The Sense Of Touch Lesson Plan
Welcome To A Making Sense Lesson Plan
The sense of touch is an important one which sadly is often misused. In this series of free lesson plans I seek to inspire children to use all of their senses to discover the wonderful world in which they live, and of which they are a part.
In this lesson plan children will learn about kind hands. Human beings can die through a lack of loving physical contact and we all know how comforting and strengthening a hug can be. By using their sense of touch, they can learn to explore their environment in a healthy way that will encourage natural inquisitveness. Having a pet at home to stroke is well known for it's therapeutic benefits and children seem to know this instictively. As adults we need to keep this vital sense alive and healthy! These activites seek to do that.
Introduction With The Feely Bag
What Are Our Five Senses?
Introduce the session by asking the children to identify their five senses. Write the correct answers on a board and if you have already covered any of them in previous sessions, take the opportunity to briefly recap.
Fill a bag such as the one below with a variety of familiar objects that feel different. Make sure that it is closed at the top so that no-one can look in and pass it to each child individually, asking them to put their hand in and identify one object in the bag. When they do so, they can pull it out and check whether they were correct. Ask them to describe how the object felt and how they managed to identify it.
A Top Tip- Can You Touch Your Toes?
Have this up your sleeve for when kids get fidgety!
Sometimes we lose the children's attention, at which point it is handy to give them the chance to move around a little, before resuming where you left off.
What about you?
Can you touch your toes without bending your legs?
Lead them with actions that go with these fun songs!
Songs For Kids About Touch
Here are some songs for kids that incorporate the sense of touch.
- The Farmer's in his den
- Head, shoulders, knees and toes
- Be careful little hands what you do
- Jesus' hands were kind hands
By patting the dog or touching the different parts of their own bodies, we are inspiring kids to think about how they use their hands for good and encouraging healthy social interaction.
A Story About Kind Hands
Make sure they are sitting comfortably before you tell them this amazing story-
Many years ago people would sometimes get ill with a skin disease called leprosy. When the priests had confirmed that they had leprosy, they had to go and live away from the people, because it was very infectious. No-one would get near them let alone touch them for fear of catching this terrible illness. Can you imagine how lonely and afraid they must have felt? Many people died of it.
One day someone took the chance and brought a leper to Jesus in the hope that he would heal him. The man knelt at Jesus' feet and begged him to heal him, for he had no other hope of getting well again. Jesus was moved and really sad to see this man. He reached out and touched him and said, "I will, Be clean!" Immediately the leprosy disappeared and the man was well. He was so happy and thankful. Jesus told him to go to the priest again and get the all-clear so that he could resume a normal life.
A Handy Craft- We Use Kind Hands To Touch
Draw around the largest hands in your group and cut out.
Get half of the children to colour one black and the other lots of bright colours. Over the black one write the caption: "Unkind Hands" and over the colourful one: "Kind Hands"
Keep for the next game.
Hands
A Game Making Sense Of Touch - Unkind or kind hands?
Stick both the coloured hands at opposite ends of the room.
Tell the children that when you tell them something, they need to decide whether the examples were of children doing kind or unkind things with their hands and then run to the appropriate hand on the wall.
If you like, you can make the last one to reach the correct hand "out" and the last one in is the winner.
Read these examples out one at a time loud and clear.
- The little boy stroked the dog gently.
- The girl helped her friend to brush her hair.
- The boy punched his brother because he wouldn't help him.
- The girl was angry, but went into her room and punched a pillow until she felt better.
- The girl held her brother's hand because he was scared.
- The boy pushed his friend over on purpose because he was cross with him.
- The girl have her mummy a cuddle, because she was sad.
- The girl wanted to be first, so she pushed in to the front of the queue.
- The little boy saw someone fall over, so he went over to him and helped him up.
- The boy offered to carry his Grannie's bag for her.
- The children threw their toys all over the floor and wouldn't put them away.
Touch And Create With Playdough - Get them to mould their favorite story characters
Kids Will Love Looking At Touch Books Together
Touch Books- to inspire kids about the sense of touch and teach them a lot more besides!
Young children are often told not to touch, but these sturdy touch books encourage them to do so, thus helping to keep their attention and providing plenty of interaction as you tell a simple story that will inspire kids.
The Making Sense Lesson Plans- check out the whole collection of lesson plans on the five senses
- I Am Special- The Five Senses Lesson Plans
Welcome to my collection of Making Sense Lesson Plans on the five senses. Here I sum up or introduce this theme by emphasizing the fact that we are wonderfully made. The five lesson plans go on to explore this theme further by looking at the five...