Holiday Smells {12 Days of Sensory Play}
Day 3 – Smells
What better time of year to indulge the senses than Christmastime?! In every room of the house you can find fun things to smell! Some are special for the season, but many can be found year-round. Take your little one on a sniffing adventure!
Living Room
- Scented candles
- Christmas tree (if you have a real one)
- Wreath, sprigs of evergreen, mistletoe
- Scented pinecones or other decorations. Our Christmas decorations box just has “that smell” to it that reminds me of so many childhood memories!
Kitchen
This time of year there is so much cooking and baking going on, the kitchen is bound to have deliciousness wafting from it nearly every day! {Put a few drops of almond flavoring in the icing for sugar cookies – just try it, you won’t be sorry!}
- Smell the individual spices as you bake!
- Let little ones taste cookie dough (if safe) and frosting
- Try a red hot, but be prepared for it to come back out pretty quick!
- Open the refrigerator and smell all the salad dressings, Asian sauces and jams & jellies
- And of course, each meal as you’re cooking
- Don’t forget coffee beans (or grounds), tea bags, hot chocolate and eggnog!
Bathroom
- Lotions & body sprays/perfumes
- Smell the different shampoos during bath time
- Seasonal candles or potpourri
- Smell your clean hands after washing them with soap
If you’re more a natural-minded mama, you might have essential oils on hand. What a smorgasbord of smells for your little one (under supervision, of course)! 
{Be aware that those little bottles are so enticing for little hands! Especially when one is setting up for a picture… :-)}
Laundry Room
- Dryer sheets
- Laundry detergent
- Stain remover
- Dirty clothes… ewwww! But it’s a smell! Contrast with clean clothes… ahhhhh!
- Stinky socks
Outdoors
- Pine needles outside
- Spring rain
- Flowers
- Mud
- Apple trees or other fruit trees in the fall
- Garden produce and various plants
- Good ol’ country dirt
Other Ideas
- Pages of an old book
- Ink on a freshly printed page
- Start a small indoor herb garden – basil, oregano, thyme, peppermint, cilantro are just a few!
- Coffee shops
- Animals at the zoo or in a barn. Even your pets (what does your dog’s mouth smell like?!)
Smells are so closely tied with how we experience many things, even if it’s subconscious (does your favorite mall have a certain smell?). Scents can evoke memories, emotions and pictures in our mind. If you’ll be visiting family for Christmas, don’t forget to smell the different smells in other places! Whether you intentionally intend to or not, the smells of this Christmas are making memories for your child!
Leave a comment with your favorite Christmas smells! And something I’ve always wondered… what do you think makes Grandma’s house smell like Grandma’s house?
