Beginning in September, we welcomed a new group of children who are navigating their emotions in this unfamiliar setting. However, it has been noted that many preschoolers can effectively manage their feelings when engaged in sensory play or when they are distracted by sensory activities.
We noticed that many preschoolers find play dough to be a great emotional outlet when they're feeling down, almost like a stress ball that helps them manage their feelings. One
particular child was quite upset, so an educator took a piece of connecting tire and gently rolled it along his arms. As he watched it, he became captivated, touching it repeatedly and exclaimed "car" as he made the connection between the tire and a vehicle. Activities like squishing playdough or squeezing stress balls can serve as outlets for emotional expression. While observing the pretend play session, I saw Mason using play dough to convey his wish to create pizza dough alongside his friends. When I inquired about his choice of play dough, he replied, "Mommy uses play dough at home to make pizza, but hers is white." This response highlighted his sense of belonging, as he drew on his memories to link various sensory experiences.
Our upcoming actions involve incorporating additional sensory elements to explore how they influence emotions and the role each sensory aspect plays in emotional regulation. While this was happening, one of the preschoolers discovered a plastic banana and began to rub it on her face. When questioned about her actions, she replied, "I do that to my baby brother at home." We incorporated paper shredders to craft a sensory play experience for the preschoolers, and a few of them even sprawled out on the tough tray, declaring, "This feels just like my bed now!"
