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:

Aug 21

Colorful Oobleck in the Play Pool

{Welcome Allison of Train Up a Child!} Children are tactile learners. The more senses are stimulated, the better children retain what they learn. For this reason, it is important to me to engage in sensory play daily. I regularly make sensory bins for my boys to play with, and most of the art we [...]Continue Reading

Jul 24

Edible Sensory Activities for Toddlers

If you have a toddler who puts EVERYTHING in their mouth, this is the post for you. Sensory activities for toddlers are engaging and fun - but what can you do that's safe if your toddler eats the sensory activity?! We have a list of kitchen sensory activities that are fun for including your [...]Continue Reading

Jul 13

Sensory Play to Make Parenting More Fun

Sensory play is a central parenting strategy in my house! It’s our rainy day fall-back, and my favorite distraction technique when kids don’t feel well. {Guest Post}Welcoming MaryAnne of Mama Smiles! Sensory play is a great way for my kids to explore the world around them, make observations, [...]Continue Reading

Jul 6

Cornmeal Castles Sensory Play

Kids Sensory Activity - Sand Castle Dough! This interesting dough is made much like the Cloud Dough you've probably seen (here's one version at the Imagination Tree), only with cornmeal instead of flour which makes for a neat texture and sandy color. Cornmeal Sand Castle Dough: All you need [...]Continue Reading

Jun 28

20+ Ideas for Frugal and FUN Sensory Activities

Sensory Activities with Natural Materials {Guest Post} Welcome, Rebekah of the Golden Gleam! The fantastic part about the following list (aside from how much fun your kids will have with these materials...) is that the items [...]Continue Reading

May 11

Calm Down Kids- Blow Bubbles!

How do you get three kids to go from screeching and grouchy to quiet and calm? (you'll think this is too simple) Give them straws and bowls with water and a squirt of dishsoap and show them how to blow bubbles. How do you get a toddler overcome her fear of the bath? (you guessed [...]Continue Reading