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10 Hidden Perks of Your Amazon Prime Membership

In the past, we relied on paper lists and brick-and-mortar stores, but Amazon Prime has revolutionized the way we shop. While free shipping and exclusive shows are great, don't miss these 10 hidden perks that can enhance your membership.

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🌟 Sound Exploration Tubes

• Transform ordinary paper towel rolls into fascinating sound discovery tools!

• Fill different tubes with materials like uncooked rice, dried beans, or beads, then securely seal the ends.

• Each tube creates unique sounds when shaken, helping children develop auditory discrimination skills.

• This simple activity teaches children about cause and effect while enhancing their listening abilities.

  🖐️ Interactive Sensory Bins

  

  • Create a world of exploration with themed sensory bins!

  • Fill a container with base materials like rice, sand, or dried beans, then add themed items for discovery.

  • For example, a ocean-themed bin might include shells, smooth stones, and safe plastic sea creatures.

  • This activity develops tactile sensitivity, fine motor skills, and creative play all at once.

✨Movement Magic: Balance Beam Adventures

• Using simple painter's tape, create paths on the floor for walking adventures.

• Make straight lines, zigzags, or curves to challenge different movement skills.

• This activity not only develops balance and coordination but also spatial awareness and confidence.

• Add excitement by pretending the tape is a bridge over an imaginary river or a path through a magical forest.

Mystery Sound Game: "What's That?"

• Turn everyday sounds into an exciting guessing game! Make sounds with familiar objects (like crinkling paper or dropping blocks) while your child tries to identify them with closed eyes.

• This game sharpens listening skills and builds cognitive connections between sounds and their sources. It's also a great way to develop vocabulary as children describe what they hear.

Frozen Treasure Hunt

Create an engaging scientific exploration by freezing small toys in ice.

• Provide warm water, salt, and safe tools to help free the "frozen treasures."

• This activity teaches about temperature, cause and effect, and problem-solving while developing fine motor skills.

• It's particularly refreshing during warm weather and can be set up outdoors for mess-free fun.

📥 Free Printables Corner

My Five Senses: A Fun Coloring Adventure! 🎨👀👂🤲👃👅

Explore the amazing world of your senses with this fun and engaging coloring book! From seeing bright rainbows to listening to birds sing, feeling soft fur, smelling sweet flowers, and tasting yummy treats—each page brings a new sensory adventure to life. Perfect for young learners to color, imagine, and discover how they experience the world around them!

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Help offset rising pet care costs

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• Pet insurance could provide up to 90% reimbursement.

• View Money’s top pet insurance picks here.

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🎯 Creative Beading Station

Set up a beading station with large, colorful beads and pipe cleaners for younger children, or string and smaller beads for older ones. This activity develops fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and pattern recognition. It also allows for creative expression as children create their own designs and color combinations.

Calming Glitter Bottles

Create beautiful sensory bottles using clear water bottles, glitter, food coloring, and clear glue. These bottles become fascinating tools for emotional regulation as children watch the glitter slowly settle. They're perfect for quiet time and can help children learn to self-soothe when feeling overwhelmed.

No-Mess Paint Exploration

Rainbow Puff Ball Sorting

Mini Garden Sensory Experience

Create a small garden space where children can dig, plant, and explore. Use child-safe tools for digging and watering. This activity engages multiple senses: feeling different textures of soil and plants, smelling flowers and herbs, seeing plants grow, and hearing the rustle of leaves or splash of water.

Why Sensory Play Matters

Sensory play is crucial for child development because it:

• Builds nerve connections in the brain that enhance learning

• Develops fine and gross motor skills

• Supports language development

• Encourages scientific thinking and problem-solving

• Helps children regulate their emotions

Tips for Success

• Always supervise sensory activities

• Choose age-appropriate materials

• Consider your child's sensory preferences

• Start simple and gradually increase complexity

• Allow plenty of time for exploration

• Join in the fun – children learn best through shared experiences