Barefoot "Trail"
Help your baby explore the world through their sense of touch. Take off their shoes and let them experience the sensation of different surfaces beneath theirr feet.
Materials Needed
Barefoot Trail
Difficulty Level: Easy
Time Needed: 10 minutes
Best done: Outdoors/Indoors
Main Movement: Crawling/Walking
Materials Needed
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Optional sensory surfaces: (more below)
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Carpet
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Stones (not sharp!)
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Grass
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Let's Play!
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This sensory movement activity is perfect to be done outdoors (but may also be done indoors). The main goal of this experience is to expose your child to various surfaces to engage their sense of touch! They will also learn how to move on different types of surfaces.
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Choose the surfaces for your child to move on with bare feet and hands (list of suggestions below)
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Carpet
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Stones - the smooth rounded type (may need help moving)
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Grass
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Sand
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Mud (if you are brave enough)
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*Set up your "trail!"
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6 Months + (or not yet crawling): Try and have each surface in a line (to make it easier to move). Place your child on each surface, allowing them to examine with their feet and hands.
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9 Months + (or crawling): Try and have each surface in a line (to make it easier to move). Let your child crawl across each surface, experiencing how each one feels.
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12 Months + (or walking): Place the surfaces a bit farther apart from one another to create a longer "trail." Let your child walk across barefoot! **Help them balance on surfaces that are more challenging especially if they are new walkers.
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**Regardless of age, make sure you are monitoring your child closely. Though these are great to examine with sense of touch, they are not great for sense of taste and could present a choking hazard!