Do you use a sensory tray, bin or tub with your children? Often these are marketed as being Montessori when clearly they are not. If you ask a Montessori teacher about sensory trays/bins/tubs, they might say that they are not necessary, that children need exposure to real sensory experiences and parents should instead focus on exploring nature, arts, and baking/food preparation.

Although sensory trays are not Montessori, I have seen sand and water trays in my children's Montessori classrooms, usually outside under the verandah. 

"With my own children I chose not to use sensory bins. I believe you can find richer sensorial materials in nature, around the home, in daily life, rather than through a sparkly concoction of goop." - The Montessori Toddler.

We don't always have a sensory tray out but my preschooler usually loves them. We like sensory trays as they help to promote:

• fun, experimentation
• open-ended play
• independent play
• concentration
• development of fine motor skills
• understanding of cause and effect
• creativity
• storytelling and self-expression.

Sensory trays are simple and affordable to set up and my preschooler will spend a lot of time playing with them. It's super easy to change the materials, for example, if we have sand in the tray, it's easy to take out construction vehicles and put in bowls and scoops and it renews my child's interest. 

Above we are using magic sand with geometric shapes. 

My child is really interested in construction vehicles! A lot of this play includes stories about the vehicles and the work they are doing. 

Shaving foam and food colouring are always fun. 

Perhaps there is a little bit of learning about colour mixing happening here. 

It's so important here to observe your child. Some children are sensory seekers and may enjoy this play. Some children are sensory avoiders. We need to understand how our children feel. A child who is a sensory avoider may not like this type of play. Once we know our child we can provide experiences that suit their needs.

The food colouring is in water and in introduces the element of using a pipette or dropper. 

A paint scraper is fun to use with sand, paint or with the foam. 

I made some simple goo with water, flour and food colouring. This was super easy to hose down when we were finished.