🔩 Sensory Screws & Bolts Buffet

🌸 Overview

This tactile activity is a dream for busy hands and curious minds. 💚

In Sensory Screws & Bolts Buffet, children explore textures, shapes, and coordination while twisting, matching, and sorting - all through play. It’s a simple yet powerful setup that strengthens fine motor control, focus, and problem-solving skills.

Perfect for sensory seekers, builders, or any child who loves tools, this activity turns everyday materials into a calming, hands-on learning experience.

🌿 What You’ll Explore

• Fine Motor Skills: Twisting, grasping, threading, and coordination.

• Sensory Play: Exploring texture, resistance, and sound.

• Maths: Sorting by size, shape, and colour.

• Social & Emotional: Focus, calm, and persistence.

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(Printable parent guide includes full learning outcomes, SEN adaptations, and reflection sheet.)

🪴 What You’ll Need

• Screws, bolts, nuts, and washers (plastic or metal)

• Trays, muffin tins, or bowls for sorting

• Optional: spanners, tongs, or tweezers

• Optional: textured add-ons like rice, pasta, or lentils for sensory depth

✨ Quick How-To

1️⃣ Set out your screws, bolts, and washers in a tray or container.

2️⃣ Let your child match, twist, and build freely.

3️⃣ Add a timer or challenge (“How many can you match in one minute?”).

4️⃣ For younger children, just enjoy the feel, sound, and movement.

💡 Parent Tip: This is a brilliant calm-down or focus activity - perfect for after busy play or as a transition task.

💚 Adapt for Every Age and Ability

• Use extra large plastic bolts for younger or SEN learners.

• Colour-code trays or bowls for easy sorting.

• For tactile exploration, bury bolts in rice or beans to “find and match.”

• Provide visual cards showing screw-bolt pairs for matching support.

• Offer gentle background music or a “calm zone” setup for sensory regulation.

(SEN toolkit printable and visual matching cards available in the downloadable pack.)

🎨 Extension Ideas

• Maths Moment: Sort and count by size or colour - graph the results!

• Design Station: Build simple shapes or towers using bolts.

• Sensory Buffet: Add textures like sand, rice, or pom-poms to explore resistance.

• Race Challenge: Set a gentle “twist and match” timer for friendly competition.

💾 Download the Full Activity Pack

The Sensory Screws & Bolts Buffet Printable Pack includes:

✔️ Visual setup guide and checklist

✔️ Fine motor tracking chart

✔️ Colour sorting & matching sheets

✔️ SEN-friendly visual instruction cards

✔️ Certificate of completion

✔️ Parent reflection guide

🛒 Get the Sensory Screws & Bolts Buffet Pack on Etsy

🎥 See It in Action

Watch our sensory setup and play guide here:

🌿 Watch Sensory Screws & Bolts Buffet on Instagram

🪶 Why We Love This

We love this one because it turns focus and movement into mindfulness. It’s calm, purposeful play that builds real-life skills - and it’s always a hit with curious hands (and paws).

Thanks for joining us for today’s experiment 💚

If you give it a go, we’d love to see! Tag @CuriousPawsLearning on Instagram, YouTube, Tiktok, X, Pinterest or Facebook so we can celebrate your little scientist’s success together. 🐾