10+ Pirate Activities for Your Sensory Table, Me Hearties!

More pirate activities, but this time it’s sensory play and small world activities for your pirate theme.

These activities teach kiddos so much, even though it looks like they’re “just playing”. The small world play lets children practice their language skills, as well as cooperation with others. It also lets them use their imaginations and play act what they’ve been learning. The sensory aspects of this play engage the kids on different levels via their five senses. This allows them to learn and react in a physical manner.

These sensory pirate activities teach kiddos so much, even though it looks like they’re “just playing”. The small world play lets children practice their language skills, as well as cooperation with others. It also lets them use their imaginations and play act what they’ve been learning. The sensory aspects of this play engage the kids on different levels via their five senses. This allows them to learn and react in a physical manner.

What You'll Find in This Post

Small World and Sensory Pirate Activities for Preschool

Okay, onto the fun pirate-themed sensory play and small world FUN! The first two are some pirate activities we’ve had fun with this summer! After that, I’ve included more ideas to inspire your pirate theme!

Walk the Plank

Engineer helped me hydrate blue water beads to act as the ocean for this activity. We placed them in a long plastic bin on top of a tarp in the classroom. Then we grabbed a long wooden block to place across the top of the “ocean”. Sharks were added to make the ocean even more perilous to the pirates.

Related: Super Simple Ocean Sensory Bin

The children were entertaining as they made the pirates walk the plank, talking about why they’d been banished! A few of the children even went so far as to build a wooden pirate ship next to the ocean! Of course, many of the kiddos just enjoyed playing in the water beads on their own.

Pirate Buried Treasure

I placed play sand and coarse sand in our discovery center bins for the week of summer camp. The textural difference between the fine and coarse sand felt really interesting to me, and the children seemed to enjoy it!

Related: Gold Coin Activities for Kids

Blue glass beads were added as the water near the sandy beach. Gold coins, craft gems, and pirates were sprinkled in next. The children had the pirates burying the treasure and digging it up all week long.

I used many of the same items at home for extended play time! The different bits of sand were placed in the lower section of our water table. The upper level held gold coins, shovels, and plastic pirates.

Related: Toddler-Safe Play Sand

Engineer enjoyed setting it all up for Little Hurricane to play in! Little Hurricane had fun transferring the sand between buckets, hiding the coins in the sand, and piling the gems on my back porch. As of right now, the pirates have sailed into our playroom wreaking havoc along the way. 🙂

Even more pirate activities for sensory play

Related: Super Easy Gold Slime

Use aquarium gravel and a variety of other fun odds and ends to make this engaging pirate sensory bin from Rubberboots and Elf Shoes.

Grab that kiddie pool and make a large pirate treasure sensory bin like Momma’s Fun World did.

Rainy Day Mum’s simple pirate water bin is sure to be a hit, whether at summer camp or a pirate-themed party.

I just love the inclusion of a large X in Crayon Freckles’ pirate-themed sensory bin!

Rubberboots and Elf Shoes’ “bling bin” is sure to bring those treasure-minded little pirates to the sensory table.

Not enough room? What about trying this pirate sensory sink invitation from FSPDT?!

The Chaos and The Clutter added a toy compass to their pirate sensory tub. What a fantastic idea!

The different textures of 1+1+1=1’s pirate sensory bin will engage your little pirates’ sense of touch.

Add some literacy by setting up a alphabet sensory play experience for pirates like Momma’s Fun World.

Consider placing a treasure map next to your pirate sensory tub, like Counting Coconuts did.

The kids could definitely help make their own versions of Sorting Sprinkles’ tiny pirate sensory play.

Do your little pirates have any special toys or sensory bins they enjoy playing with? Would they enjoy any of the FUN pirate activities listed here? If you try any out, I’d love to hear about it!

Preschool Pirate Lesson Plans

Save time and get right to the pirate-y fun with done-for-you lesson plans from Preschool Teacher 101. The preschool pirate-themed lesson plans have printable lesson plans for a week, as well as explanations for the activities (for whole group, small group, and center time), book suggestions, and related printables.