Babies and toddlers need sensory play. Early sensory experiences help prepare your baby’s brain to better handle all there is to do and see in the world. And it’s just plain fun! Sensory play (using the senses to explore the world around them) helps them understand their surroundings and to prepare them for their future learning. Hearing, touching, seeing, smelling, and tasting connect the outside world to the inner world.
For this article on sensory play ideas, I will mainly focus on tactile (touch) activities for this piece. Tactile play is especially needed at birth and beyond to develop the good function of the body and mind. Exposure to a wide variety of textures could help to prevent sensory problems later on in childhood, such as being intolerant to certain fabrics or clothes, being uncomfortable in baths, or avoiding contact with normal household objects.
Luckily, sensory play can be done with things found around the house. To emphasize touch, think about the traits of toys when selecting them- smooth, square, warm, brittle, vibrating, etc. Each one will offer a new sensory lesson.
Some activities are best kept simple for your little explorer. You don’t have to get the latest top-of-the-line toy in order to keep their interest. We all know a toddler who is mesmerized by containers and lids but doesn’t care so much for their dollhouse.
Below are some one of a kind sensory play ideas to try with your little one today.
1. Let your little one play with shaving cream
Put some shaving cream on a table or tray, and let your little one go wild! This one is always a favorite. Since it’s messy, be advised to let your little one play in their diaper. Little ones will love seeing the patterns their hands make through the cream, and will enjoy both the mess and sensations of the cream on their hands.
2. Play with tapioca balls (requires supervision)
These small, squishy tapioca balls are perfect for exploring for little hands, just make sure an adult is present so that they avoid putting them in their mouths. Water beads come in a rainbow of colors as well, making them even more fun for little ones. Simply put in a small bowl or bucket, and let the exploring begin.
3. Make cloud dough
One of my personal favorite recipes for play dough is cloud dough. Cloud dough is silky smooth and soft but pliable like play dough. An easy recipe: cornstarch, unscented lotion, and a little food coloring if wanted. Add as much or as little as you want of each until cloud dough forms.
Organic Cornstarch
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4. Play with a water table
Easily one of the simplest ways to implement sensory play, water tables are exploratory and a blast for little ones. Fill up a medium sized bucket or container with water, put out tools such as cups and scoops, and add a few floating toys like duckies or bath toys.
Set up a water play area with floating toys, sinking toys, sponges, and cups. Water is one of the most basic but necessary forms of sensory play. You can use a kiddie pool, bathtub, or a wide storage bin. Baby can either play inside it or stay dry sitting on the outside. They will get good sensory input by wringing out the sponge in their palm. Filling and pouring the cups lets them feel the weight of it change in their arm. The floating and sinking toys let them experiment with different materials.
Or you can buy a stand-up water table, which is great for outside play. We’ve had a lot of luck with these and countless hours of fun water play!
Step 2 Tropical Rainforest Water Table
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5. Go digging for “worms”
For this sensory bin, all you will need is a little gardening soil and plastic insects, magnifying glasses (optional) and tools such as shovels, scoops, and measuring cups.
Bury the insects in the dirt prior to play. Your little one can play scientist as they dig through the dirt, searching for the various insects, and then naming and observing them as they emerge.
6. Primary color bags
These squishy bags are a blast for little ones, and emphasize sensory exploration while also learning about colors. For this activity, you will need ziplock bags, paint (red, blue, and yellow), tape to seal the bags, and a flat surface like a table. Put different colors in each bag, or put two of the primary colors in one bag and let children mix as they squish the colors together with their fingers. Practice naming the colors together as they explore!
7. Make slime
This activity is both fun for little ones and inexpensive for parents; all you need is 3 ingredients:
- 1 T baking soda
- 8 oz. Elmer’s white school glue
- 1.5 to 2 T contact saline solution
Kids will have hours of entertainment pinching, rolling, and pulling the slime. I admit I’m not crazy about my kids playing with glue but this is such a fun activity that it’s worth it. And we only do this so often that I really try not to stress about the ingredients. Another option is to order from a slime shop and have them wear kid-sized nitrile gloves.
8. Paintsicles
Essentially frozen paint cubes, these will provide sensory stimulation and get your little one’s creativity going as they paint with them in their hands. To make, gather finger paint, an ice cube tray, and popsicle sticks (cut in half). Pour a little paint into the tray, let freeze, then let art time begin!
Veggie Baby Finger Paints
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9. Rainbow rice bin
For this activity you will need a small or large bin, dry white rice, and food coloring to make the rice “rainbow”. Or you can just buy premade rainbow rice. (Don’t ask me if this is non-toxic — it probably isn’t!)
Kids will have a blast digging in the rice with scoops and other tools. You can even hide various objects in the bin and let a scavenger hunt commence.
Rainbow Rice
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10. Finger paints
A good old fashioned favorite of kids, this will surely be a way to keep your kids entertained and to let them express their inner artist. All you will need is simple finger paint, little containers to put it in, and white paper.
Art Paper Roll
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11. Sand play (requires supervision)
Non-toxic sand play is a perfect option for little ones. Watch them “ooh” and “ahh” at the different ways they can shape it! Add it to a plastic bin or sensory play table and let your little one get endless play time. There are two brands I would feel comfortable using: Jurassic Sand and Sandtastik. (FYI — this is a lot of sand!)
Sandtastik Play Sand
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12. Make sensory play bottles
These are an amazing tool, both because they allow kids to experience things sensorily and because they’re a calming mechanism as the little ones watch the substances inside move around. Put a little water inside an empty water bottle, add food coloring (I think conventional is OK because your little one won’t be handling this), and some chunky glitter. Don’t forget to tape the lid shut tight!
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13. Play with play dough
Play dough is such a simple and fun sensory play idea. Kids of all ages can benefit from a little play dough session. And there are some cleaner choices for non-toxic play dough nowadays, which is great. If we play indoors, I make sure to have my kids keep the play dough inside a plastic bin. Otherwise, if we’re outdoors I don’t mind them playing freely on a regular table or getting messy and using a lot of play dough tools.
Eco Dough Play Dough
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14. Make messy bags
To make busy bags, add hair gel and some small toys into a gallon ziplock bag and tape it shut. Tape the four edges of the bag down onto a table, so the borders are flat. Baby can push down onto the bag to slide the goo around, and use his fingers to poke at the toys.
You can also draw shapes on the outside with marker, and have him drag the inner toys into the correct shape outline. This is even cuter when using fish toys in water or blue hair gel.
Tropical Fish Figures
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You could also draw ice cream cones on the bag and use pom poms on the inside to drag around and fill up the cones. Tape the bag up onto a wall for an added challenge of standing or using the arms outstretched.
1″ Pom Poms
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15. Make a feel and find
Make a Feel and Find by hiding toys inside a container, under a blanket, or behind the flap of a cardboard box. Let your baby reach in and feel things without looking. Older babies may even root around for a desired toy, rather than randomly grabbing things. You could ask them to retrieve specific toys, and then help them by trial and error. Being able to tell what you are touching without seeing it is an important skill to develop. This carries over into dressing, fastening clothes, finding things inside a drawer, or safely navigating a dark room.
16. Wash the rubber duckie
I like the idea of a rubber ducky washing station or a car wash. Make one bucket of “dirty” toys in grass, dirt, brown soap, or dark-colored water. A second bucket should have clear water or clean soap bubbles. Let your baby splash in the mess and then help them scrub the toys clean with their hands or by using a brush (spare toothbrush works). Drying them with both scratchy and soft towels gives even more of a texture experience.
Hevea Rubber Duck
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17. Play with Jell-O
For the moms out there not afraid of playing with food, you can make a large tray of Jell-O with toys buried inside. Let your baby dig through it with their hands. Homemade recipes or a dye-free brand will be the best to avoid stains. If not, a yellow color Jell-O will probably show the least on skin.
18. Make a sensory squeeze
To make Sensory Squeezes, fill balloons or ziplock baggies with different items and seal them. Rice, beans, beads, water, rubber bands, or marbles would work. (WARNING: As always, use your judgement and direct observation during playtime with such small pieces.) Baby can roll them around in their hands, squish them against the table, and compare each one.
19. Poke the spaghetti through the hole
Tip a strainer bowl upside down and give your baby some straws or raw spaghetti to push through the holes. You can also use cotton yarn or string for them to yank out of the holes. The hard plastic and the soft yarn offer a contrast for baby to learn the different levels of force needed to hold them.
Small Strainer Bowl
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20. Let your little one go barefoot
It’s not just the hands that need to play, little feet need attention, too! The bottoms of our feet should be able to tolerate many different surfaces. This helps us to walk and to run. Some specialists recommend kids go barefoot when possible instead of using shoes as a barrier. Some children may need to wear orthopedic shoes when walking at all times as ordered by a doctor, and this is okay. You are still able to incorporate sensory play for all abilities.
Some other ways you can incorporate your little one’s feet in sensory play include resting their feet onto something textured while in a baby bouncer or while holding your baby upright. This could be peas, shredded paper, or a thick rug. They can step up and down on it or kick around.
You can also dip their legs into a small ball pit, have them wiggle their toes around in a sandbox, or play gentle tickle games with them. (Don’t tickle for too long — a few seconds here or there is probably enough for your baby.)
Related: How to Reduce Your Baby’s Exposure to Pesticides
21. Play with bubble wrap
Simply rolling out some bubble wrap is also good to march on down the hallway. Crinkle paper offers more for your baby to react to and engage with, too.
Baby Crinkle Paper
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22. Messy play with noodles
“Messy” play is great sensory exposure for your baby. Think of the old playground days of digging through the mud and rolling in the grass- classic kid things. Let them play on the table with shaving cream, finger paints, or cooked noodles. Get them to actively use their hands with the materials, instead of using a paintbrush. The noodles will be safe for consumption, and you can even add in a bunch of different styles like spirals, elbows, or rigatoni.
Sensory Play is Wonderful for Babies and Toddlers
Have fun with sensory play! It’s great for kids to get messy and get their hands into different textures like this. I hope this list of sensory play ideas has given you inspiration for lots of fun play with your little one.
Babies will gravitate toward things that give a sensory reward, something that feels good and looks good. As long as they are watching and feeling their surroundings, they are doing sensory play correctly. Even better if you both are laughing along the way!
This sensory play ideas article includes contributions from Bri Giruzzi, OTR/L
Keep Reading:
- Toy Rotation: What It is, Why You Need One, and How to Get Started
- Non-Toxic Baby Toys: A Guide to the Safest Toy Brands for Babies
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- The 11 Best Block Sets for Babies and Toddlers
- 15 Fun Outdoor Play Ideas for Little Ones
- How to Help Your Child Stop Sucking Their Thumb—The Trick That Worked for Us!
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