Jelly Hands Dig: illustration of a toddler doing the activity

Jelly Hands Dig

from 24 months · 10-15 min · Sensory

Personal, Social and Emotional DevelopmentCommunication and LanguageUnderstanding the World

What you need

  • made jelly
  • shallow tray
  • small toys
  • spoon

How to do it

  1. Set a tray of wobbly jelly on the table with small toys buried inside
  2. Let them dig in with hands or a spoon to find the toys
  3. Ask them to describe how it feels — wobbly, cold, squishy
  4. Rinse hands together when they're done

Why it matters

Digging through a strange wobbly texture with bare hands helps them get comfortable with new sensations instead of avoiding them.

What they're learning

sensory tolerance
handling strange textures like jelly builds comfort that helps with trying new foods and materials later
descriptive language
finding words for wobbly, cold or squishy grows the vocabulary they use to describe the world
search persistence
digging around to find hidden toys builds the patience needed for problem-solving tasks

What to look for

Watch for them using a word to describe the texture without being prompted.

A tip

Do this somewhere wipeable — a highchair tray or outside table works well.

Make it easier or harder

Easier: use warm cooked pasta instead of jelly for a gentler texture

Harder: ask them to find toys of a specific colour only

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Sensory activities · Activities for 2 year olds · Toddler activities with a spoon · Toddler activities with a tray