Toddlers are known for their curiosity and eagerness to explore the world around them. As a parent, you are always on the lookout for ways to engage your little one’s senses and promote their development. Sensory play is a fantastic way to achieve just that! Not only does sensory play keep your toddler entertained, but it also boosts fine motor skills and aids cognitive development, making it a win-win activity for both of you. The best part is that sensory play can be easily done at home with simple DIY activities that don’t require fancy skills or expensive ingredients. So, let’s dive into 22 sensory play ideas that will stimulate your toddler’s beautiful brain!
1. Good ol’ fashioned finger painting
Get some tempera paints and butcher-block paper, and let your toddler explore the joy of finger painting. Using their chubby fingers instead of paintbrushes will offer a different sensory experience and produce unique artwork.
2. Homemade play-dough
Homemade play-dough is an inexpensive sensory delight that can keep your toddler entertained for hours. With just a few simple ingredients like flour, salt, and water, you can easily make your own play-dough at home and let your little one squish, squeeze, and mold to their heart’s content.
3. Noodling with noodles
Cook a batch of spaghetti, let it cool, and then dump it in a bowl for your toddler to play with. The slimy and squiggly fun of playing with cooked noodles will captivate your little one’s senses and provide them with hours of tactile exploration.
4. Water play
Water play is a classic sensory activity that can be done both indoors and outdoors. Fill a few pots and bowls with water and let your toddler splash around and explore the properties of water. This activity is particularly enjoyable on a warm day outside, but it can also be done indoors with towels to contain the mess.
5. Sensory water bottles
Upcycle some clear plastic water bottles into sensory delights for your toddler. Fill the bottles three-quarters full with water, add food coloring, glitter, and small items like charms or beads, and seal the lid tightly with colorful duct tape. Your toddler will be mesmerized by the swirling colors and floating objects inside the bottle.
6. Sensory bin
Create a sensory bin by filling a sturdy plastic storage bin with a base material like rice or beans and adding various small items and scoops for your toddler to explore. Little Bins for Little Hands is a great resource for DIY sensory bin ideas that will ignite your imagination and provide endless opportunities for sensory play.
7. Busy boards
Busy boards are sensory delights that also double as a way to keep your active toddler occupied. These boards are typically made with different textures and objects like buttons, keys, locks, and more, that your toddler can explore and manipulate with their senses.
8. Scent jars
Create a series of sensory jars by filling mason jars with various fresh foods or flora that emit distinct smells. Seal the lids tightly and let your toddler unscrew each lid one at a time, take a whiff, and describe the smell. This activity can be both cute and funny as your toddler reacts to different scents.
9. Frozen fun
Freeze some toys like rubber duckies or toy cars in a large bowl or ice mold and let your toddler enjoy the challenge of figuring out how to get them out as the ice gradually melts. This activity is perfect for a hot summer day and will provide a cool sensory experience for your little one.
10. Beginning beading
Introduce your toddler to the art of jewelry making with some large plastic beads and pipe cleaners.
11. Sand play
Use a bin to make a mini indoor beach with some beach toys and scoops or get some kinetic sand that (more or less) sticks to itself and causes less mayhem in your living room. Your toddler will enjoy the sensory experience of playing with sand and using tools to dig, scoop, and build.
12. Bubble wrap fun
Save up some bubble wrap from your packages and lay it out on the floor for your toddler to stomp, jump, and roll on. The popping sounds and the texture of the bubbles will provide a fun and stimulating sensory experience for your little one.
13. Shaving cream exploration
Cover a table or tray with shaving cream and let your toddler explore and play with it. They can squish it, spread it, and make marks in it with their fingers or even use some toys to create patterns. Just make sure to use a non-toxic shaving cream and supervise your toddler closely to prevent them from ingesting it.
14. Rainbow rice
Dye some uncooked rice with different colors of food coloring to create a rainbow sensory bin. Your toddler can use scoops, cups, and spoons to play with the colorful rice, enhancing their fine motor skills and sensory perception.
15. Play with textures
Collect various items with different textures, such as a soft plush toy, a smooth stone, a rough piece of fabric, and a bumpy rubber ball. Place them in front of your toddler and encourage them to touch and explore each item, describing the textures to them. This activity will help your toddler develop their tactile senses and learn about different textures.
16. Taste exploration
Offer your toddler a variety of safe foods with different tastes, such as sweet fruits, sour lemon slices, salty crackers, and bitter dark chocolate. Let them taste and explore the different flavors, and talk to them about what they are experiencing. This activity will help your toddler develop their sense of taste and learn about different flavors.
17. Scented playdough
Make homemade playdough and add different scents to each batch, such as vanilla, peppermint, or lemon. Let your toddler play with the scented playdough, smelling the different scents and engaging their sense of smell.
18. Sensory walk
Create a sensory walk by placing different textures on the floor, such as carpet squares, foam mats, bubble wrap, and fabric scraps. Encourage your toddler to walk or crawl on the sensory walk, feeling the different textures under their feet and hands.
19. Nature sensory bin
Collect natural items from your backyard or a local park, such as leaves, pinecones, acorns, and rocks, and create a nature-themed sensory bin. Your toddler can explore the textures, colors, and smells of the natural items, enhancing their sensory awareness of the outdoors.
20. Play with ice
Fill a bin with ice cubes or freeze small toys in ice blocks, and let your toddler play with the ice. They can touch and explore the cold sensation of the ice, and try to free the toys from the ice blocks using tools like spoons or spray bottles filled with warm water.
21. Play with light
Create a sensory experience with light by using flashlights or glow sticks in a dark room. Your toddler can explore the changing colors and patterns of the light, enhancing their visual senses and creating a mesmerizing sensory experience.
22. Sensory storytelling
Use props and sensory elements to create a sensory storytelling experience for your toddler. For example, if you are reading a story about the beach, you can provide sand, seashells, and a small container of water for your toddler to touch and explore while listening to the story.
