When it gets too hot in the summer try taking a break under a cool tree and enjoy a short nature-themed sensory story…
Our sensory rhyme/chant I Know a Tree is simple and fun. How about a mini-beast theme? Ant and Wolf is based on an old folktale and is a great way to show the power of the tiny ant. Both these sensory stories are free to download and easy to tell.
We love this very simple book about summer, When Summer Comes by Ekaterina Trukhan.
There is not too much text and lovely clear illustrations. (Try the other seasons books in this series as well.) Another favourite is All Join In by Quentin Blake. See our hints and tips here for having some sensory fun with the poems and chants in All Join In. This book has a lovely exuberant feel which makes it a good choice for summer play schemes, long afternoons in the back garden etc. Most of the prop suggestions are things you are likely to have already.
Have some fun with some sand play dough. This recipe has an edible and an inedible version. (It is coloured blue here to make ‘moon sand’ but there’s no reason that you couldn’t make your dough more of a brown or yellow colour for beach sand.)
And check out my blog post about props for seaside sensory stories! (Including dyed spaghetti for seaweed!)
If you are a sensory story enthusiast (or new to sensory storytelling but would like to learn more) then come along to the Accessible Book & Story Festival 2026 in September. It is a unique opportunity to be inspired, learn new techniques and swap ideas!
Remember – not all of my props recommendations are toys! The props I suggest should not be used by children unsupervised.