This is a collaborative post.
We’ve always loved seeing the joy on our children’s faces as they explore play through touch and feel. If I’m honest, it came naturally to let our girls discover the world through touching and playing with different objects from being tiny babies without knowing that this was sensory play.
Sensory play helps children explore the world around them and enhances their motor skills, language development, and social interactions, which in turn can help them perform well in school.
Here’s 8 ways that we introduced sensory play to our girls:
1. Playdough Fun
Activity: We started very young with PlayDoh and the girls (especially Violet) continued to play with it for years. They had their own PlayDoh station ( a small stool that they used as a table) and plastic utensils to mix, chop, roll and press shapes with.
Many parents choose to make their own playdoh, but we always seemed to have a steady supply that we didn’t need to. We learnt very quickly not to be too precious about them mixing the colours – its all part of the fun!
Why: Playing with playdough strengthens hand muscles, improves dexterity, and enhances creativity. It also provides a soothing, calming sensory experience.
Tip: Incorporate scents like vanilla or lavender into the playdough for an added sensory dimension.
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2. Water Sensory Play
Activity: This definitely started in the bath as newborns. From the very first bath times, we filled the bath with plastic, bright toys. We also used fill a shallow tub or washing bowl with water and add toys like cups, funnels, and boats. Let your child explore pouring, scooping, and floating objects in the water. Hours of fun, stood on a stool at the sink for this one!
Tip: Add a few drops of food colouring to the water or include ice cubes for additional sensory experiences.
3. Sensory Play Bottles
Activity: Create sensory bottles by filling clear plastic bottles with water, glitter, beads, or small toys. Seal the bottles securely and let your child shake and observe the contents. Another cheap option for this is to fill a bottle with dry pasta or rice – be warned though, its really noise when the kids shake them!
Tip: Experiment with different materials in the bottles, such as oil and water, to create fascinating visual effects.
4. Nature Exploration
Activity: We don’t let bad weather spoil our fun outside. In fact, we share our tips on how to be an outdoor family in winter. Take your child on a nature walk treasure hunt and encourage them to collect various natural items like leaves, rocks, and flowers. Use these items to create a nature collage or sensory bin.
We particularly loved introducing our children to snow when they were younger – experimenting with melting and building with snow.
Tip: Bring along a magnifying glass to help your child examine their findings up close.
5. Sensory Art
Activity: Our Thursday play group sessions more often than not found the girls at the messy art end of the room. They loved to play with finger paints, shaving cream, or textured paper and produced masterpieces for their Grandma’s fridge door!
Tip: Bare feet and old clothes for this one and schedule bath day or swimming afternoons for after sensory art!
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6. Scent Exploration
Activity: Our middle child is definitely one for strong scents and always loved nature’s smells such as burning wood , lavender and cut grass as a little girl. Create scent jars by filling small containers with items like cinnamon sticks, vanilla extract, or lemon slices. Let your child smell each jar and guess the scents.
This activity take me back to when we used to make ‘perfume’ in an old ice cream tub using water and rose petals. I’m sure deep down we could actually smell something nice!
7. Food Exploration
Activity: The French are brilliant for introducing their children to the wonders of food, food preparation and sensory play with food from very early ages.
I definitely got better at this as I went along parenthood. I learnt to relax more as the girls felt their way around different foods – Chopping the fruit for fruit cakes, whisking & breaking eggs and chopping mushrooms were particular favourite activities.
8. Sensory Storytime
Activity: Combine reading with sensory play by incorporating props and textures related to the story. For example, use a feather to mimic a bird’s touch or a piece of sandpaper to represent a rough surface.
We were first introduced to this by a friend who gave Millie a sack of toys to match the story of a zebra. That soft toy zebra still lives with us today!
I’d love to hear if you used other forms of sensory play with your children and what worked best for you.
About 2 Adults 3 Children
2 Adults 3 Children is a family with 3 daughters, aged 13+. They live near Liverpool and share the best events happening in the North West plus their travels further afield.
