Coming up with fun things for children to do, whether at school or at home, is so important. Hearing them giggling is a big sense of achievement, and there's no better way to do it than with sensory play. So today we're going to share a recipe on how to make slime - kids love it (adults do too, however much you try to deny it) and it's a great way to develop the mind and senses as well.

So here goes...

INGREDIENTS

Craft glue, 118ml

Warm water, 236ml

Cold water, 118ml

Borax powder, 1 tablespoon

Food colouring

METHOD

1. Grab your kids and ensure they're involved in the making process, as it's half the fun!

2. Measure everything out and get it ready, then get your little ones to mix the borax powder with the warm water until the powder dissolves.

3. Next, combine the craft glue with the cold water in a separate container.

4. Add food colouring to this watery glue mixture. This is a fantastic opportunity to teach kids about mixing colours - make purple with red and blue, or go for traditional green slime by combining yellow and blue food colouring.

5. Make sure your kids' eyes are peeled for this bit - combine the two mixtures together and watch the slime form.

6. Leave it for 30 seconds so it can solidify. This'll probably be the longest 30 seconds of your child's life... you have been warned.

7. Take it out of the container and let the fun commence!

But the fun certainly doesn't stop there. You can enhance the slime further with glitter, make it glow in the dark, create an edible option... the possibilities are endless. And there are tons of other sensory play ideas out there as well, if you'd like to try more. Rainbow soap foam bubbles are made simply from washing-up liquid, water and food colouring which are blended together in a mixer. They look seriously brilliant.

Jelly is another great option for sensory learning. Not only does the odd texture and consistency stir the senses, but there really are so many options for playtime. Make the jelly into fun shapes, let little'uns squish their feet in a bowl of it, play and eat at the same time (though ideally not the same stuff that was touched by kiddy feet) and team the tasty treat with other toys as well, such as using a digger to scoop it up.

Whichever type of sensory play takes your fancy, you can see just how easy it is to do it from home with some things from the cupboard.

Are you a teacher looking for sensory equipment for your class? You can get a variety of things from Hope Education .