50 Fun Sensory Activities For Kids | Little Bins for Little Hands

Let’s talk about sensory play, primarily the sense of touch through tactile hands-on play. Our favorite sensory play ideas for toddlers to preschoolers include sensory bins, slime (especially taste safe slime for younger kids), water play, messy play, and more.

We have tons of examples of sensory play for you to use at home or with groups of young kids. Sensory activities don’t have to be difficult to set up and you will find our sensory recipes all use inexpensive kitchen pantry ingredients. Let’s get your kids set up for some fun sensory play time today!

SENSORY PLAY FOR TODDLERS AND PRESCHOOLERS

WHAT IS SENSORY PLAY?

Sensory play is any type of play that involves the senses! This page is mainly about the tactile sensory play which includes the sense of touch. Whether you dig into a sensory bin, shake a sensory bottle, or squish a sensory recipe, we have you covered.

Find unique sensory activities for the entire year that are both easy to set up and budget-friendly. We cover the holidays, seasons, and any time with fun ways to explore textures.

Of course, you will see that some of these recipes smell great and are visually appealing. Additionally, you will find quite a few taste-safe sensory recipes that appeal to the sense of taste.

Sensory play is suited for all ages including toddlers, with plenty of supervision for the younger kiddos. Toddlers especially love sensory play but please make sure to provide only appropriate materials and watch for putting items in the mouth. Choose sensory fillers or recipes that will not be a choking hazard and remember to supervise play at all times!

WHY IS SENSORY PLAY IMPORTANT?

Sensory play makes for awesome hands-on fun and learning for young children, as they explore and discover more about the world through their senses! Sensory activities can also calm a child, help a child to focus, and engage a child.

THE MANY BENEFITS OF SENSORY ACTIVITIES:

Motor Development Skills ~ Sensory play helps a child explore, discover, and create using motor skills, like dumping, filling, scooping.

Play Skills {emotional development} ~ Great for both social play and independent play, sensory activities allow children to play cooperatively or side by side. My son has had many positive experiences over a bin of rice with other children!

Language Development ~ Sensory bins increase language development from experiencing with their hands all there is to see and do which leads to great conversations and opportunities to model language.

Using 5 Senses ~ Many sensory activities include a few of the senses! Touch, sight, sounds, taste and smell are our 5 senses. Children can experience several at a time with a sensory bin.

For example; imagine a bin of brightly colored rainbow rice: touch the loose grains against the skin, see the vivid colors as they mix together, hear the sound of sprinkling over a plastic container or shaken in a plastic egg!

Calming tools ~ Sensory play recipes are calming for many kiddos who are anxious or worried. You might find that one works better than another for your kiddo.

Some sensory play materials can settle and soothe and some can help keep kids’ attention and connection with you. Download the free calming activities poster here.

ALSO CHECK OUT: 10 Things To Include In A Calm Down Kit

TYPES OF SENSORY PLAY

Whether you choose bins, bottles, doughs, or slimes… there are tons of sensory play ideas just right for you!

SENSORY BINS

What is a sensory bin? A sensory bin is a simple container filled with a sensory filler in quantity.

There are only a few basic things you really need to make a sensory bin; a container, filler and fun play tools. Sensory bin play doesn’t have to be too messy either, find out more about how to put together a sensory bin.

Sensory bins have been a huge staple in our house for a number of years. They are an easy play option for toddlers to preschoolers that you can change up frequently, create new themes for and vary with the seasons or holidays!

Some of our favorite sensory bin fillers are…

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: 10 Best Sensory Bin Fillers

SENSORY BOTTLES

A great calm down and anxiety relief tool, glitter bottles are easy to make, reusable, and low cost too! Sensory bottles take little time to make but offer numerous, lasting benefits for your kids.

Kids love these cool sensory bottles, and they are easy to whip up with materials you already have on hand or easy to grab at the store. Whether you make an I SPY style bottle to take along with you or a science-filled discovery bottle, you won’t be disappointed!

DOUGHS

Homemade dough is excellent for many reasons! From playdough, to cloud dough, foam dough and more, it’s easy to whip a batch of your own sensory dough.

Firmer doughs like playdough can be a great sensory tool for hands-on early learning activities like letters, numbers, and colors. It is also a great muscle strengthener for little hands getting ready to write. It is relaxing to knead, roll, stretch, flatten, pound, and whatever else is fun!

Plus, sensory doughs adapt to themes like a charm. Pretend, create, build, imagine, and discover!

50 FUN SENSORY PLAY IDEAS TO TRY

Click on any sensory activities below for the needed materials and full instructions.

CHICK PEA FOAM

Have fun with this taste safe sensory play foam made with ingredients you probably already have in the kitchen! This edible shaving foam or aquafaba as it is commonly known makes a fun non-toxic play foam for little ones!

CHRISTMAS SENSORY BINS

Stimulate your senses this holiday season with these fun and creative Christmas sensory bins! There are plenty of amazing sensory activities to enjoy using things such as Christmas ornaments, colored rice, Christmas bells, homemade playdough, and more!

CLOUD DOUGH

Cloud dough is soft and moldable. Sometimes called moon sand or moon dough as well. You can make it completely taste-safe too depending on the oil you choose to use. Additionally, it can be made with a gluten-free flour mix!

CORNSTARCH DOUGH

This fun dough-like slime is made with common kitchen ingredients. It has a nice movement to it and is a cross between slime and a play-dough.

CRAYON PLAYDOUGH

This crayon playdough is a great way to use up old crayons as well as make an awesome sensory playdough for young kids.

EDIBLE PEANUT BUTTER PLAYDOUGH

Sensory play not only involves the hands, it can also involve taste as well! Make our simple edible peanut butter playdough for a fun treat and play idea in one.

EARLY LEARNING SENSORY BINS

Want to include a fun sensory bin as part of a Math or Literacy activity? Check out these ideas…

FAIRY DOUGH

A sprinkle of glitter and soft colors makes this amazingly soft fairy dough come to life! Whip up a super soft playdough recipe with just two ingredients in minutes. Play for hours with a sweet fairy theme. Can’t you just hear the make-believe stories happening now?

FALL GLITTER JARS

A glitter bottle or glitter jar is a fun way to enhance the season through beautiful glittering colors. Fall can be an amazingly beautiful season depending on where you live with glorious jewel-toned leaves, pumpkins, apples, and gourds!

FALL SENSORY BINS

Colorful fall sensory bins that capture the beauty of fall with hands-on sensory play and learning!

FOAM DOUGH

What do you get when you whip up a batch of cornstarch and shaving cream? You get foam dough, a totally awesome texture for little hands and big hands to squeeze and squish.

FROZEN GLITTER JARS

These glitter jars make a great calm down tool with their mesmerizing Elsa and Anna Frozen winter sparkle!

GOLD AND SILVER GLITTER BOTTLES

Play with these glitter bottles are terrific for sensory processing needs, anxiety relief, and well just something fun to shake and look at!

JELLO PLAYDOUGH

Make a fun fruit scented homemade playdough with Jello. Playdough activity suggestions included. Plus, a free printable playdough mat!

KINETIC SAND

You don’t need to buy it, you can make it! This fun sensory activity is perfect for any day of the week. Add fun items for exploring the cool texture and kids will have a blast digging into it.

ALSO CHECK OUT: Colored Kinetic Sand

MAGIC MUD

Mud, glorious mud! Make your own cornstarch mud for hands-on sensory play indoors or outdoors. Magic mud is the perfect way to keep kids busy and exploring with their senses at the same time.

MUD PLAY

Real dirt, real mud and a real lot of good wholesome mess makes for the best play and learning experiences! These mud activities explore mud inside and out with science, sensory, math and building play.

NO COOK PLAYDOUGH

This has to be the easiest homemade playdough recipe you could make. See how easy it is and watch a short video of the process.

Check out>>> 17 Fun Playdough Activities

Click here to get your FREE Flower Playdough Mat

OCEAN SENSORY BIN

Enjoy a hands-on way to explore the ocean through lots of play. Even includes a fun ice melt activity.

OOBLECK

Oobleck or goop is the coolest sensory play around because it’s part science too! Easy to make with only 2 simple kitchen ingredients, oobleck will amaze the kiddos.

Want to make up some oobleck with a fun theme? Try one of these ideas below…

PEEPS PLAYDOUGH

Add this easy Peeps playdough recipe to your bag of sensory recipes, and you are sure to have something fun to whip up these holidays or any time of the year!

POWDERED SUGAR PLAYDOUGH

This powdered sugar playdough with only 2 ingredients couldn’t be easier, and the kids can easily help you mix up a batch or two!

RAINBOW GLITTER JARS

Sensory glitter bottles are often made with expensive glitter glue. Our substitute, glue and a jar of glitter make these rainbow DIY glitter jars much more cost effective!

Click here to get your FREE Rainbow Playdough Mat

SAND FOAM

Kids love this messy sensory play activity that combines shaving cream and sand. Perfect for the outdoor days!

SLIME

Slime makes an amazing sensory play activity, and we have so many easy slime recipes and cool slime ideas for you to try.

For younger kids, you will want to use a taste safe and borax free slime recipe. Older kids will love hands-on sensory play with one of our simple slime recipes.

If you are looking for a slime that is borax-free, taste-safe, and non-toxic, we have an awesome collection of edible slime recipes that fit the bill. Check out these recipes below…