Simple Kid’s Activity with Sensory Benefits

In honor of National Occupational Therapy Month, Occupational Therapy Assistant Travis Ethen is sharing how to play Shaving Cream Hangman. This activity is a fun twist on an old classic and full of sensory benefits!

Here’s what you need to play Shaving Cream Hangman with your kids:

• A bottle of shaving cream
• A mirror or disposable casserole pan
• A sheet of paper or marker board
• A writing utensil

Start by coming up with a hangman puzzle. Next, smear a layer of shaving cream on your mirror or disposable casserole pan.

Have your child guess letters by drawing them in the shaving cream. Fill the letters in accordingly on the hangman puzzle.

Continue until they’ve either solved the puzzle or they’ve been hung!

The best part of Shaving Cream Hangman is that it’s simple and rich in sensory benefits.

1. Fine Motor Coordination: Your child uses small muscles in their fingers and hands to draw the letters in the shaving cream. This helps improve their fine motor coordination.
2. Visual Motor Planning: Your child grows in their visual motor planning as they see and plan movements to form the letters in the shaving cream. This will carry over into writing with a pen or pencil as your child uses his index finger and visual motor planning to write.
3. Tactile Toleration: Shaving cream has an interesting texture! For children who avert certain textures, this activity challenges them to play with a different texture as they smear it on the mirror or write letters in it. Encourage your child that it’s okay to not clean their hands off while playing this game so they develop tactile tolerance.

Want to learn more about how sensory preference might be impacting your child and how occupational therapy at Kinetic Edge can help? Then check out this article by Occupational Therapist Elise Spronk. 

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