Welcome to part 3 of our Play Ideas series for #100days of play. The focus is now turning to sensory play, one of our favourite ways to play!
Sensory play is a really important way in which children get to know and understand the world around them, through experiencing with their sense of touch, sight, sound, smell, taste and more. I’ve shared more in depth about the importance of sensory play before and you can find lots of examples of sensory play activities here on In The Playroom. You can incorporate any theme into your child’s sensory play, whether a particular interest they have or even favourite small character toys. If your child does not like to get messy there are still plenty of ways to experience sensory play while keeping their hands clean!
Sensory Play Ideas
- Painting with hands and feet
- Water play
- Sand play
- Foam and vehicles
- Exploring nature – leaves, sticks, bark, grass, the feel of the wind, the sounds you can hear outdoors
- Shapes on a light table
- Water beads
- Rice, lentils or pasta in a sensory bin – coloured or natural
- Create themed sensory bins such as farm or polar
- Mirror play
- Exploring musical instruments and shakers
- Playdough
- Cloud dough, moon doughs and other sensory doughs
- Create sensory bottles or sensory bags
- Playing with ice, ice paint or toys that have been frozen
- Exploring textures – cotton wool, bubble wrap, wool, ribbons, silk and more
- Painting on stones
- Playing in a ball pit filled with balls of different textures and types
- Create a sensory den with lights
- Playing with bubbles
- Playing spinning and twirling games
For more sensory play ideas make sure you’re following our sensory play and activities board on Pinterest
Follow Anna – In The Playroom’s board Sensory play and activities on Pinterest.
Image Children artist hands painted various colours with her fingers Shutterstock (modified)
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.
Lots of great ideas in that list!
Sensory play is one of our favorites, too! The best part is so many of these things are free or super-thrifty!
What a great list, full of ideas to keep the kids busy and all things that are close at hand.
Some great ideas