Hello parents, guardians and caregivers!

Librarian Liz here to talk about sensory play! What is sensory play? Sensory play is any type of play that stimulates your child’s senses. We all know the big five (touch, sight, smell, taste, and hearing), but did you know there are two more senses? Body awareness and balance! Sensory play can help your child develop these 7 senses and can also help to promote language skills, cognitive growth, problem solving skills, fine and gross motor skills, social interaction and memory. Sensory play can also help to calm a fussy baby or toddler. Check out our new video with Ms. Debra about sensory play on our Plainsboro Library YouTube channel to learn more about why sensory play is so important! 

Here are some ideas for sensory play for babies and toddlers. Sensory play can be messy, so be prepared to do some prep work and clean up for some of these ideas! 

Baby Sensory Play

  • Create a Sensory Basket
    • Fill a basket or bin up with colorful objects of different types. Some ideas are wooden blocks, a large ball, a mirror, a spoon, anything that grabs your baby’s attention. Always remember to supervise your baby when playing with the sensory bin and be careful to not include anything that could be a choking hazard. 
  • Jello Dig
    • Bury objects in Jello and have your baby dig for them! Remember to use Jello that does not contain food dye to prevent staining. 
  • Hot/Cold
    • Give your baby a bottle of warm water and a bottle of cold water, or an ice cube and a warm bottle. You can use this activity with any kind of opposite, such as wet and dry, or rough and smooth. 
  • Walking Barefoot
    • Don’t forget about feeling through your feet! Whenever you get the chance, have your baby walk or crawl barefoot on different surfaces, such as hardwood, rug/carpet, grass, sand, dirt, etc. 
  • Balloon Fun
    • Lightly tie a balloon to your baby’s ankle and have them move their leg up and down. Even something as simple as this can help to develop eye tracking, concentration, movement skills and teach cause and effect. Remember to supervise your baby when playing with the balloon. 
  • Sensory Ring
    • Got an old hula hoop? Turn it into a sensory ring by attaching various textures and colors to it, like toys, ribbons, sponges, foil, and puff balls. Make sure to supervise your child for any choking hazards. This can also be done with a blanket. 
  • Mobiles
    • Get a mobile, or create your own using objects of various colors and textures. You can even attach things that make sound when they move or are touched. 
  • Fruit
    • Cut large slices of oranges, lemons, and limes, put them in a bucket of water, and have your baby play with them! This will teach them about textures and taste. Make sure to supervise your baby when they are playing with or teething on the fruit. 
  • Sensory Jars
    • Put things that make sound, such as rice or beans, or are colorful, like bits of paper or pom poms, into a see-through closed container, and seal up the lid. Baby will have fun shaking the can to make different sounds and colors! You can also put objects in water for your baby to shake and look at. 
  • Hidden Objects in Sand
  • Board Books
    • Reading a board book with your baby will help them develop their fine and gross motor skills. Board books are made to deal with being ripped at, thrown, and even chewed on, making them ideal for babies. You can find board books specifically made with different textures. 
  • Ice
    • Ice is a great sensory object for babies to play with. It’s cold, wet, and can be gnawed on safely. You can freeze objects like toys in the freezer to make them cold as well. 
  • Sound Tubes
    • Use an empty tube, like a paper towel roll, to create a sensory tube! Put something that makes sound inside it, like rice or bells, and seal the tube up. Make sure it is sealed tightly! 

 

Toddler Sensory Play

  • Create a Sensory Bin
    • Fill various tubs with different textures, such as sand, cotton, water, ice, pasta, beans, and other things. 
  • Create a Balance Beam
    • Tape a straight line on the floor and have your child walk only on the line. You can make this more challenging by having them carry something across, or do it by jumping instead of walking. 
  • Play with Playdough
    • Grab some playdough and have fun! To really make it interesting, try creating some homemade edible playdough that you can play with and eat. Try out some recipes here. 
  • Plant a Garden
    • Gardening is a great way to not only stimulate your child’s senses, but also as a bonding activity for you and your child. Plus, you get to watch the plants grow and eat what you grow!
  • Musical Instruments
  • Play a Guessing Game
    • Without looking, have your child guess what an item is by the sound it makes, such as crinkling paper or the sound of a familiar toy. You can also play this game with smells! 
  • Sorting
    • Have your child sort objects of various sizes, shapes, and/or colors. Not only can this be a sensory activity but also a lesson on size and color. 
  • Water Play
    • In the bathtub, give your child different objects to play around with in the water. Have cups of different sizes to fill up, or objects that sink and float. Bathtime is playtime! 
  • Finger Painting
    • Finger painting is a great sensory activity! You can use finger paints or puff paint. If you don’t have or don’t want to use paint, you can use shaving cream instead. Make sure to use a washable, non toxic paint. 
  • Oobleck
  • Search and Rescue
    • Fill a tub with water, then put various toys into it. Have your child use a big spoon to “rescue” the toys from the water. This activity is great to build fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. 
  • Bean Bag Balance
    • Place a bean bag on your child’s head and have them try out different activities while not letting it fall, like walking, spinning in a circle, and balancing on one leg. You can move the bean bag to different body parts as well, like having them crawl around without it falling off their back. Afterwards, you can play catch!
  • Magnetic Fishing
    • Grab a magnet wand and use it to grab different magnetic objects from a bin of water or sand. You can use magnetic letters and/or numbers to help teach letters, numbers and colors. 
  • Splatter Paint
    • This is an outdoor activity! Put up some large sheets of paper, or an old white sheet you are no longer using, and give your child some paint and paint brushes. Have them splatter and color the sheet in all they want! They can use their whole bodies for this one. Make sure to use a washable, non toxic paint. 
  • Clean up Time
    • Having a regular clean up time not only helps to teach your child good cleanliness habits, but it can also be a sensory play time. When cleaning up, have your child sort their stuffed animals and other toys by color or texture. Things like sweeping and washing toys off can also be a part of clean up and sensory play. 

 

For both babies and toddlers, storytimes can also involve a lot of sensory play, using objects like scarves, puppets, and homemade instruments, and doing activities like singing, listening to songs, reading and dancing. We do all kinds of play in every storytime we offer. Check out our children’s calendar for more information about our storytimes!