5 senses science experiments

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45 Science Activities for Kids to Learn the 5 Senses

What kids can learn about the sense of seeing?

9 Kids Science Experiments about Light will teach them why and how we can see, and some interesting facts about light. Kids would love to see light reflection and prism. But be prepare to explain the why and science behind the magic light display. It is also necessary to teach light and energy, and invisible light, such as UV lights.

Talking about light will easily leads into color. These 7 science experiments about colors will help kids understand the science behind the colors. Why different objects have different colors? How is colors shown on computer screen different from colors shown on paper? How our eyes perceive colors? What happens when you mix colors?

After light and color, an easy transition is the sense of hearing and sound. How do you explain to kids that sound is certain type of wave? These 7 fun science activities will help kids see the sound , and get an intuitive understanding of it via visualizing the sound wave. Wait to see your kids’ surprised faces! A fun way to explore sound is via music. Kids will learn so much about sound features via music, such as pitch, frequency. Do you know sound wave is different from light wave? How to make your sound louder?

How can you smell? Does your mouth help when you smell? Try these 7 science experiments for kids to learn smell . Find out some fun ways to test every one’s sense of smell? Does every one smell the same smell? Does everyone like the same smell? Why? There are so many different ways to test the sense of smells, and they are all fun and easy.

There are tastes we like, and tastes we don’t like. Why can we taste? Can you tell the food taste holding your nose? Try some fun science activities to learn about taste , and find out how sensitive are you to different tastes. Do you know different parts of the tongue have different sensitivity to different taste? How can you find out through a science experiment?

The last is the sense of touch. Check out these 8 science experiments for kids to learn about sense of touch . One of my favorite is to find out my own Homunculus, the body map to show which part of my body is most and least sensitive to touch. Do you know that different parts of our body has different touch sensitivity? This is what Homunculus about. There is a simple but scientific way to find out. I am sure you and your kids would love to know about your body sensitivity or Homunculus, too. There are so many other concepts about the sense of touch and the sense of touch tells us so many attibutes of an object: shape, texture, size, weight, … Check out different science experiments testing different touch object attributes.

Through out my search and research, I have found some wonderful children’s books about senses . They are great to read with kids while you are exploring the 5 senses: My 5 Senses (age 4 to 8) The 5 Senses (age 4 and up) The Magic School Bus Explores the Senses (age 4 to 8) The 5 Senses (age 6 to 12) You Can’t Taste a Pickle with Your Ears (age 4 to 6) Smelling (age 4 to 6) I Smell Christmas (age 3 to 6) The Nose Book (age 2 to 10) The Listening Walk (age 4 to 8) All about Light (age 5 and up) Seeing (age 4 to 6) The Very Lonely Firfly (age 2 to 3) Tasting (age 4 to 6) Touching (age 4 to 6)

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These are some really interesting ideas for making learning fun for kids. I am sure kids would love them too, thanks for sharing!

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32 Engaging Five Senses Activities Kids Love

Help them see, hear, smell, touch, and taste the world!

Learning about the five senses is a classic preschool and kindergarten unit. Yes, it’s fun to watch students taste something super sour, or take a listening walk around the school, but why do we teach the five senses? Here’s everything you need to teach the five senses, including rationale, books, songs, and activities.

(Just a heads up, WeAreTeachers may collect a share of sales from the links on this page. We only recommend items our team loves!)

What are the five senses?

The five senses are the primary ways that we experience the world around us.

• Sight: how we see light and color
• Sound: how we hear frequencies of sound
• Taste: how we taste sweet, salt, sour, bitter, and umami
• Smell: how we identify chemicals in the air and flavors of food
• Touch: our skin identifies pressure, vibrations, and other types of touch

Why do students need to learn about the five senses?

When we teach students about the five senses, we teach them about their bodies and how they experience the world around them. That’s just the beginning. The five senses are foundational, and spending time examining, experimenting, and understanding the five senses helps students:

• Focus on one thing at a time: When we ask students to just taste or just listen, they are training themselves to focus and attend.
• Learn the scientific method : The process of asking questions and experimenting to learn more about the five senses is often students’ first opportunity to put the scientific method into action.
• Learn how humans take in information from the environment: Kids are learning how they work, and an important part of that is how we take in information and use it. Students will use their five senses throughout school and their lives to understand the world around them.
• Connect with other ideas: Talking about senses also exposes students to vocabulary and concepts that they’ll use in other areas. For example, talking about differences between tastes, or opposites like loud and quiet.

Activities To Teach the Five Senses

Here are our favorite ways to teach the five senses.

1. Head out for a five senses scavenger hunt

Childhood 101/Nature scavenger hunt via childhood101.com

A nature walk is one of the best ways to engage all five senses and introduce the concept to kids. Try it in different seasons for a new adventure each time!

Learn more: Nature Scavenger Hunt at Childhood 101

2. Hang a five senses anchor chart

Kindergarten Smiles/Five senses poster via KindergartenSmiles.blogspot.com

Post an anchor chart and fill it in as you discuss each of the senses and the body parts related to them. (Tip: Laminate your anchor charts so you can reuse them from year to year.)

Learn more: Five Senses Poster at Kindergarten Smiles

3. Make oobleck

Raising Dragons/Oobleck via RaisingDragons.com

Create oobleck with corn starch, water, and food coloring and see what words you can use to describe how it feels to touch, to drop, and to smush in your hands.

Learn more: Oobleck at Raising Dragons

4. Break out Mr. Potato Head

Fun With Firsties/Mr. Potato Head poster via NorthwesternKiddies.blogspot.com; A Little Pinch of Perfect/Mr. Potato Head activity via ALittlePinchofPerfect.com

Mr. Potato Head toys are perfect for teaching little ones about the five senses. Learn how to make a Potato Head poster from Fun With Firsties , then grab the free printable spinner from A Little Pinch of Perfect and use it to play a fun senses game.

5. Make a set of finger puppets

Simple Everyday Mom/Five senses puppets via SimpleEverydayMom.com

Get your free body-parts printable at the link below, then have kids color them, cut them out, and glue them to wood craft sticks. Use them for all sorts of five senses activities!

Learn more: Five Senses Puppets at Simple Everyday Mom

6. Sort objects according to senses

Preschool Toolbox/Senses sorting activity via ThePreschoolToolboxBlog.com

Sorting games are always fun for kids. Use a muffin tin to sort smaller items, or try Hula-Hoops for sorting larger items.

Learn more: Senses Sorting Activity at The Preschool Toolbox

7. Set up Five Senses Stations

We Have Kids/Five senses stations via WeHaveKids.com

Allow kids to explore each of the senses on their own with these stations. Visit the link for plenty of great ideas for what to include at each one.

Learn more: Five Senses Stations at We Have Kids

8. Use all your senses to explore popcorn

Play to Learn Preschool/Popcorn senses activity via PlaytoLearnPreschool.com

Popcorn is a terrific food for senses activities, especially if you can use an air popper to make it fresh while kids watch. Plus, you get a yummy, healthy snack when you’re done!

Learn more: Popcorn 5 Senses Activity at Play to Learn Preschool

9. Or try Pop Rocks instead

Little Bins for Little Hands/Pop Rocks activity via LittleBinsforLittleHands.com

If you’re feeling a little more adventurous, tear open a few bags of Pop Rocks candy and use your senses to experience them to the fullest. Kids will go wild for this one!

Learn more: Pop Rocks Activity at Little Bins for Little Hands

10. Solve the case of salt vs. sugar

Kindergarten Kindergarten/Salt vs. Sugar activity via KindergartenKindergarten.com

Guide kids as they try to determine which jar has salt and which has sugar. The catch? The sense of taste is the  last one they get to use!

Learn more: Salt vs. Sugar Activity at Kindergarten Kindergarten

11. Put on a pair of lookers

Mrs. Jones’ Creation Station/Lookers activity via MrsJonesCreationStation.com

In the clever story The Looking Book (Hallinan/Barton) , two boys discover the world around them after their mom gives them each a pair of “lookers”—which are really just toy glasses . Pass out pairs to your students and send them out to use their sense of sight.

Learn more: Lookers Activity at Mrs. Jones’ Creation Station

12. Explore up close with a magnifying glass

Stay at Home Educator/Magnifying glass activity via StayAtHomeEducator.com

Take the sense of sight even deeper with a magnifying glass. Show kids the tiny details their eyes can see with that bit of extra help.

Learn more: Magnifying Glass Activities at Stay at Home Educator

13. Take a listening walk

Teach Preschool/Listening walk via TeachPreschool.org

Inspire kids with a reading of The Listening Walk (Showers/Aliki) , then head outside to take one of your own! Make a list of the sounds you hear, or give kids a checklist (get a free printable one at the link below) of sounds to listen for.

Learn more: Listening Walk at Teach Preschool

14. Learn how sounds help you make decisions

Completely Kindergarten/Sound activity via CompletelyKindergarten.blogspot.com

This is a cool activity to help kids understand that while our five senses collect information, it’s our brain that helps us interpret information and make decisions. You can use this idea with hearing or any other sense.

Learn more: Sound Activity at Completely Kindergarten

15. Play a sound-matching game

Play to Learn Preschool/Matching eggs game via PlayToLearnPreschool.com

Fill plastic eggs or medicine bottles with a variety of small items. Ask kids to shake them and see if they can figure out what’s inside based on sound alone. It’s harder than they think!

Learn more: Sound Eggs at Play to Learn Preschool

16. Decide which flower smells the best

No Time for Flash Cards/Smell activity via NoTimeforFlashCards.com

Let kids use their sense of smell to decide which flowers smell the best. You can try this with all sorts of items, and remind kids that sometimes there’s no one right answer!

Learn more: Smell Activity at No Time for Flash Cards

17. Write scratch-and-sniff names

Fun-a-Day/Scratch-and-sniff names via Fun-a-day.com

Write the letters with glue, then sprinkle them with Jell-O powder. When it dries, kids can feel the texture and sniff the scent!

Learn more: Scratch-and-Sniff Names at Fun-a-Day

18. Sniff a collection of scent bottles

Things To Share and Remember/Scent bottles via Thingstoshareandremember.com

Add a few drops of essential oils to cotton balls and drop them into spice jars. Ask kids to sniff them without looking, and see if they can identify the smells.

Learn more: Scent Bottles at Things To Share and Remember

19. Go on a scent hunt

PreKinders/Scent hunt via Prekinders.com

This activity also uses essential oils, but this time you hide the scented cotton pads around the room and see if kids can sniff their way to the right locations!

Learn more: Scent Hunt at PreKinders

20. Test your sense of taste with jelly beans

Stay at Home Educator/Jelly bean tasting activity via StayAtHomeEducator.com

Looking for five senses activities for students with a sweet tooth? Jelly Belly Jelly Beans are known for their true-to-life flavors, which makes them perfect for a blind taste test. Want to make it even more interesting? Add some Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans into the mix!

Learn more: Jelly Beans Activity at Stay at Home Educator

21. Do an apple taste test

Play to Learn Preschool/Apple taste test via PlayToLearnPreschool.com

Our sense of taste is more subtle than kids might realize. It’s easy for them to recognize the taste of an apple, but they’ll be surprised to discover they can actually tell different kinds of apples apart too.

Learn more: Apple Taste Test at Play to Learn Preschool

22. Stroll down a sensory walk

Teaching Mama/Sensory walk via TeachingMama.org

Fill up a series of plastic tubs with different items like beads, sand, shaving cream, and more. Then let kids take a walk through them, experiencing all the different sensations.

Learn more: Sensory Walk at Teaching Mama

23. Build a texture board

Pre-K Pages/Texture board via Pre-KPages.com

This is such an easy DIY project! Just pick up an inexpensive cutting board, then attach fabrics and papers with different textures. Little fingers will love to explore them.

Learn more: Texture Board at Pre-K Pages

24. Describe how different things feel

Some of This & Some of That/Touch board via MandeeandBrandy.com

The sense of touch gives us some of the best descriptive words. Ask kids to feel a variety of items and list the adjectives they’d use to describe them.

Learn more: Touch Board at Some of This & Some of That

25. Make mystery touch boxes

PreKinders/Touch boxes via PreKinders.com

Turn empty tissue containers into mystery boxes! Drop an assortment of items into them, and ask kids to reach in and identify what they are using only their sense of touch.

Learn more: Touch Boxes at PreKinders

26. Make and use Whisper Phones

Oz Lit Teacher/Whisper phones via OzLitTeacher.com.au

Kids can hear their voices in their head, but what do they really sound like? Create whisper phones out of PVC pipe and put them in the reading area. Have students read stories to themselves, either by reading the words or reading the pictures.

Learn more: Whisper Phones at Oz Lit Teacher

27. Tasting bottles

Gift of Curiosity/Tasting bottles via GiftofCuriosity.com

Use little bottles with droppers to create taste bottles. Fill each bottle with a different taste. Some ideas:

• Sugar water or juice (sweet)
• Salt water (salty)
• Lemon or lime in water (sour)
• Cocoa powder dissolved in water (bitter)

Have students put a drop of each on their tongue (or in a spoon to taste) and record which taste they experience.

Learn more: Tasting Bottles at Gift of Curiosity

28. Create a flip-book

Mrs. Richardon’s Class/Flip book via MrsRichardsonsClass.com

A flip-book that combines images and words gives students a reference to prompt vocabulary as they’re working on other five senses activities.

Learn more: Flip Book at Mrs. Richardson’s Class

29. Peg the sense

Big World Teaching/Peg the sense activity via TeachersPayTeachers.com

An activity like this, where students look at a card and identify the sense that you use to experience each, could be a good practice activity for centers. It could also serve as an assessment that students can complete on their own.

Buy it: Peg the Sense Activity at Teachers Pay Teachers

30. Learn what it’s like to live without a sense

Saddle Up for 2nd Grade/Helen Keller activity via SaddleUpforSecondGrade.com

Once students have a feel for the five senses, teach them about how people who are blind or deaf use their other senses. Show students how to read a braille book (public libraries often have collections of braille books to check out), or put headphones on and watch a subtitled movie. This is a good time to read about Helen Keller and how she learned language through touch and smell.

Learn more: Hellen Keller Activity at Saddle Up for 2nd Grade

Read more: Helen Keller books for young readers

31. Sing songs about the five senses

If you’re looking for activities to teach the five sentences that include music and movement, try adding a five senses song to morning meeting to reinforce the vocabulary.

What is a morning meeting without Jack Hartman?

Another five senses song students will love!

32. Read books about the five senses

Read alouds are perfect activities to teach kids about the five senses. Picture books show students all the ways they use their senses, and some silly ways too.

My Five Senses by Aliki

This classic book is a straightforward informational text about our senses and what we do with each.

Buy it: My Five Senses on Amazon

I hear a Pickle by Rachel Isadora

This book puts a clever spin on the five senses with information about the various ways we can experience everyday items through our senses, like hearing a pickle (crunch!).

Buy it: I Hear a Pickle on Amazon

How Do Animals Use Their Five Senses by Alejandro Algarra

An overview of how animals use the five senses, and a starting point for a discussion about how the five senses shape who we are.

Buy it: How Do Animals Use Their Five Senses? on Amazon

Yummy Yucky by Leslie Patricelli

The board book is simple but effective. A little boy tastes all kinds of things, some are yummy and some are yucky.

Buy it: Yummy Yucky on Amazon

Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld

In this book, students can point out what they see—it’s all about perspective. This reinforces the idea that we can all see things slightly differently.

Buy it: Duck! Rabbit! on Amazon

The Blind Men and the Elephant retold by Karen Beckstein

In this classic story, a blind man has to use his sense of touch to figure out what an elephant is.

Buy it: The Blind Men and the Elephant on Amazon

Ten Ways To Hear Snow by Cathy Camper

A little girl goes on a walk to her grandma’s house and along the way counts all the ways she hears the newly fallen snow. Such a great book to introduce the idea of listening intently and creatively.

Buy it: Ten Ways To Hear Snow on Amazon

Llama Llama Yum Yum Yum! by Anna Dewdney

A Llama Llama book with scratch-and-sniff … yes, please!

Buy it: Llama Llama Yum Yum Yum! on Amazon

Love these five senses activities? Check out Inspiring Science Books for Kids in Elementary School .

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25 Sensory Science Activities Exploring the Five Senses

The first theme for this year’s Storybook Science series was sensory science. We shared activities that explored the five senses perfect for preschoolers and older. Check out the collection of activities that include making observations with sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste. Each of the sensory science activities was inspired by a book. Reading the books will help reinforce learning about the five senses.   I get commissions for purchases made through the affiliate links in this post.

Sensory Science Activities Exploring the Five Senses

When we do science, we make observations using one or more of our five senses. Even the youngest scientists can use their senses to learn about the world around them.

Activities that Explore the Sense of Touch

These sense of touch activities focus on the sense of sight. This is a great example of how our senses work together. Often what we see helps us form opinions about what our other senses should experience.

Rainbow Texture Explorations for Toddlers  inspired by a  Rainbow of My Own  from Inspiration Laboratories – Explore colors and textures with this activity perfect for toddlers and preschoolers.

Rainbow Sensory Ice Excavation Activity  inspired by  What Makes a Rainbow?  from To Be A Kid Again – How can you get the ribbons out of the ice? This activity pairs wonderfully with the book recommendation as both have colorful ribbons.

Rainbow Sensory Bag for Toddlers  inspired by  A Rainbow of My Own  from Rainy Day Mum – Explore color mixing in this mess free painting activity for toddlers.

The Lorax Sensory Tray from Science Sparks – Recreate the story of The Lorax in a sensory rice tray. The change in colors matches the changes in the story.

Cat in the Hat Sensory Tray from Science Sparks – Explore magnets and numbers with this sensory rice tray colored to mimic the Cat’s hat.

Activities that Explore the Sense of Hearing

Backyard Sound Observations  inspired by  Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?  from Read Science – What sounds can you hear in your backyard?

What Makes a Musical Note Higher or Lower? inspired by The Way Things Work Now from Mama Smiles – Learn about the physics of sound with these video demos you can try at home.

Listening Games with Elephant and Piggie inspired by Should I Share My Ice Cream? –  Work on listening skills with these fun games.

Activities that Explore Taste and Smell

Cooking and baking with kids is an excellent way to explore the senses of taste and smell. Cooking and baking are also perfect for working on science and math skills like measuring and following directions.

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies  inspired  Piggy Let’s Be Friends – Brownies are a super easy way to get kids baking in the kitchen. Having a tea party to extend the sensory experience.

Visual Recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies inspired by If You Give a Mouse a Cookie – This recipe uses pictures instead of words for the ingredient list and directions.

Food Science Experiment inspired by Zoey and Sassafras: Dragons and Marshmallows –  Let your children design a food science experiment to find out what foods they like to eat. It’s a fun way to try new foods and learn about conducting a science experiment.

Kitchen Chemistry Experiment: Make a Cup Cake in the Microwave inspired by Whopper Cake – Experiment with ingredients to make a cake in the microwave. This posts has sample recipes and suggestions for experimenting.

Activities that Explore the Sense of Sight

Sensory Bottles Used to Explore Shapes inspired by Mouse Shapes from JDaniel4’s Mom – Graph the different shapes you find in the sensory bottle.

Solar System Sensory Bottle inspired by How to Catch a Star – Learn about the planets in our solar system with this simple sensory bottle.

Fizzing Pinkalicious Cupcake Experiment inspired by Pinkalicious – Try this sensory science investigation to discover which combination of ingredients will make the best fizz.

Explore Shiny and Dull with Painted Foil Hearts inspired by Ollie’s Valentine from Read Science

Activities that Explore all Five Senses

Nature Scavenger Hunt  inspired by  The Adventures of Little Nutbrown Hare  from Nature with Kids – Head out into the forest and see what you can find. Use all five senses to explore the outdoors. (Can you smell and taste the air?)

Exploring the Five Senses with Books  inspired by  What a Wonderful World  from Great Family Reads – Go for a walk and see what observations you can make with your senses. Grab the free printable and record what you find.

Exploring the Five Senses: A Science Experiment for Kids inspired by from Edventures with Kids – get kids into the kitchen and use your senses to explore different ingredients

Roasting Pumpkin Seeds with Kids: A Five Senses Experience inspired by Pete the Cat: Five Little Pumpkins from To Be A Kid Again

Fizzy Coconut Lime Play Dough inspired by My Five Senses – This super soft cornstarch play dough is a wonderful tactile experience. For extra sensory fun it has the smell of limes and coconut plus it fizzes! This activities doesn’t explore the sense of taste. (The play dough is not edible.)

Holiday Themed Activities that Explore the Five Senses

Five senses preschool christmas and winter activities.

Jolly Christmas Postman Sensory Bin from Rainy Day Mum – Retell the story using this sensory bin with fake snow, figures, and postcards.

The Amazing Scents of Christmas  inspired by The Sweet Smell of Christmas (a scratch and sniff book) from Edventures with Kids – Explore the science of smell with this hands-on activity for kids.

Melted Snowman Sensory Bag inspired by The Snowman from Rainy Day Mum – Build a snowman in this no mess sensory bag.

Snow Dough inspired by The Snowy Day from To Be A Kid Again – Try this tactile sensory experience that mimics snow.

What are your favorite sensory science activities? Do you have book recommendations to go along with them?

More Science Collections You’ll Love

Oobleck Recipes – 25 Ways to Explore Cornstarch and Water

22 Outdoor Science Experiments and Activities

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20 Engaging 5 Senses Activities

Introduce the 5 senses to preschoolers with these hands-on and printable 5 senses activities. Great for adding to your preschool unit on exploring the body’s senses! What are the 5 senses? They are sight, taste, touch, sound, and smell! Learn about the world around you with activities that use all 5 senses, or focus on one at a time. An easy way to make preschool science activities playful, fun, and engaging! Discover the world together!

What are the 5 Senses?

If you are going to explore the 5 senses, you need to know what they are first! The 5 senses include touch, taste, sound, sight, and smell. These concepts are super easy to explore with junior scientists because we use our 5 senses every day in many ways.

The senses are how we explore and learn about the world around us. Textures and colors ignite our senses of touch and sight.

New foods and tasty goodies explore our sense of taste, even if they aren’t so tasty. Smells like peppermint or cinnamon bring back memories or make us feel more in tune with the season or holiday.

The wind rustling the leaves, the waves breaking on the shore, our footsteps walking along a wooded path, or the call of a bird overhead are fantastic opportunities for listening to our senses!

Take a look at our sensory science list to read more about combining science and sensory play as well engaging the 5 senses.

Why is Learning About the 5 Senses Important?

Learning about the five senses is important for preschoolers because it lays the foundation for their understanding of the world around them. The five senses — sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell — provide essential information that helps kids make sense of their environment, interact with others, and develop various cognitive, social, and emotional skills.

Here’s why learning about the five senses is important for preschoolers:

Understanding The World

The five senses allow preschoolers to explore and understand the world around them. They learn to differentiate between objects, people, and experiences based on how they look, sound, feel, taste, and smell.

Creativity and Imagination: Learning about the five senses sparks creativity and imagination. Children can use their sensory experiences to invent stories, create art, and engage in imaginative play.

Development

Language Development: Learning about the five senses introduces children to new vocabulary and helps them express themselves more effectively. Describing sensory experiences enhances their language skills and enables them to communicate their thoughts and feelings.

Cognitive Development: Engaging with the five senses helps develop cognitive skills like observation, comparison, and categorization. Children learn to recognize patterns, similarities, and differences, which are essential cognitive processes.

Social and Emotional Development: The five senses play a role in social interactions. Children learn to read others’ emotions and intentions through facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice. They also develop empathy and consideration for others’ sensory preferences and sensitivities.

Fine and Gross Motor Skills: Engaging with their senses enhances both fine and gross motor skills. Activities like painting, drawing, building with blocks, and playing with different textures promote the development of hand-eye coordination and muscle control.

Introduces Science

Scientific Inquiry: Learning about the five senses provides a basic introduction to scientific inquiry. Preschoolers begin to ask questions about how things work, why they feel or taste a certain way, and how their senses help them understand the world.

Critical Thinking: Exploring their senses encourages preschoolers to think critically and make connections between their sensory experiences and the concepts they learn. They start to develop reasoning skills by asking questions like “Why does this smell different from that?” or “How come this tastes sour?”

Everyday Applications

Safety Awareness: Understanding their senses helps preschoolers stay safe. They learn to identify potential dangers based on sensory cues, such as recognizing the smell of something burning or the sound of an approaching vehicle.

Healthy Habits: Developing an awareness of their senses can encourage healthy habits. Preschoolers can learn to make healthy food choices based on taste and smell, and they can develop good hygiene practices that involve touch and smell.

Observation and the 5 Senses

Observation in science begins with using our senses to gather information about the world around us. It involves using science process skills, paying close attention to details, making careful notes or drawings, and using tools to help us make better observations.

Making observations is an essential skill in science because it leads to collecting data and gathering evidence to support or refute hypotheses down the track. Learn more about using the scientific method with kids.

Observing is also a good way for us to explore and learn about the natural world. Young children learn when they make observations in new situations, especially with science sensory experiences.

Let’s take a closer look at how kids can practice making observations using their 5 senses:

Observing through sight involves looking closely at objects and noting their color, shape, size, and patterns. For example; start a seed jar or grow crystals!

Observing through hearing involves listening to sounds around them and identifying their source. Kids can listen to bird songs, the rustling of leaves, or the sound of raindrops. For example; try a water xylophone !

Observe through touch to explore the texture, temperature, and hardness of objects. Kids can touch different types of materials such as sand, water, feathers, or bark. Try making oobleck or slime .

Observing through taste involves exploring the flavors of different foods or substances. They can describe the tastes as sweet, sour, bitter, or salty. Try fizzy lemonade or a Candy Taste Test !

Observing through smell involves detecting and describe odors. Kids can explore different scents in their environment, such as flowers, fruits, or spices. For example; paint with spice paint !

List of 5 Senses Books

Read a book together and talk about the 5 senses. F irst, t alk about what you can and can not touch. Next, talk about how you can see something and not hear it. Then, think of times you use more than one sense.

Here are some books about the 5 senses for you to enjoy. ( I am an Amazon Affiliate )

You can find even more 5 Senses book suggestions in our printable 5 Senses preschool pack at the end!

Y ou Can’t Taste a Pickle with Your Ear by Harriet Ziefert : Seeing, smelling, hearing, touching, tasting is there a child who doesn’t wonder how the five senses work?

This Beach is Loud! by Samantha Cotterill: But it can also be busy. And loud. Sand can feel hot or itchy or sticky… and it gets everywhere! In This Beach Is Loud!, a sensitive boy gets overwhelmed by all the sights, sounds, and sensations at the beach.

The Magic School Bus Explores the Senses by Joanna Cole: On a most sense-sational trip that takes them through an eye, an ear, a tongue, and even a dog’s nose, Ms. Frizzle’s class learns about the senses.

Look, Listen, Taste, Touch, and Smell: Learning About Your Five Senses (The Amazing Body) by Pamela Hill Nettleton : Seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching ― our bodies do all kinds of amazing things! It’s a colorful introduction to the five senses ― sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch ― and the organs that perform these functions. A must for any emerging science fan.

My 5 Senses (Let’s Read and Find Out) by Aliki: Sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch—our five senses teach us about our world. Beloved author-illustrator Aliki’s simple, engaging text and colorful artwork show young readers how they use their senses to smell a rose or play with a puppy. 

Get Your Free Printable 5 Senses Worksheets!

5 Senses Activities For Kids

Color mixing fun.

What happens when you mix primary colors together? Set up three bowls of colored water – one with red, one with blue, and one with yellow. Provide small plastic droppers and white coffee filters. Get kids to mix different colors by using the droppers to combine the colored water on the coffee filters. What colors do they make? Combine with our printable color mixing worksheet.

Nature Scavenger Hunt

Getting kids outdoors and going on a nature walk is a great way to develop observation skills and appreciation for the natural world. Give kids a list of natural objects to find (e.g. a leaf, a rock, a flower). Encourage them to spot and collect each item with their keen sense of sight.

Rainbow Hunt

Introduce the concept of colors and light refraction with a rainbow hunt. Take kids outside on a sunny day and give them small mirrors. Encourage them to hold the mirrors at different angles and observe the rainbows formed by sunlight hitting the mirror’s surface. What colors can they see? Check out more simple ways to make a rainbow.

Shadow Puppets

Provide a flashlight and some small toys or cutouts. Have the children hold the toys in front of the flashlight to see the shadows they create. Experiment with moving the shadow puppets closer and farther away from the light to observe changes in the shadow’s size and shape. Grab our free printable to make your own shadow puppets.

Learn about sound vibrations with your own homemade kazoos. Get kids to create their own kazoos using empty toilet paper rolls and wax paper. Show them how to cover one end of the roll with the wax paper and secure it with a rubber band. Then, have them hum into the open end to produce sound. Discuss how the vibrations of their humming create sound through the kazoo.

Musical Water Glasses

Explore the sense of sound with an easy to make water xylophone. Set up a few glasses with varying levels of water. Provide the children with plastic spoons and encourage them to tap the glasses gently. Let them observe and listen to the different pitches produced by each glass. Experiment with adding or removing water to see how it affects the pitch.

Nature’s Orchestra

What about listening for the sounds you can hear in nature? Go on another nature walk, but this time, focus on listening to the sounds around them with their eyes closed. Afterward, discuss what they heard and what is the sources of each sound, such as birds chirping or leaves rustling.

Sound Guessing Game

Explore the sense of sound with a fun sound guessing game. Gather various sound-producing objects, such as bells, shakers, and whistles, in a box. Blindfold one child at a time and have them pick an object from the box. They should make the sound without revealing the object’s identity. The rest of the children try to guess which object it is based on the sound it makes.

Sweet or Sour Taste Test

Prepare small cups with different liquids, some sweet (e.g., fruit juice) and others sour (e.g., lemon juice). Blindfold kids and have them taste each liquid. After tasting, ask them to identify if it was sweet or sour and discuss their findings as a group.

Exploring Taste Buds

This time explore the sense of taste with a wide variety of foods, and come up with different words to describe those flavors. Provide kids with various foods, such as salty crackers, sweet fruits, sour candies, and bitter vegetables. Ask them to categorize each food based on its taste. Then, have a discussion about taste buds and how they help us experience different flavors.

LOOK: Apple Taste Test and Candy Taste Test

Edible Soil Layers

Use the sense of taste to understand soil layers and what they are made of. Create edible “soil” cups by layering ingredients like crushed cookies (for rocks), chocolate pudding (for soil), and gummy worms (for worms). Let the children assemble their own cups, and as they eat, talk what each food represents and why it is important to the soil.

Mystery Tasting

Blindfold the children and offer them various small food items with distinct tastes (e.g., grapes, cheese, popcorn, raisins). Ask them to identify each food solely based on taste. Afterward, reveal the items and discuss how taste helps us distinguish different foods.

Sensory Textures

Put together a sensory table with various textures, such as sandpaper, fabric, sponges, and pebbles. Let the children touch and feel each item. Encourage them to describe the textures using rough, smooth, soft, and hard words.

Mystery Touch Bag

Place various objects with different textures (e.g., a soft plush toy, a rough rock, a squishy ball) in a bag. Have each child reach into the bag one by one to feel the mystery items without looking. Have them guess what they felt and discuss their experiences. See our Guess the Object game.

Sensory Nature Prints

During a nature walk, gather leaves, flowers, and other natural materials with interesting textures. Provide kids with playdough or clay and have them press the natural items into the material to create imprints. Discuss the textures they observe and how they differ from one another.

Hot or Cold

Set up containers with warm water and cold water. Provide spoons and cups, and let kids dip their hands into each container to feel the temperature differences. Discuss their observations and talk about the basic concepts of hot and cold.

Mystery Scents

Gather various items with distinct scents, such as coffee beans, citrus peels, and flowers. Place each item in separate, airtight jars. Let the children smell each jar without seeing the contents and try to guess what’s inside based on the scent.

Engage the sense of smell while exploring creativity. Prepare a few containers with different scented paints or scented markers. Provide plain white paper and let the children create artwork using the scented materials. As they work, discuss the various scents and ask them to describe how each scent makes them feel. See how to make scented paint.

Scented Playdough

Make scented playdough using essential oils or natural scents (e.g., lavender, lemon, peppermint). Encourage kids to knead and play with the playdough, exploring the scents as they create different shapes and objects. See how to make apple scented playdough.

Fruity Smell Investigation

Use the sense of smell to explore how fruit decompose over time. Provide a variety of fruits with strong scents, such as bananas, oranges, and lemons. Have the children observe and smell each fruit. Over the course of a few days, revisit the fruits to observe how their scents change as they ripen or decompose, and talk about why that is.

Printable Preschool 5 Senses Pack

Get ready to explore this year with our growing Preschool STEM Bundle !

What’s Included:

There are 4 fun preschool themes to get you started. This is an ” I can explore” series!

• My 5 Senses
• All About Me
• Science and Scientist

Each unit contains approximately 15 activities, with instructions and templates  as needed. Hands-on activities are provided to keep it fun and exciting. This includes sensory bins, experiments, games, and more! Easy supplies keep it low cost and book suggestions add the learning time. 

Subscribe to receive a free 5-Day STEM Challenge Guide

~ projects to try now ~.

Senses Experiments

Sharing is caring!

 Here are some senses experiments and activities that we have tried and some others that we have on the list to complete.

Sense Of Hearing

We hear because sound waves travel through the air until they hit the ear drum. The sound waves vibrate the eardrum, which in turn, vibrates the bones of the middle ear. These vibrations are transferred to the cochlea, located in the inner ear. The cochlea translates those vibrations into stimuli that the ocular nerve can send to the brain.

It all starts with sound waves and the eardrum. To demonstrate how sound can actually be a physical force, you can do this simple experiment.

Eardrum Experiment

You’ll need:

• plastic wrap
• 20 or so uncooked rice grains
• cookie sheet or metal baking pan

Stretch the plastic wrap over the bowl tightly. This is your eardrum. Place 20 or so rice grains on the tightened plastic wrap. Hold the pan or cookie sheet close to the blow, but not touching. Bang on the pan with your hand or large spoon making a loud noise. Watch the rice. It should jump each time you bang on the pan. The sound waves created should vibrate the plastic wrap making the rice move. Sound can be a physical force.

More on Hearing

The Science of Hearing   Video

How the Ears Work   Video

Operation Ouch- The Eardrum   Video

Journey of Sound to the Brain   Video

Sense Of Touch

The sense of touch can be used all over the body. We have touch receptors just under our skin that give us lots of information. If you want to test someone’s sense of touch, make a touch box . Get a box with a lid and cut a hole in the side just large enough to fit your hand. Choose various, safe objects of various textures that will fit easily into the box. (cotton ball, rock, rubber ball, tree bark, a sponge, an apple…) Place one object in the box at a time, but don’t let the other person see. Allow the person to put their hand through the hole and try and guess what they are feeling.

More on Touch

Touch Experiments

How your Skin Senses

Sense of Touch Experiments

Sense of Touch Video

Sensation (Touch, Pain, and Temperature) Video

Sense Of Sight

Our eyes work together to allow us to see. To test how they work together you will need:

• a paper cup

Set the paper cup on a table about 2 feet in front of your subject who should be sitting in a chair at the table. Have the person cover one eye. Hold a penny in your hand about 1.5 feet above the table. Slowly move your hand in front of, in back of and to the sides of the paper cup. When, the person thinks you are above the cup, have them say “Drop”.

Drop the penny. Do this again with one eye covered and then with both eyes open. Which way is easier? Your eyes work together for proper depth perception. Using both eyes should be easier to determine when the penny was above the cup.

Related Post: Sense of sight lesson and free printable

More on Sight

Sense of Sight Activities

Depth Perception Activity

20/20 Vision Activity

Sense of Sight- How it Works Video

Human Eye Video

What is Color Blindness Video

Vision: Crash Course A&P Video

How We See Color Video

The Visual System Video

Visual Perception   Video

Sense Of Taste

The sense of taste comes from taste receptors on your tongue. However, your taste is, also, influenced by your sense of smell. To test this you will need lifesaver candies of various flavors and a partner. Have your partner hold his or her nose. Give the lifesavers one at a time to your partner. Don’t let them see what color it is. Have them try to guess the flavor. Record the answers. Do the experiment again but with the nose unplugged. Which way made it easier to determine the flavor?

More On Taste

Sense of Taste Experiment

Test Your Taste

Test Your Taste Buds

Taste Testing Without Your Sense of Smell

The Sense of Taste   Video

Operation Ouch: The Tongue   Video

Taste Video

2-Minute Neuroscience: Taste   Video

Sense Of Smell

We had fun testing our sense of smell this week. Using small bowls with various odor-producing substances in our house and a blindfold, we conducted our smell test.

The bowls were held under the blindfolded subject’s nose. The subject tried to guess what they were smelling. We used hand soap, hot sauce, pickle juice and an orange.

More on Smell

Smell Experiments

Sense of Smell Experiments

Sniffing Out the Science of Smell

How Good is Your Sense of Smell?

The Sense of Smell   Video

How Your Nose Works   Video

How to Master Your Sense of Smell Video

Olfactory: Neuroanatomy Video Lab – Brain Dissections    Video

2-Minute Neuroscience: Olfaction Video

More Science Saturday

Don’t miss Science Saturday at MeetPenny.com . Get lots more sense study inspiration and ideas!

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28 Hands-On 5 Senses Activities for Preschool, Pre-k, and Kindergarten

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Explore these 5 senses activities to help students understand their body and learn about these important features. My little learners love learning about their senses, and these activities are designed to be hands-on, captivating, and educational for preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten students. Plus, I have a 5 senses activities FREEBIE just for you!

Grab the 5 senses activities printables to get you started! Little Learners 5 Senses Science unit & Gingerbread 5 Senses Science unit for a fun holiday twist!

Grab the FREE 5 senses printable at the bottom of the post to kickstart your 5 senses activities!

This post contains affiliate links, which means I earn a tiny commission when you use my links at no cost to you.

5 Senses Activities Freebie

Popcorn Experiment! Introduce your 5 senses unit with a popcorn experiment! Kids love popcorn, and it hits all the senses in this fun, interactive experiment. Students taste, touch, smell, see, and hear the popcorn while learning about their 5 senses. This could also be a great way to end your 5 senses unit for a hands-on recap.

>>Grab the 5 senses FREEBIE by filling in your email in the box at the bottom of this post, and it will be sent to you!<<

5 Senses Activities for Touch

Touch Science Table ! Set up a touch science table to allow your young children to explore their sense of feeling or touch. I have books, journal papers, and a few hands-on sorting games they can play.

I hide things in black socks so they can’t see it. Then, they stick their hands in and try to guess what is inside without looking. My students love these touch games! Plus, they are developing fine motor skills while learning about the sense of touch. 

Touch Book Basket! Also, on my touch science table is a basket of books perfect for touching! These titles feature areas to touch and feel with tons of different textures and materials. The Never Touch a … titles are a great addition to a senses book basket.

DIY Sensory Walk! Create your own sensory walk for science time or use it during indoor recess or gross motor time. I glued different textures and materials to pieces of cardstock. Students took their shoes and socks off and walked across the pages. They were able to feel all the different textures with their feet.

Sensory Bag Writing! To give students another touch opportunity, we practice writing on a sensory bag. This is a hair gel bag with glitter and a little bit of liquid watercolor mixed inside. Students can use their fingers or a pom pom to write letters, numbers, words, etc. Click here to get step-by-step directions for making a sensory bag.

Sandpaper and Cinnamon Writing! I love these 5 senses activities for writing! Grab some sandpaper and cinnamon sticks to make your own letter sheets. Write the letters or numbers on the sandpaper. Then, students can use their fingers to trace the letters. For even more sensory, give them a cinnamon stick to trace the letter with. This not only gives them a chance to learn about touch but also smell! Plus, your room will smell amazing when they are done!

5 Senses Activities for Smell

Smell Science Table ! Check out my science table all about the sense of smell. There are books, journal pages, smell sorts, and a smelling exploration. Your young children will love the matching smell game. The science table is a great place to give students more opportunities for social interaction, sensory activities, and help develop problem-solving skills. 

I place smelly items in the salt and pepper shakers from the dollar store. I put tape around them so students can see inside as easily. This is the best way I have found to kind of hide the materials inside. Then, students smell the shakers and guess what is inside by placing a small picture on the velcro. You can also place cotton balls with different scents of essential oils on them inside the shakers. 

Smelly Writing! For an easy smell center for 5 senses activities, grab some smelly markers and paper. Students can explore the scents while writing and drawing in the classroom.

Smelly Painting! Create a smelly painting by mixing your paint with liquid extracts from the cooking aisle. I made maple, banana, and orange paints so that they were scents that my students would recognize.

Smelly Play Dough! Add Kool-Aid powder to your homemade play dough to make it smelly! I also added liquid watercolor to make the colors more vibrant! If you are learning about the 5 senses during the holidays, I like to add cinnamon to my homemade play dough. My students love the different smells, and this makes great multi sensory experiences for your students. 

5 Senses Activities for Hearing

Hearing Science Table ! Set up a science table all about the sense of hearing. I like to have books, journal papers, hearing sort, and a hearing activity.

Create a hearing exploration with some small containers filled with a variety of objects that sound differently when shaken. I put tape around the containers so students can’t see what is inside until they flip it over to check their guesses.

Hearing Book Basket! Check out some of my favorite hearing books that I use in my preschool room. These sound books are perfect for exposing students to a variety of sounds from different environments.

Sound Walk! Go on a sound walk around the school or outside. I like to read the book The Listening Walk . Then we go outside if the weather is nice or walk around the school building listening. Use the recording page to keep track of things that you hear.

Explore Instruments! One way to explore the sense of hearing is by using musical instruments in the classroom. My students love making music while learning about the sense of hearing.

Sound Tempos! Give students a chance to get out their extra energy while they explore tempos and hearing. My students are using ribbon shakers to move and dance with. They are pieces of ribbon tied to plastic bracelets. Talk about fast and slow tempos during this activity.

Sound Shakers! Use plastic eggs and fill them with different objects for different sounds. Then tape them shut. So easy but such a fun learning experience. I also use these during dance parties, indoor recess, and gross motor time. Your students will have a lot of fun shaking and moving with these simple egg shakers. 

5 Senses Activities for Sight

Sight Science Table! Check out my sight science table for preschool, pre-k, or kindergarten students. Lots of books, journal pages, and sight activities. My students love the I Spy bottles for a fun activity about the sense of sight. 

I Spy Bottles! Create I spy bottles for a fun and engaging sight activity. Students will look for objects in the bottles. I also have a bunch of sensory bottles for tons of themes throughout the year. You can find them  here . You could also create these on a larger scale in sensory bins for students to touch and spy various items. That would be so much fun for kids of all ages!  

Sight Book Basket! In my book basket for sight, I love these books for preschool students. My students love I Spy books and these board ones are simple and perfect for little minds.

Math & Literacy I Spy Bottles! If your students love the I spy bottles like mine do, I also created math and literacy I spy bottles. I have a number, shapes, names, and letters bottle. There are also FREE worksheets that go with the bottles to guide students in what they should be looking for.

To get step-by-step directions and FREE printables for the other I spy bottles just click the words for the one you would like to make: numbers , shapes , names , and letters .

I Spy Classroom Hunts! Give your students a magnifying glass and watch them explore their environment. I like to give them a list of things to find around the room, but you could also just let them freely explore their area. If the weather is nice, go on a nature walk! Outside, you can hear various sounds, see different colors, touch various items, smell different scents, and maybe taste a thing or two.

5 Senses Activities for Taste

Taste Test ! Explore the sense of taste with a fun taste test in the classroom. I use pretzels, lemons, cookies, and dark chocolate for my taste test. Grab the printables for this fun exploration here . We do this as a whole class activity for students to practice making inferences, gather data, and describe results. We also talk about our taste buds. 

5 Senses Tubs! If your classroom is small, you can make a tub for each sense to have for your students. When we talk about each one, I show them everything in the tub, and then they can get things out during center time. If there is a tub that is very popular, I will leave it out for longer than the unit until they become bored with it.

5 Senses Anchor Chart ! Create this anchor chart with your students for interactive 5 senses activities that teach. Use the anchor chart printables to get started and then help students add more ideas.

5 Senses Sort ! Give students these hands-on 5 senses activities with some sorting mats. Students can look at the pictures and sort them by the sense that they will use with it.

I hope you enjoyed these 5 senses activities, and I can’t wait to see what you do in your classroom! My students love a five senses unit and learn so much. You can do it at the beginning of the year with your all about me theme or during the holidays with a gingerbread twist.

Click the pictures below to grab the 5 senses printables that you need for your lesson plans!

Want to see these 5 senses activities in action? Just click the picture below for a video!

Grab the 5 senses FREEBIE by filling in the box below!

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I’m Jackie, your go-to girl for early childhood inspiration and research-based curriculum. 

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Hands On As We Grow®

Hands on kids activities for hands on moms. Focusing on kids activities perfect for toddlers and preschoolers.

48 Five Senses Activities for Kids to Explore All Five

Sensory All Ages Resources Sensory 18 Comments

These sensory activities are a perfect way for kids to explore through their five senses.

There’s never a right or wrong way to do it, and there’s never an end outcome to expect. Which is one of the best things about them!

That’s what makes these excellent for the youngest kids! So, even preschoolers and older kids have lots they can learn by using their senses.

In the past, we’ve shared many sensory activities for kids to do (check out our 25 sensory activities for kids , our sensory weekly plan of activities , and many more edible sensory ideas ).

However, most of these sensory activities have been limited to touch.

This is because touching sensory activities are the easiest to implement, and may very well be the most intriguing for the kids.

But what about sound, smell, sight and taste activities?

Five senses activities are a must for young kids, especially young toddlers and even babies. Here are 48 ways to explore the 4 forgotten non-touch senses.

Download a week of sensory activities to do this week

So, today, we’re digging a little deeper into sensory activities and sharing ideas that explore with the four senses that are often forgotten.

Below you’ll find:

• First, sensory activities that explore smell with their nose
• Second, sensory activities that use sound to explore
• Third, sensory activities that explore with their sight
• Lastly, sensory activities that use taste to explore

48 Sensory activities for kids to explore using all five senses!

Sense of smell activities:.

Let’s get started! This might get a little stinky… But use that nose to find out what smells!

Does it smell good? Can you describe how it smells? Do they smell the same? Can you tell me what is making the smell? 

These are all great questions to keep in mind as you explore these activities and smell with your noses!

Sense of Sound Activities:

Let’s move onto listening and sound. Because I don’t know a single parent that doesn’t think their child could listen better, right?

Use these sound sensory activities as a way to get your child to turn on their listening ears and see what they can hear!

Do you hear the difference? Is this one louder or quieter? Does it have a higher pitch or a low roar? Do they sound the same? Have you heard that sound before?

Keep these questions in mind as your explore the wonderful sense of sound with these activities!

Sense of Sight Activities:

Exploring with their sense of sight is hard to put into activity terms as we ‘see’ all day long and use this as our primary sense to explore on an everyday basis.

These activities take it a step further into exploring with your eyes.

Sense of Taste Activities:

Let’s explore through the sense of taste. This is a great way for picky eaters to be introduced to new things.

However, if you have a picky eater, these activities might not go over the best, so introduce them with care and don’t expect it to be a home run off the bat.

Download a sensory week of activities

And finally we can’t forget the sense of touch.

About Mary Catherine

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October 8, 2023 at 4:34 am

It was a very useful article for my child, thank you for sharing.

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