We were privileged to be part of an exciting revamp project of the family room at our church. We decided to make one of the walls a sensory wall with toys that will keep the littlies entertained while the parents can focus on the service.
The age group this room is catering for is the 0-3 year olds. Since our children are past this age we know what they enjoyed at that age and also what parents would appreciate while making use of a family room at church.
This is the “before” and “after” photos:
Our first step was to decide on a theme and color scheme. We wanted bright and cheery so, opted for blue and green with splashes of white. We had grass and cloud cutouts made from wood as well as white flowers. The walls were painted blue to represent the sky.
The centre of the flowers were cut out and filled it with a variety of textured fabric.
Then we started to fill the wall up with different activities and toys.
Two towel railings with toys (securely attached) were added. The toys can be pulled and explored and the little ones who are starting to pull themselves up can hold onto the rail. Our aim was to have toys attached to the wall so that it will not be carried around- keeping the room tidy and safer because toys cannot be thrown around or be put in mouths. These toys included magnetic toys attached to a baking sheet, draw-and-clean board, pull-toys, wooden beads toys, spinning balls etc. (see below for recommendations)
We aimed to place the activities on different heights, catering for the different stages of baby development. Two mirrors were added behind the rails(for safety reasons) and these mirrors fascinate the standing babies. The small bimbo chairs can be used to place a baby in front of the wall to play while being supported in a sitting position.
We absolutely loved this sensory wall project and hope the kids and the parents will enjoy their new family room. It does look like it is a success!
A huge thank you to Pastor Natasha Joubert at New Beginnings Christian Family Church for sharing these images with us!
See this awesome book for activities for 1 year olds!
Hello Nadia, this is nice post. You have described on such a nice topic for toddler. It will look nice and toddler will love it and enjoy it. Thanks for this lovely post.
HI Nadia,
You have written such a nice blog. It definitely going to help me much.
Thank you!
How did you attach them to the wall and how did you keep your more aggressive children from ripping them off the wall?
Some items were bolted to the wall, others were glued with a very strong glue. Some loose things had to be replaced, like the ribbons etc.
Hello.. Love this idea and would like to do something similar to my infant/toddler room. The green wall of grass, what is it made of and where did you purchase it? Thank you
Hi! It is painted masonite board, a local made it for us, but I’m sure any carpenter can cut it for you
How did you ge the manga doodle to stick to the wall securely?
Very strong glue, epoxy type