5 Senses Activities for Kids
Touch, smell, sight, hearing, and sound make up the five senses that help us experience the world around us. Help your kids see how we rely on these senses every day for our survival with these fun 5 senses activities for kids.
If you need more activities about the human body, check out my bigger list of Human Body Activities for Kids!
Once you start talking about senses, your kids will see the world around them in a whole new light.
We rely on our senses to keep us safe from pain, heat, cold, rotten foods and so much more.
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What are the five senses?
The brain is responsible for interpreting sounds, tastes, smells, seeing objects, and sensing touch for our body.
Each of the senses helps us to interact with the world around us and to help us sense danger.
Taste
The taste buds on our tongue can sense four different flavors: bitter, sweet, salty, and sour. An adult tongue can have 2000 to 4000 taste buds. They have receptors on them that can sense varying intensities of flavor and they, not only sense just one flavor but they may sense two or three with half of the receptors in one region only being able to sense one flavor to see how intense that flavor is.
Tasting food that is off or not right helps you know not to eat that food that may cause you to have a stomach ache or worse.
Smell
In your nose you have smell receptors, the smell travels up your nose to the top of the nasal cavity near the part of the brain responsible for smell, the olfactory bulb and fossa. Nerve endings in the nasal cavity send signals to the brain about smell.
The smell is important because it prevents up from eating rotten food or smells burning from smoke or food or we know to check.
Touch
There are different receptors in our skin that send signals to the brain about temperature, pressure, vibration, and pain like heat.
Sight
The process where you see an object is very complex. The light reflects off the object into your eye. It passes through your cornea and into your pupil until it bends and is received by the rod and cone receptors behind your eye. There are millions of these receptors.
Hearing
Sound waves travel through our ear through the ear canal to get to our eardrum through the middle ear which has three small bones. The vibrations are sensed in the organ of Corti by tiny hairs that convert them into electrical impulses that travel to the brain.
Recommended 5 Senses Books for Kids
Try any of these five senses books to bring your senses alive. Learn more about each sense and see how we use them in our daily life.
The Listening WalkLook, Listen, Taste, Touch, and Smell: Learning About Your Five Senses (The Amazing Body)The Magic School Bus Explores the SensesMy Five Senses (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 1)My First Book About the Five Senses (Dover Children’s Science Books)The Five Senses
5 Senses Activities for Kids
You will love these worksheets complete with a scavenger hunt, coloring page, match the picture, mazes, and a word search! Both you and your child will enjoy these worksheets focused on the 5 senses.
5 Senses Activities for Preschool
Your little one will have a great time learning about their 5 senses with these 5 senses activities for preschool.
5 Senses Activities for Kindergarten
If you want more activities about the 5 senses, you have to see these fun activities for kindergarteners!
Looking for a good book to read during your five senses lesson? Grab these great books!
Make learning an awesome experience as kids try out some great STEM activities about the 5 senses!
5 Senses Art and Craft Activities
These activities are perfect for parents looking to create memorable sensory experiences for kids.
5 Senses Activities for 1st Grade
From yummy-smelling slimes and long nature walks to guessing games and more, your children will surely love exploring their five senses in all sorts of unique ways!
5 Senses Scavenger Hunt Printable
Learning about the five senses will be super fun with this scavenger hunt printable!
5 Senses Picture Books for Kids
Discover the wonder of the world through our list of 5 Senses Picture Books for Kids, where vibrant illustrations meet engaging stories, making learning about the senses an adventurous joy for young readers!
Exploring all 5 Senses: Sorting Activities and Books by The Preschool Toolbox Blog
Grab any little trinkets or your child’s toys to sort them into the 5 senses. You can grab animals that are soft or things that make noise, food, or anything else that you can think of.
5 Senses Puppets by Simple Everyday Mom
Encourage your children to tell stories about one of the senses with these 5 senses puppets. It may be difficult at first but keep at it.
Potato Head Game and Free Printable by A Little Pinch of Perfect
Got a Mr. Potato Head? You have to try this hands-on activity
Exploring the Five Senses with Books by Great Family Reads
Go on a nature walk or explore your home to see what you run into with your 5 senses. A fun way to observe nature.
Scratch and Sniff Names by Fun A Day
You can always have fun with Jello, try this fun scratch-and-sniff name activity to have fun with your sense of smell.
Five Senses Science Investigation with Chewing Gum by Fantastic Fun and Learning
Grab a piece of gum and explore it with all of your senses in this fun activity and it includes a worksheet.
Recommended Human Body Activity Kits
Junior Scientist Science Study: 5 Senses
Are you looking for great worksheets for your five senses science lesson?
With these 73 pages of fun-filled worksheets, your child will learn all about seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, and touching.
Junior Scientist Science Study: Human Body
Your preschooler, kindergartener, or first grader loves learning about their own body. And with the Human Body Activities for Early Learners, you can help them do just that. With lap book pieces, tracing and writing, puzzles, matching cards, and fun diagrams, your little one will have fun learning about all the systems of the body.
Recommended Educational Human Body Toys
Grab these awesome human body toys for your little one in preparation for your homeschool 5 senses lesson. They will make your topic more interesting. I mean, who doesn’t love a nice toy to play with that will enhance their knowledge about the lesson, right? It’s a win-win!
Melissa & Doug Magnetic Human Body Anatomy Play Set With 24 Magnetic Pieces and Storage Tray – Human Body Model For Kids, Human Body Puzzle For Preschoolers And Kids Ages 3+BOCZIF 3D Organ Apron, Human Body Organs Apron Awareness Educational Tool Toy for Kids, Anatomy Costume Apron Plush Stuffed Viscera Model Removable for Home Preschool Early Childhood Teaching AidYnybusi Kids Early Educational Learning Toys Human Organs Model ,17 Pcs DIY Assembly Science Kits Toys for Boys Girls 3 4 5 6 7 8 Year Old Preschool Learning ToysHuman Body Puzzle for Kids Toddlers 90PCS Magnetic Boy Girl Anatomy Play Set Body Parts Organs Muscles Skeleton and Bones Wooden Puzzle Toys for Kids Aged 3+ Educational Learning Preschool ToysMontessori Toys for Toddlers, Body Learning Toys for Kids Toddlers, Learning Binder Sturdy Book Toddler Activity Educational, Early Learning Toys Book for 2 3 4 Year Old Boys & GirlsKAKIBLIN Human Body Anatomy Toy, Preschool Educational Organ Plush Toys for Kids, Science Learning Kits for Student, Body Organ Awareness Teaching Tools,Girl
More 5 Senses Activities
Sense of Hearing Activity for kids with a Glockenspiel by Gift of Curiosity
Explore your sense of sound with this fun instrument.
Human Body Activity by Gift of Curiosity
Discover your sense of touch with this cool temperature experiment.
Easy! 5 Steps to Planting a Sensory Garden for Kids by Little Sprouts Learning
Get everyone involved by creating your own sensory garden, your kids will love this!
Adventures Outside Using our Senses and Imaginations by Crafty Mom Share
Head outdoors for your own 5 senses adventure to see what you discover.
4 Sights & Sounds of Winter Senses Crafts & Activities by The Keeper of the Memories
There are different experiences for any season of the year for your kids to discover.
Taste Safe Oobleck for Babies and Toddlers by My Bored Toddler
Create this gooey mess and let your kids have fun with it knowing that it tastes safe.
Textured Hot Air Balloon Sensory Craft by Artsy Momma
Create a cool textured hot air balloon craft that looks so cool and delights your sense of touch.
Sensory Nature Cutting Tray by Kids Craft Room
Grab little bits of nature and combine them with fine motor control in this fun cutting activity.
Edible Finger Paint by Kids Craft Room
You can’t go wrong with edible art.
The Best Ways for Exploring Senses in Nature by Natural Beach Living
Bring nature indoors to use for this fun 5 senses activity.
When learning about the human body, the 5 senses are an important lesson to add when studying the nervous system. As the center of control for our entire body the brain has many jobs to do all at once.
Your eyes are looking out for danger near you with your sight.
It’s smelling danger around you with your nose that can’t be seen like smoke or dangerous chemicals.
Your brain is feeling for danger with your sense touch so that you’re not touching anything pokey, too hard, or too hot or cold.
Your brain is listening for any danger that may come near you, a tree falling, a wild animal, or a brother charging through.
Your brain alerts you to the taste of expired food or food that was not cooked properly.
All just to keep your body safe but also to let you know when good food, family, or friends are near too so it can keep you safe and make you happy.
Download the 5 Senses Worksheets below
More Human Body Activities
Human Body Activities for Kids
Preschool Human Body Activities
DIY Heart Pump by Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus
Skeleton and X-ray Crafts for Kids by Artsy Momma