Sensory Activities for Children

Our Top Sensory Activities
for Toddlers, Preschoolers and Big Kids

Sensory activities are engaging, fun and often calming for kids. Our children come into this world wired to find out about their surroundings. By providing sensory experiences we enhance their development, and often help them regulate emotions by giving their growing brains exactly what they’re craving.

Start Here for a printable list of Top Sensory Activities for Kids:

Download the Printable Sensory Activities List

This printable list includes simple sensory activities for all ages of kids. When my middle son was a toddler he had an OT to help us with sensory integration. I made this printable list at the time because often I was so tired that even remembering simple sensory activities that would be helpful for him was really challenging. These activities are naturally engaging for most kids and don’t require anything fancy.

Sensory Activities Save the Day

Having a few sensory activities tucked away that you can pull out when kids are getting restless can really save the day. Look through the posts in this category to find a creative sensory play idea to try today.

BBP Sensory Play Tip:

Once you’ve figured out a few simple sensory activities that your child really likes, you can create a storage area with all of the supplies in it so you can grab something exciting to do for your child at a moments notice. We have a cupboard (with a toddler lock on it to avoid major spills). It includes items like a bin of rice – play dough and play dough tools – plus bubble wrap, Party Blowouts and bubbles.

For any of these that involve mess, you might want to check out our Tips for Cleaning Up and Containing Messy Sensory Activities

Sensory Activities by Age:

Oct 11

Lego Water Play Sensory Activity Ideas

Washing Legos for Sensory Fun- Did you know Legos are dishwasher safe? Yes, they can go through a sanitize setting with no problems. Don't ask why I wanted to find THAT out. During a recent room cleaning when it became apparent that we needed to "deep clean" some of the Legos we sent a few [...]Continue Reading

Jan 31

Snow Activities for Toddlers – get outdoors this winter!

My back yard has been a winter wonderland lately; we have more than 3 feet of beautiful white snow just begging to be played in. While my big kids are off tromping through the neighborhood, my youngest longs to go out and play in the snow too, but it's clear that he's a little lost about what to do [...]Continue Reading

Nov 26

Best Indoor Energy Burning Toys for Active Kids

Let’s bounce! Or climb or spin…anything to get in some physical activities if you’ve got active kids stuck indoors, right? We love outside play, but what do you do when going outside won’t work? You need physical activities to keep kids happy while cooped up inside – especially with an active [...]Continue Reading

Jun 2

5 Sensory Activities that Help with Focus

By Dayna Abraham of Lemon Lime Adventures, author of The Superkids Activity Guide to Conquering Every Day Sensory play can be fun and engaging, but did you know that it can also help children focus? If you are anything like me, I am sure you have had times where you wished you could get your [...]Continue Reading

Apr 9

Let’s Get -Less- Messy! 6 Tips for Cleaning Up and Containing Messy Sensory Activities

If the thought of messy sensory activities makes you shudder - you may find hope for trying out this type of fun with the following tips written by a mom of two busy and MESSY little ones. Also included are three easy clean-up and easy set up sensory activities for toddlers. Read on and get ready [...]Continue Reading

Mar 4

Full of Beans – 8 Fun Sensory Activities for the Bean Box

The bean box continues to be on of our favorite sensory activities. Sometimes when my four year old is out of sorts I get it down and just start playing in it myself so that he'll join me in this sensory play and be able to calm down. Originally posted Jan 28, 2010. With so much indoor [...]Continue Reading