March 20, 2024
When we talk about sensory play, a good number of parents shy away instantly because they think of it as messy play. To be fair, it can be – sensory play often involves activities that have children splashing, squishing, and squelching any number of things!
But the virtues of this type of play can’t be overstated for toddlers. Remember, after all, that children discover the world through their senses. In fact, the earliest learning experiences are often sensory ones, as babies gather info about the world they’ve just entered through sight, sound, taste, scent, and touch.
Even in toddlerhood, this process of data collection continues. That’s why sensory play is good for supporting toddlers’ cognitive development. What’s more, it can support the development of many other things, like fine motor skills, observation, creativity, and the like.
And that’s all while letting the children have fun! So, it’s clear that sensory play has a place in toddler care and enrichment. But how does one begin with it?
To help you out there, we’ve put together a list of some amazing sensory activities toddlers love. These should help you stimulate your child’s growth in new ways he/she will enjoy!
1. DIY sensory bins
What it is: A big, safe bin or box where you’ve put together items that your child can discover and play with through touch – a binful of tactile experiences, if you will!
What you need: Whatever you have around the house that’s safe for your child to play with, e.g. water, powder, or even shaving cream that a child can squeeze and even mash.
What you can do: Ask your toddler to describe the textures in the bin based on what he/she can feel. Are they smooth? Soft? Round? Squishy?
You can also hide objects or toys in the bins for your child to find. Try challenging him/her to locate it using only his/her hands!
What the benefits are for your child: This is an exploration of the wonders of touch and can be an excellent way to show your child the amount of information our hands can collect. From the roughness of a surface to the apparent warmth or coolness of an object, there are myriad discoveries to make.
2. Finger painting
What it is: An artistic activity where your child flexes his/her creative skills.
What you need: Large sheets of paper and child-safe paint. Add plastic sheets to your table or floor if you want to protect him/her from the paint.
What you can do: Prompt the child to mix the colours using his/her finger to create new ones. You can also invite the child to copy the shapes you make or fill them in.
What the benefits are for your child: This is one of the activities for toddlers that’s perfect for supporting fine motor skill development. It’s also a great way to introduce colours, boost hand-eye coordination, and stimulate creativity.
3. Sensory storytime
What it is: The use of different media to add detail to book-reading or storytelling.
What you need: A sensory children’s book (there are a lot of these now). You can also use a regular children’s book and just supply the sensory items or experiences yourself.
What you can do: Ask your toddler to mimic the sounds or character voices in the book as he/she thinks they might sound. Another option is to ask him/her how the textures in the book feel.
What the benefits are for your child: This engages children on several levels – cognitively, through the storytelling, as well as experientially through the sensory input.
We do this at My Little Campus fairly often, using props like hand puppets and finger puppets to add new dimensions to storytelling. The best part is that the children get to participate in the storytelling too!
4. Sensory balloon play
What it is: Simple play using balloons
What you need: Balloons that you can fill with different things, like water, flour, or rice.
What you can do: Ask your child to describe the different textures he/she can feel when touching the balloons. Is flour squishy? Is rice bumpy? Do the different fillings sound different?
What the benefits are for your child: This is an example of activities for a toddler that develop gross motor skills. By tossing, catching, and squeezing the balloons, children sharpen coordination and muscular strength.
5. Play with child-safe clay
What it is: Moulding, rolling, squeezing, and squishing child-safe modelling clay or playdough.
What you need: Playdough (make sure it’s for kids and nontoxic)
What you can do: Show your child how to make compound shapes like basic animals using simpler shapes put together, then invite him/her to recreate those shapes.
What the benefits are for your child: This is another activity good for developing motor control. It’s also a good way to stimulate creativity in three dimensions.
6. Soap bubble activities
What it is: Play involving bubble wands, blowers, and the like.
What you need: Whatever bubble blower you can get your hands on. Just make sure the soap-and-water mixture is child-safe and unlikely to sting children’s eyes.
What you can do: Prompt your child to chase after the bubbles or pop them as he/she comes out. You can even add a new layer of learning to it by getting him/her started on numeracy through counting bubbles!
What the benefits are for your child: Toddlers love bubbles, so this is a fine way to work on your child’s overall physical fitness in a way he’ll/she’ll enjoy! You can help build better muscle tone as he/she chases and reaches for bubbles, boosting gross motor skill development.
Discover a playgroup programme that provides such activities daily
The activities above should get you started on supporting your child’s growth through sensory play. If you want to go further, though, consider enrolling your child in a preschool where it’s provided for from the outset.
For example, My Little Campus provides sensory play activities for toddlers’ daily schedules. In our care, they discover new worlds of engagement and exploration every day!
If you’re interested, you can learn more about our playgroup programmes for toddlers 18 months and up to better provide for children’s holistic development. Enquire about our programmes today.
