The Box Game

• Set up a series of boxes with different items in each one. Allow the children to reach into each box and feel an item without looking at it. Ask them to describe the feeling of the item. Next, have them smell it and then describe the smell aloud. Kindergartners rely heavily on their sense of touch. The box game helps children verbally describe their physical sensations without seeing them. The game also allows children to use their sense of smell.
  
  

I Spy

• Children have strong visual senses, but that doesn’t mean they have observational skills. Observational skills make it easier to recognize shapes and patterns when taking in the whole picture. Games that encourage children to pick out a specific item from a scene help them polish their visual skills. Pass out a worksheet that shows two pictures. While the pictures look similar, there are subtle differences. Ask the children to circle the differences in each picture to hone their visual and observational skills.
  
  

Food Sampling

• Your kindergartners will enjoy the opportunity to eat in class while they hone their sense of taste. Blindfold the children one by one. Have the blindfolded child come to the front of the room and have him eat a piece of food (keep it soft and chewy so he doesn’t choke). Don’t let the students tell him what it is. Allow him to guess what he just ate. If he cannot identify the food item in three tries, allow the other students to answer for him. Use a different food item for each child so they don’t catch onto the game.
  
  

Voice Recognition

• Kindergartners don’t have the best voice recognition skills outside of their family members, but they may be able to discern the different voices of their classmates. Challenge the children to pick up the verbal cues of someone by playing the name game. Place one of your students behind a curtain. Select another student to say “hello” or some other simple phrase. Challenge the child waiting behind the curtain to put a name to the voice.