Hobbies And Interests
Play-Doh
Make your own Play-Doh by mixing 2 cups flour with 1 cup salt. Add water until you achieve the desired consistency. Mix a few drops of food coloring and a few drops of essential oil, such as peppermint. The children can play with the scented play dough while making shapes. Other oils include bubblegum, orange and banana. Coordinate with the holidays by making green dough and giving the children shamrock-shaped cookie cutters or red dough with heart-shaped cookie cutters for Valentine̵7;s Day.
Sorting Games
Have the children separate certain scents by group, such as pleasant and unpleasant smells. Place cut bananas, onions, apples, garlic and cinnamon in jars. Have the children smell the items in the jars and separate the items by smell. You can award a sticker to each preschooler who correctly identifies the pleasant and unpleasant smells. Alternatively, have a game to see which preschooler can separate the smells in the least amount of time.
Scratch and Sniff Activities
Create your own scented paint for preschoolers by mixing food extract flavors with tempura paint. Some examples include mixing cherry with red paint, orange with orange paint and vanilla with brown paint. The children can use the paint to draw a picture. After the paint dries, they can scratch the paint to bring back the smell. Or create a game by making orange paint with cherry extract and purple paint with orange scent. Have the children try to guess the correct scent. For a less messy activity, allow the children to color with scented markers.
Guessing Games
Fill baby food jars with random food items and scents. Poke holes in the lids so the children can smell each one. Use items such as baby powder, cinnamon, peanut butter, coffee grinds and lemon in the jars. Blindfold the preschoolers and have them guess the items in the jars. The player who guesses the most items correctly wins the game. Alternatively, you can award a small prize to each preschooler who guesses at least two smells correctly.