Simple At-Home Sensory Activities

When we think of Sensory Activities playdough is usually what comes to mind. I love some good playdough, but I wanted to share with you some other simple sensory activities that you can do with pro-tips on how to keep the mess to a minimum!

I live in Minnesota and the dreaded slushy gray weather of March is fast approaching. Its that “wintry mix” weather that makes you wonder if you should wear rain boots or snow boots. We don’t get outside as much in March. But we are also stir-crazy. So we do more “sensory activities”.

As a former special education teacher I have a few tricks up my sleeve that I’d love to share with you!

What on Earth is Sensory Play?

Simply put, sensory play is play that involves a particular sense. We tend to think only of Tactile Play with sensory play (and that is what this article is mainly about), but there are other types as well. Most activities give input to more than one of our senses.

What are the benefits of Sensory Activities?

Most of us don’t give much thought to sensory activities. We tend to meet our sensory needs naturally. But intentionality with sensory input can be a fantastic way to support and enhance a child’s development! Here are just six of countless benefits:

Sensory Activities bridge nerve connections and support cognitive development.

That sounds super sciency and complicated but it is actually just common sense. Imagine handing a baby a spoon. They’ll use all their senses to explore it! They’ll taste it, bang it on the floor, feel it, look at their weird reflection in it, etc. Sensory exploration is THE way we all begin cognitive growth!

Sensory activities are calming.

Our attention is drawn to one of our senses with sensory play. That focus can help us drown out the chaos around us thus calming us down. You know this! A bath with a scented candle or a brisk walk are sensory activities that adults use regularly to calm down. The same effect can be had when a child plays with playdough or swings under a tree. Next time your child is all wiggly and out of control try this: push down gently on their shoulders and arms or hold their wrists and “shake” their sillies out. Often a little proprioceptive input can have an incredibly calming effect!

Social Learning is easy with Sensory play.

Often these types of activities make for simplified social interactions. It is easier for a three year old to play with playdough in a group than to play “kitchen” with a group of peers. The context of sensory activities are a great place to teach social and conversational skills (because no one is screaming about the unshared toy!)

Scientific Discovery is a natural result of sensory play.

All those scientific questions like, “What happens if…..?” are natural to sensory play. Examining the attributes of ooblek, experimenting with different sounds when banging on the kitchen pots, and figuring out how to get higher on a swing are all examples of scientific exploration that happens during sensory play.

Fine and Gross Motor development.

From shaping playdough, picking up water beads, coordinating body movement on a bike, balancing on an exercise ball, the fine and gross motor opportunities are endless with sensory play.

Sensory play can help with challenging behaviors.

Bored kids are great at finding ways to express their sin tendencies. Sensory play is such a captivating activity and is a great way to channel all that childish energy in a positive direction. Its hard to punch your brother when your hands are busy with Oobleck. Sensory play is also a healthy way to deal with some of the emotions that often lead to difficult behavior or downright sin. Frustration, anxiety, boredom, overload can all be dealt with appropriately in sensory activities.

Tips for Tactile Sensory Activies

I could list thousands of “Sensory activities”. Going to a park or eating could qualify as sensory activities after all! So, I want to focus on just one area – tactile sensory activities! Here are some of my favorites with some tricks and tips for you!

Shaving Cream

Where do you get it?

While I buy Barbasol for my husband’s face shaving needs, I get our sensory shave cream at the Dollar Tree.

How do you use it?

We enjoy squirting it on the bathtub walls, in the sink, or into a shallow container or tray (A highchair tray works great!) I throw a bunch of kitchen utensils and plastic bowls into the mix and voila! You can have kids drive plastic cars through it or practice “writing” various letters and numbers. If your child has long hair you might put it in a ponytail before you begin.

Safety?

While small amounts eaten won’t be dangerous, it will taste like soap and have your little one in tears. So wait on the shaving cream until they are old enough to understand not to put it into their mouths.

Clean up?

Shaving cream is basically soap and it washes away with water. Plan on possibly needing to rinse off your child. Use some caution using it on some wood finishes.

Water Beads

Where to get it?

When I first started using water beads in my special education classroom I would find them at the florist. (Water beads are often used to make the water in a vase really pretty.) Now, I just buy a container on Amazon. Actually, I have only ever bought one container because a little goes a long way! These tiny beads will soak up so much water that they’ll grow to about 20x their size so you only need about a tablespoon for a good time.

How do you use it?

I like to fill up our big popcorn bowl with about a tablespoon of water beads and a few cups of water. My kids love to just run their hands through the water beads. Sometimes we also pull out muffin tins and they try sort them by color. We’ll fill up mason jars and shine flashlights through them. I do have them “attempt” to pick up any that bounce away because it is a fantastic fine motor activity. After we play with them I’ll rinse them off using our strainer (being careful they don’t go down the drain) so we can get another day or two out of them. They won’t last forever though.

Safety?

These are small plastic balls about the size of a marble. While they are incredibly squishy, I am very cautious about my baby putting them in her mouth. Aside from human safety, I also think you wouldn’t want a bunch of these going down your sink drain.

Clean Up?

I simply dump them in the trash. There are always a few that drop and bounce all over our kitchen floor that I vacuum up. If your vacuum doesn’t like their size you can easily crush them with your foot. Any that you don’t catch with your vacuum right away will dry up and shrink down to their original size in about two days.

Oobleck

Where to get it?

Oobleck is easily made by mixing cornstarch and water. Some people add food coloring, but for clean-up purposes I leave it white. You’ll want about 1 1/2 cups of cornstarch and 1 cup of water. From there add either cornstarch or water until you have your desired consistency.

How do you use it?

Oobleck is a non-newtonian material meaning it sometimes acts like a liquid and sometimes like a solid. If you try to move something through it quickly it offers a lot of resistance. We love to put it on a tray and “write” in it. We stir it, put little plastic toys in it, etc. My girls will spend a significant amount of time simply picking it up, squishing it in their hands, and letting it drip away.

Safety?

This is just cornstarch and water so unless someone has an issue with cornstarch it is perfectly safe.

Clean Up?

Just rinse it down the sink. As the kids are playing with it you’ll be tempted to panic because it flings and drips everywhere. Don’t be alarmed. As soon as it dries it is just cornstarch again. When its wet you can wipe it up, when its dry you can vacuum it up! If you left it white it won’t stain anything.

Bubbles and Glowsticks

Where to get it?

You can use almost any type of soap for the bubbles – bath bubbles or dish soap work great. Sometimes I use my blender or my little milk frother to really get the bubbles formed. We purchase packs of glowsticks at the dollar store or on Amazon. You can add glowsticks to any of these sensory activities for an added punch.

How do you use it?

We love to get a bubbly bath going, drop in a few glowsticks, and turn out the lights! We use our regular bath toys as well. If it isn’t bath time you can fill up your kitchen sink and drop in a few dishes (that aren’t sharp or breakable!). My kids always LOVE washing dishes if there are loads of bubbles.

Safety?

Well, obviously you’ll want to keep your child safe in the bath as you typically do. Glowsticks are pretty safe. There is a little glass vial inside of them, so in the rare instance that your child would actually be strong enough to break one open, you’d want to check the area for glass. The actual “glow” substance won’t hurt them. If you are concerned, purchase the thicker glowsticks.

Clean Up?

We just open the drain! Sometimes I rinse my child off with the shower so they don’t have soap all over their skin after their bath.

Rice or Beans

Where to get it?

We like to put these things in a large shallow rubbermaid tub with a lid. (About 30-40qt size works great!) You can get rice or beans at the grocery store and you’ll want a lot so head to the institutional size or bulk foods. You can also find bulk bags on Amazon. Get whatever is cheapest, you won’t be eating it! If I had to pick between rice and beans, I’d go with the rice because it is so much easier to clean up.

How do you use it?

Basically you are going to fill up your tub and let the kids play with the rice. First, give them this ground rule: Beans and Rice must stay inside the tub. (You’ll thank me later.) Spills will happen, but the last thing in the world you want is cups of beans and rice carried all over your home. You can add in kitchen utensils, cups, plastic toys, small “treasures” that they can find….the possibilities are endless. Add a favorite essential oil to your rice or beans or dump in some lavender for an added olfactory kick! You can add all sorts of things, but avoid anything wet. As long as the rice or beans stay dry you can use your bin over and over. Stow it away under a bed.

Safety?

Beans and rice are food and not large enough to be a real chocking hazard. While a hard bean won’t feel great going down, it isn’t likely dangerous. Stepping on beans with bare feet, however, is another story. Another reason I prefer rice to beans.

Clean Up

If you have an old sheet or tablecloth to set underneath your rice box you can easily dump any spills right back in. Rice and beans will both vacuum up, but rice is much easier to vacuum. We also love to set a bin of rice out on the deck on a nice spring day.

Sand

Where to get it?

You won’t want the “sandbox” sand that you typically find at Home Depot. Sand intended for outdoor use is incredibly dirty. Get clean sand that is designed for a sand table like this Sandtastik. You can find it at any educational supply store or on Amazon. You’ll want a large shallow tub with a lid.

How do you use it?

Start with the very important ground rule that sand must stay in the sand box and it must not be thrown! Add any type of toy or “treasure” for them to find. I love to go get little gems from the dollar tree and hide them in the sand. You can also make your sand bin “seasonal” by adding things like little plastic hearts in February, shells in the summer, plastic eggs around Easter, etc. The dollar store is an incredible resource for add-ins. Kitchen utensils and cups are a great addition. You can add essential oils or water to alter the experience. Magnets are fun to play with in the sand – kids can use a magnet to locate metal objects that are buried.

Safety?

You don’t really want kids eating sand or getting it in their eyes. The nice thing is that if they are breaking the rules you can simply pop the lid on and put the whole bin away.

Clean Up?

Sand can be simply vacuumed up. As it is so fine, though, you don’t want it getting worked into your carpet. You’ll want to vacuum it up promptly. You can also put a sheet or tablecloth under your sand bin to catch the majority of spills.

Playdough

Where to get it?

You can obviously buy Play-doh in countless wonderful colors! Play-doh has a great texture and comes in the perfect storage cups. Playdough is also easy to make! I’ve included my go-to recipe. If you use liquid watercolors instead of food coloring you want to use slightly less water. We love adding essential oils and glitter to our playdough. The glitter will stick to the playdough so its a great way to enjoy glitter without having it spread all over your home! You can store playdough in any airtight container. My go to are these Ziploc twist n loc containers.

How do you use it?

Teach your child the basic skills of rolling a snake and rolling a ball. You’ll thank me later. Then, give them supplies! Popsicle sticks are a great playdough tool. Anything with texture like fork tines, a seashell, buttons, etc. If a standard rolling pin is to large for your child to handle make a smaller one with a inch wide dowel rod cut down to about 8 inches. Give them plenty of cookie cutters. There are also a million Playdoh brand kits and toys.

Safety?

Kids love to eat playdough. I think some children crave saltiness! So, expect ingestion and be aware of allergies. (Otherwise it is all technically “food” unless you added glitter. I don’t think anyone will die if they ingest a small amount of glitter though.) I have a daughter with serious allergies – she knows not to eat the playdough. It doesn’t bother her to have it on her hands but she does always wash her hands after playing. If you’ve got a child with dietary issues you can find all sorts of playdough recipes that use different materials.

Clean Up?

My tip is to really clean your kitchen floor before you pull out the playdough. That way you can use a playdough monster (one hunk of playdough that you smash down on the crumbs to pick them up) to clean up easily without adding cracker crumbs and dog hair to your playdough. Playdough isn’t the easiest thing to clean up. It tends to get mashed into socks, upholstered chairs, and carpet. For the most part you can vacuum it up. It is easier to vacuum after it has dried a bit and you can scrub it out of fabrics but you’ll need a little elbow grease. It always washes out of our clothing.

Kinetic Sand

Where to get it?

You can buy Kinetic Sand on Amazon or at Target, Walmart, etc. Note: Kinetic sand is a little different than Magic Sand or Moon Sand. Magic sand is coated with a hydrophobic substance that makes it act like dry sand in the air and moldable sand when poured into water. Moon Sand is a product that was discontinued. You can make your own. Sarah at Little Bins Little Hands has a great recipe. It is moldable, but a little more crumbly than Kinetic Sand. We love Kinetic Sand at our house.

How to play with it?

We keep ours in a shallow tub with a lid. You could also use a tray or just the plain table. My kids like to use a small rolling pin, cookie cutters, and little cups and bowls to play with our Kinetic Sand. I can’t tell you just how amazing this stuff feels….I always find myself joining in when the Kinetic Sand comes out! Like Playdoh, there are all sorts of things you can buy to go with your Kinetic Sand, if you choose.

Safety?

Well, don’t eat it. It won’t poison anyone, but it is sand. Unlike actual “sand” it won’t go flying everywhere so it is less likely to get in someone’s eyeballs and things like that.

Clean Up?

Kinetic sand is very easy to clean up! We just vacuum it up! It just brushes off hands and surfaces easily. Since this a product that I purchase I try not to have it end up in my vacuum cleaner which is why we like to play with it on a tray or in a tub. Less is lost that way.

Water/Ice

Where to get it?

Your sink and your freezer!

How do you use it?

Sometimes simplest is the best. Kids love to play with water and ice! If you can have a tub of water at waist level for kids that is ideal. Add a bunch of cups and they’ll be happy. (Or just stick them in the bath! Same thing!) My children have been entertained mopping the kitchen floor for HOURS with an ice cream pail of warm water + a rag and “Sing Sweet Nightingale” from Cinderella on repeat. My kitchen floors were extremely clean afterward too. You can freeze some small plastic toys in cups of water, or even in buckets of water! Freeing the toys is great fun for a hot summer day.

Safety?

Obviously you don’t want your little one head down in the water and wet floors are slippery.

Clean Up?

There is no way to avoid everything within a 5 food radius being soaked. So, just expect and plan for that!

Sensory Activities as a Gift

Here is a fantastic frugal gift idea for any kid around ages 3-6: Give them a sensory KIT!

Conclusion

Now that you are filled up with all those ideas, which one will you do with your child today? Let me know in the comments what your favorite sensory activity is.

Also, if you your current vacuum cleaner is holding you back from getting messy with your kids take the plunge and get a Dyson stick vacuum. Trust me. It will change your life as a mother. It will eliminate sin in your heart. Nope…it won’t do that. But, it will make you just a little excited about the crumbs under your table.

Some of the links in this article are affiliate links…like that Dyson link. That means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through one of those links at no extra cost to you.