Teaching Kids About the Five Senses: An Activity for the Classroom

The five senses are touch, taste, sight, smell, and hearing. Human beings use their hands, eyes, tongue, nose and ears to perceive these senses and make sense of their surroundings. Help kindergarten students further explore this concept with the following activities.

Materials:

• Disposable glasses with lid (non-transparent)
• Straws
• Orange juice
• Water
• Tea
• Milk

Procedure:

Divide your class into four groups and provide each with one glass of the above liquids. Give them a straw and direct them to taste from each glass by covering their nose with hand so that they can't smell it. Instruct them to use only taste to name the liquid in these glasses. Let them name the part of the body they used to identify the liquid in the glass.

Materials:

• Rose flowers
• Cinnamon sticks
• Mint leaves
• Disposable glasses with lid (non-transparent)
• Scissor

Procedure:

Make a small opening on the top of the three lids. Fill each glass with one of the above materials and close it tightly with the lid. Let your students try to name the material in each glass by smelling it and direct them to name the body part they have used to do so.

Tips for teacher: Don’t use intense smelling objects since it will create a problem in naming the rest of the materials.

Materials:

• Warm water
• Ice cubes
• Silk cloth pieces

Procedure:

Put the warm water and ice cubes in two glasses and cover it with a lid. Provide each student with black cloth and let them tie it around their eyes so that the only body part they are using is their hands. Let them name the materials and name the body part they have used to do so.

Materials:

• Drum
• Piano
• Sounds of animal (lion, tiger, dog etc)

Procedure:

Teachers can use CDs with the above sounds. Use CDs with only one type of sound as students in elementary class may find it really difficult to name a musical instrument. Let your students listen to the sounds one after another and direct them to name the source of sound and the body part which helped them to name it.

Materials:

• Pictures of various birds, animals and places the students might be familiar with

Procedure:

Show students pictures of familiar animals, birds and places. Teachers can even use CDs but don’t use the sound while playing them. Repeat the above procedure. Ask students to then explain which part of their body they used to identify each picture.

After completing all the activities, provide a chart with the body parts and the sense associated with it is pictorially represented. This will help to reinforce the knowledge they have just found out using their own skills.