Sensory play

No time to go to the beach? This sand and water sensory play activity is easy to set up at home and provides hours of imaginative play for young kids. Whether it’s shaping the sand into castles or splashing in the water, it offers endless opportunities for fun and learning as your kids explore these different natural textures

Finding fun activities to keep your toddler busy isn’t always easy! Toddlers have a short attention span and are always on the go, so we have put together some tried and tested ideas. Things they will love to do and don’t need a lot of preparation or cleaning up afterwards.

Have a go at making your own sand foam! It’s very easy to do and uses just 2 ingredients! The sand foam has a smooth, slimy, grainy texture and is great for sensory play.

Sensory play activities challenge toddlers and preschoolers and provide them with experiences that are often outside of their everyday activities. Sensory play is lots of fun and helps young kids to develop their understanding of the senses of touch, taste, smell and sound in a safe, stimulating play environment. It also helps them to widen their vocabulary, to develop coping mechanisms and to learn by feeling.

Your kids will love this edible mud sensory play activity. Edible mud is easy to make at home using items from your pantry and safe for your kids to put into their mouth. It’s a really fun messy play activity which comes with lots of sensory benefits too.

This rainbow spaghetti sensory play activity is lots of fun and very cheap and easy to make at home. Playing with rainbow spaghetti is a great sensory experience for toddlers and preschoolers. They’ll enjoy exploring the colour and slimy texture of the coloured spaghetti as it slips through their fingers.

This tapioca pearls sensory play activity is lots of fun and cheap and easy to do at home. The tapioca pearls are soft, squishy and sticky and kids will have a blast mixing them altogether then scooping them out into bowls, ice cube trays and containers.

Sensory experience is an important part of child development, but often kids are so busy getting their hands messy, that we forget about them using their feet for sensory play activities. Using their feet for sensory or messy play has many benefits, especially when it comes to exploring the sense of touch.

Toddlers and preschoolers LOVE to dig and play in sandpits! Have a go at some of these fun sandpit activities. Creative ways to engage your toddler and preschooler in sandpit play.

You don’t get much messier than this when it comes to messy play! But it’s made with soap flakes, so at least it’s a ‘clean’ mess! It's the perfect outdoor sensory play activity. Make your own colourful soap slime at home using this super easy recipe.

Have a go at this super easy summer sensory play activity. Kids will have lots of fun playing outside with these coloured ice cubes on a sunny day. They're great for playing with at bath time and on highchair trays too!

Make your own dinosaur world or mini Jurassic Park! It’s a great water play and sensory play activity that toddlers and preschoolers will love. Dinosaur worlds are easy to set up with things you have to hand and kids will have fun as they make their dinosaurs come to life through imaginative play.

Erupting snow is a simple sensory and messy play activity you can make at home. It's easy to set up using basic household ingredients and will keep your kids entertained for ages. The snow is soft and powdery and even feels cool to the touch. It’s just like playing with real snow, but without the frostbite!

Make your own ice world and watch as it starts to melt and change as the ice warms up. A great water play and sensory play activity for toddlers and preschoolers to enjoy over summer.

Play dough is easy to make and hours of fun for kids of all ages! It's the perfect sensory play activity they can do indoors and outside.

Don’t have enough room for a full-sized sandpit? Why not make your own sand and rocks box instead! It’s a great way for young kids to explore their senses of touch, sight and sound and it will help to develop their imagination through free-play too. Set the sand and rocks box up with a construction theme for hours of fun.

A sensory board or busy board is a fun, hands-on activity for babies and toddlers to help them touch, explore and learn about different objects all in one place. They have lots of developmental benefits too and are really easy to make at home with things you have to hand.

Playing with snow play dough is great fun for toddlers and preschoolers all year round, not just in winter. All you need for this recipe is just 2 basic ingredients! Have a go at this super easy snow play dough recipe.

Kids love painting with their fingers, but don't let the mess scare you! Sparkly finger paints are a great sensory play activity which will capture their attention longer than any other painting project! Check out this super easy recipe and make some sparkly finger paints at home.

Interactive zip sensory boards or busy boards are really easy to make and great for developing your toddler’s fine motor skills. Zip sensory boards are hands-on and engaging, and a great learning through play and sensory activity. All you need are some old zips of different colours and sizes, stiff card or an old cardboard box and glue.

Mess free painting. It’s a win win - kids get to paint and there’s no mess for parents to clear up! This kids mess free painting activity is easy to set up and perfect for toddlers and preschoolers to do at home. A fun sensory play activity to try on a cold and rainy day.

Sensory bags are easy to make and perfect for sensory play for babies and toddlers – without all the mess! Sensory bags help young children to develop their sense of touch and fine motor skills as they manipulate the small objects around the bags. The types of sensory bags you can make is endless! Get creative and use things from around your home or from the craft shop.

Have fun making your own colourful clay with this easy recipe. Kids love playing with clay and making their own creations. Follow these easy instructions and make your own clay at home. From pots and animals, to Christmas tree decorations, letters, numbers, fossils, ornaments and more.