The five senses are how young children explore and understand their world. A well-planned lesson on this topic creates a foundation for scientific thinking and vocabulary development. Today, we are going to explore what a 5 senses lesson plan for preschool should include to engage young learners and build lasting understanding.
What Is a 5 Senses Lesson Plan? A 5 senses lesson plan is a structured set of activities focused on sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. This plan typically spans several days or weeks. It helps children become aware of how they experience the world through their bodies.
During these lessons, children learn to identify each sense and the body part associated with it. They practice using descriptive words for what they observe. They conduct simple explorations. They build vocabulary that helps them talk about their experiences.
A good lesson plan connects to many areas of learning. Science, language, art, music, and even math can all be part of sensory exploration. This integrated approach makes learning meaningful and memorable.
Meaning and Explanation of the Five Senses Before starting the lessons, children need to understand what senses are and why they matter.
Sight uses our eyes. We see colors, shapes, sizes, and movement. Our eyes help us find things, read books, and see the faces of people we love.
Hearing uses our ears. We hear sounds, music, voices, and noises. Our ears help us listen to stories, hear warnings, and enjoy songs.
Touch uses our skin. We feel textures, temperatures, and pressure. Our skin helps us know if something is soft or hard, hot or cold, smooth or rough.
Taste uses our tongue. We taste sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and savory flavors. Our tongue helps us enjoy food and avoid things that might be bad for us.
Smell uses our nose. We smell flowers, food, and other scents. Our nose helps us enjoy pleasant smells and warns us of dangers like smoke.
We can explain that our senses are like special tools our bodies have. Each tool gives us different information. Together, they help us understand everything around us.
Daily Life Examples of Using Senses Throughout the lesson plan, connect sensory learning to daily experiences.
During breakfast, talk about what children sense. "The toast smells warm. The orange juice tastes sweet and sour. The cereal goes crunch."
During outdoor play, notice all the senses. "Look at the blue sky. Feel the warm sun. Hear the birds singing. Smell the grass. Taste the fresh air."
During art, observe sensory details. "The paint feels cool and smooth. Look how the colors mix. Hear the brush swish on the paper."
During music, focus on hearing. "This song is fast. This song is slow. Shake the bells softly. Shake them loudly."
These natural observations make sensory awareness part of every day.
Sample 5 Senses Lesson Plan Structure A comprehensive lesson plan might span five days, focusing on one sense each day. Here is a sample structure.
Day 1: Introduction to the Five Senses Read "My Five Senses" by Aliki. Discuss what senses are. Sing the Five Senses Song. Introduce the concept that we learn about the world through our senses.
Day 2: Sight Activity: Look through magnifying glasses at leaves, fabric, and small objects. Play I Spy with colors and shapes. Create a color collage. Read "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?"
Day 3: Hearing Activity: Go on a listening walk. Record sounds inside and outside. Play a sound guessing game with eyes closed. Make shakers with different materials. Read "Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?"
Day 4: Touch Activity: Create a texture board with different materials. Play with play dough and describe how it feels. Have a feely box with mystery objects. Read "Pat the Bunny" or other touch-and-feel books.
Day 5: Smell Activity: Create smell jars with cotton balls and extracts. Blindfold smell test. Make scented play dough. Read "The Sweet Smell of Christmas" or similar.
Day 6: Taste Activity: Taste testing party with sweet, sour, salty, and bitter foods. Discuss flavors. Graph favorite tastes. Read "Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr. Seuss.
Day 7: Review and Celebration Create a five senses museum. Review all senses through stations. Celebrate with a sensory party.
Learning Activities for Each Sense Here are detailed activities for each sense that can be included in the lesson plan.
Sight Activities: Color mixing with paint or colored water. Looking through magnifying glasses. Playing I Spy. Exploring a light table with translucent objects. Watching shadow puppets. Making binoculars from paper tubes and going on a sight walk.
Hearing Activities: Listening to sounds in nature during a quiet walk. Playing musical instruments. Making shakers with rice, beans, and sand. Playing sound guessing games. Exploring loud and soft, high and low sounds.
Touch Activities: Sensory bins with rice, beans, sand, or water. Feeling different textures like fur, sandpaper, silk, and bubble wrap. Exploring temperature with warm and cool items. Creating a texture board. Having a feely bag.
Taste Activities: Tasting parties with different flavors. Sweet apple slices, salty pretzels, sour lemon, bitter dark chocolate. Blind taste tests. Cooking simple recipes together. Always check for allergies first.
Smell Activities: Smelling jars with different scents. Cotton balls with extracts, spices, flowers, lemon peels. Identifying smells blindfolded. Making scented play dough. Exploring smells in nature.
Printable Flashcards for the Five Senses Flashcards help children learn the names of the senses and the body parts associated with them.
Create cards for each sense:
Sight with a picture of eyes
Hearing with a picture of ears
Touch with a picture of a hand
Taste with a picture of a mouth and tongue
Smell with a picture of a nose
Create matching cards that show things we experience with each sense. A rainbow for sight. A bell for hearing. A soft blanket for touch. An ice cream cone for taste. A flower for smell.
Children match the sense to the object. This builds understanding of which sense we use for different experiences.
Five Senses Books for the Lesson Plan Picture books reinforce sensory concepts throughout the unit. Include these in your lesson plan.
"My Five Senses" by Aliki is a classic introduction.
"Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" by Bill Martin Jr. focuses on sight.
"Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?" by Bill Martin Jr. focuses on hearing.
"Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?" continues the pattern.
"You Can't Taste a Pickle With Your Ear" by Harriet Ziefert explores all the senses.
"The Listening Walk" by Paul Showers describes all the sounds heard on a walk.
"Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr. Seuss is perfect for the taste day.
Five Senses Songs for the Lesson Plan Music helps children remember sense concepts. Include these songs in your daily routine.
Five Senses Song (to the tune of "Where Is Thumbkin?"): Five senses, five senses, We have them, we have them. Seeing, hearing, touching, Tasting and smelling. There are five, there are five.
My Eyes Can See (to the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat"): My eyes can see the sun, My ears can hear a drum, My hands can touch and feel, My tongue can taste a meal. My nose can smell a rose, That's how my body knows!
Sing these songs during circle time each day to reinforce the sense names.
Five Senses Science Explorations Simple experiments help children understand how their senses work. Include these in your lesson plan.
Sight Exploration: Use magnifying glasses to look at small things closely. Compare how things look up close and far away. Explore color mixing.
Hearing Exploration: Make simple shakers with different materials inside. Compare the sounds. Explore loud and soft.
Touch Exploration: Explore temperature by feeling warm and cool items. Compare textures. Make handprints in play dough.
Taste Exploration: Discover that we taste different flavors on different parts of our tongue. Try tasting with your nose plugged.
Smell Exploration: Explore how smell affects taste. Try eating something while holding your nose. Does it taste the same?
Creating a Five Senses Museum A wonderful culminating activity is creating a classroom "Five Senses Museum." Children help collect items for each sense.
For sight, they bring interesting things to look at. A kaleidoscope, a prism, colorful pictures.
For hearing, they bring things that make sounds. Bells, whistles, shakers, music boxes.
For touch, they bring different textures. A soft scarf, a rough sponge, a smooth stone, a bumpy ball.
For taste, they bring pictures of foods with different flavors. Sweet, sour, salty, bitter.
For smell, they bring safe scented items. A flower, a lemon, a cinnamon stick, a vanilla bean.
Display everything in labeled areas. Invite another class to visit the museum. Children explain each exhibit to visitors.
Assessment Ideas Throughout the lesson plan, observe children's understanding. Can they name each sense? Can they identify the body part used? Can they describe what they experience?
Create simple assessment activities. Show a picture of a rainbow. Ask which sense we use. Show a picture of a bell. Ask which sense we use.
Keep samples of children's work. Their drawings, their dictated observations, their participation in activities. These show growth over time.
Adapting for Individual Needs Every child experiences senses differently. Some children are very sensitive to certain sensations. Others seek out intense sensory input.
Create activities that are inviting for all children. Offer choices. Some children may not want to taste or touch certain things. That is okay. Never force participation.
Observe how children respond. Some may cover their ears at loud sounds. Some may avoid sticky textures. Adjust activities accordingly.
Create a sensory-friendly environment. Quiet spaces for children who need a break. A variety of textures and materials. Opportunities for both active and calm sensory experiences.
As we plan a 5 senses lesson plan for preschool, we create opportunities for deep, meaningful learning. Children discover how their bodies work. They build vocabulary for describing their experiences. They develop scientific observation skills. Through hands-on activities, games, and explorations, the five senses become not just concepts to learn but ways of experiencing the world. This lesson plan lays a foundation for all future science learning and for a lifetime of sensory awareness.