste something? The point to remember: Without smell, everything would have about the same taste — one of the reasons it is not pleasant to eat when the nose is blocked.
Smell and Go Seek
Test your kids’ ability to detect odors by spraying a washable object, such as a clean sock or towel, with a strong odor (perfume or room deodorant works well).
As your kid closes his eyes and counts to 20, quickly hide the sock in the bedroom and see how long it takes her to find it by using her nose as a guide. For an extra challenge, blindfold your child’s eyes, guide her around the house, and see if she can tell where she’s right by the smells in the air.
As our noses quickly get used to familiar odors, she will need to be careful to discern the lingering scent of spaghetti that tells her she is in the kitchen or the hint of detergent that says laundry.
Scent Scrapbook
Boost the power of memory by helping your kid create a scent album. Discuss smells that remind him/her of happy moments and beloved people — such as the new waxy smell of pencil that reminds her of preschool, or the scent of strawberries that reminds him/her of her favorite snack.
Then use a small notebook to make your scraping and snorting album by spritzing on a fragrance or essential oil. Stick on pieces of spices or attach plastic bags with small pieces of the item (like a handle of garden earth).
After a bad day, inhaling some of your child’s favorite scents can instantly improve your child’s mood.
Studies on The Sense of Smell
Studies have shown that your sense of smell can enhance your working memory and evoke long-term experiences. A reason why an odor of bonfire smoke instantly transports you to your childhood summer camps or cinnamon rolls remind you of your grandmother.
Wrapping Up Olfactory Sensory Activities for Preschoolers
We hope you enjoyed our article about sensory activities for preschoolers. We hope that these activities will give your preschooler an early taste of the wonderful world of science and help develop their brain and social skills.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Thank you for reading, we would love to hear from you!
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