Today’s fabulous Sensory Heart Tic Tac Toe idea is brought to you by Sara-Jayne from Keep Up with the Jones family. Sara-Jayne is a fellow mum to boys, she has three under six and is a Junior School Teacher. This post is part of our learning with manipulatives series.

Sensory Heart Tic Tac Toe

This is a really sweet and simple activity which has kept my boys occupied for quite a while! Adding a sensory element to the standard tic tac toe game really seemed to engage them – especially as there was the chance that they might have to miss a turn.

You will need:

At least six each of three colours of miniature erasers – this is a colour for each player, and a “miss a turn” eraser colour.

Two packets of water beads, soaked overnight to expand fully.

A container for the beads which will comfortably fit a player’s hand inside. Allow space for some rummaging.

One square piece of felt to accommodate the size of nine of your erasers. I laid mine out and then cut the felt to fit.

Instructions for Sensory Heart Tic Tac Toe:

Soak the beads overnight in their container.

Snip the tic tac toe board with sharp scissors. I did this freehand, but you can use a light coloured chalk to mark a hashtag to cut around.

Place the felt game board on a flat surface.

Drop the erasers into the beads and leave them to distribute themselves.

Decide who takes the first turn!

How to Play Sensory Heart Tic Tac Toe:

Take it in turns to hunt for a correct colour eraser to play with. If it isn’t your colour, or if it’s the “miss a turn” eraser, forfeit your turn. Three of the same coloured eraser placed in any direction wins.

By using small erasers, you are encouraging your kids to use their pincer grip

I’m joining a team of bloggers in a year-long series about learning with manipulatives. As a mum, I know that there is no better way than to learn through play and using manipulatives with kids whilst they are playing and learning means they are developing fine motor skills.

I am really looking forward to sharing and learning with you through play this series as we share creative ways to work on fine motor skills while learning.