Preschool Activities: Feel Bag

By: Deborah Pace Rowley

Preschoolers are getting more adapt at identifying things by touch alone. Capitalize on this developing skill by creating a feel bag. Any simple draw string bag or even an empty pillow case will do. All you need to do is gather 5 or 6 unique items to place in the bag. Begin with simple objects that your child sees regularly such as a a ball, a marker, a toy car, or a Barbie doll. Have your child reach his hand into the feel bag and try to identify an object without looking at it. If he guesses correctly, he can remove the item from the bag. Continue playing until all the objects have been guessed. 

Increase the challenge by putting less familiar and more similar objects in the feel bag. Can your child feel the difference between an apple and an orange or a pencil and a pen? How about a quarter and a dime? Let your child gather items to put in the feel bag so you can guess. Try to “feel” the color of an object before pulling it out! Now you can tell your preschooler you have “magic hands!”