Sensory Saturday ~ Hearing

This weekend my in-laws came down and spent the night with us for a little Addy-loving, and of course some shopping :) As soon as they walked through the door Addyson and her aunt Kinsley got down on the floor and began doing what kids do best; play. Kinsley got out Addyson's butterfly rocker and started pressing all the buttons to make the songs play. Ryan commented that he didn't even know that toy made noise to which my MIL very wisely said "all kids toys make noise." And oh how true that is! Even the ones that don't come with a sound box make some kind of noise. But you don't have to own the newest high-tech, battery powered thing-a-ma-bop for your kiddo to enjoy making noise. As any parent will tell you, the best toys are the things that aren't actually toys.

So this week I let Addy-girl explore her sense of hearing with things that don't require two AA batteries!

Introducing THE best rattle ever! We've had this toy around our house for a while now, and it's always a favorite go-to for Addyson. I simply took an empty water bottle and filled it with a handful of rice.

She can literally shake, rattle, and roll this DIY toy. She loves to listen to the rice shaking inside, but even more she loves the sound it makes when she crunches the bottle between her little fingers. It also makes for a great drum stick which leads us to our next favorite noise maker...

The almighty tin can! You won't find a better drum for your little learner than a big 'ol tin can. My mom brought this one over after Christmas because she figured Addyson would think it was interesting, and boy was she right. Every morning when I set Addyson down to play the first thing she goes for is her tin can.

She can stand up at it and bang on the top all day long. If she ever gets bored with that, we use the handles to clang on the sides of the can. And sometime we take off the lid because every drum set needs a cymbal. She just loves to hear the different sounds that are made by hitting different parts of the can.

And yes I fully realize my child looks like pure white trash dressed like this, but it was just one of those days...

Then we have an actual musical instrument. A xylophone that she got in her stocking. Addy-girl is definitely at the stage where she likes to bang on everything, so this toy is just perfect for learning how to make beautiful sounds and hear the different tones.

Caught her by surprise! This is A's "deer in the headlights" look

And lastly we can't forget to keep those little ears stimulated while riding in the car. One of my best friends, Jessica York, gave Addyson this CD for Christmas. It is the sweetest little CD ever and is so special because they talk to Addyson and use her name in all the songs! I actually teared up listening to it for the first because I'm a mush-pot when it comes to my girl, haha.

God is so good for blessing us with ears to hear!

     

"But he said, 'Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!'”

Luke 11:28