Ten Sensory Play Ideas For Toddlers at Airdrie Nursery

Toddlers are masters of discovery. Sensory play can help toddlers develop fine motor skills while stimulating multiple senses—all essential for relaxation and well-being.

Explore these fun sensory play ideas that an Airdrie nursery or simply your children will adore! Many are taste-safe and require only minimal supplies that may already be on hand.

#1. Kinetic Sand and Playdoh

Toddlers tend to have short attention spans, making sensory activities an effective way of keeping them engaged longer. In addition, these simple sensory activities require minimal materials or prep time—perfect for busy toddlers!

Make homemade kinetic sand from scratch to practise scooping, shaping, squeezing, and digging skills. While this recipe is safe for children’s playtime, adults should supervise.

Create turkeys to commemorate Thanksgiving or make a Zen garden using green kinetic sand and basic art supplies. Have kids find letters in the sand by asking them to see them or conceal items so that you can ask them what they might be.

#2. Toy Wash

Toy washing is an engaging activity designed to teach toddlers essential life skills such as cleaning. All it requires are some containers, soap, and sponges from around the home!

Fill ice cube trays with water and add small, tactile objects, such as toy cars or baby dolls, which children will love scooping out and saving from their containers. They’ll love scooping them back out!

#3. Bubble wrap

Bubble wrap can be an engaging sensory play activity for toddlers. For example, try the Bubble Wrap Twister Game, or have children design a tree using paint and a stamper!

Sensory activities help toddlers develop math skills by discovering sizes and numbers. Try this simple salt drawing tray for some playful learning!

#4. Bean Bags

Bean bags are excellent gross motor toys that can be played with in various ways, helping develop hand-eye coordination, colour recognition, and rhythm.

Pass a bag between hands in a pattern while including rhythmic clapping to teach rhythm. Then, create an engaging musical freeze game in which children hand off bags while music plays and stops; watch how quickly their bags fly off each child!

Use sensory bean bags that are filled with various textures to help children identify objects by touch. Sewing them yourself is easy!

#5. Sensory bottles

Sensory bottles offer a fun and mess-free solution for satisfying children’s sensory needs and encouraging curiosity, exploration, and learning.

Glitter bottles can help children relax by encouraging slow movement. Furthermore, creating weighted bottles that promote fine motor development are also great portable tools to have on hand for fine motor development!

#6. Frozen peas

Frozen peas are an affordable sensory bin material that’s safe for little tastebuds to use and can be turned into all sorts of exciting themes, like this apple pie-inspired bin from Stir the Wonder or Best Toys 4 Toddlers’ sushi-themed sensory bin with rice, plastic sea creatures, and shells.

Black beans can also be used to create an engaging sensory play experience by adding planets and stars, tweezers, or even a dump truck for maximum interaction.

#7. Foam Letters and Numbers

Toddlers can quickly learn their alphabet, numbers, and more with these foam letters for toddlers! Slap them together, hunt for specific letters, or even use them to spell words!

Use taste-safe bubble soap foam to transform any container into an interactive sensory PlayStation for kids! This activity can easily be created from household supplies!

#8. A Mini Construction Site

Your aspiring construction workers will love playing with this taste-safe sensory bin. Featuring a brown moon sand base with toy vehicles for additional fun, young builders are sure to enjoy exploring its contents!

Make it into a sensory guessing game by adding foam alphabet letters and numbers, plus use up old jars and bottles! Finally, add wiggly worms or birds for even more fine motor play!

#9. Sensory Guessing Game

Everything your toddler can touch, smell, or taste can become an engaging sensory game!

In addition, toddlers enjoy asking questions and finding answers, so you can use their curiosity as a means of teaching them something.

Fill jars with objects with pungent scents (such as citrus peels, onions, or coffee grounds) and let your child guess the source of each odour. This offers an exciting variation of the classic “smell” game!

#10. Slime

Toddlers love slime and can experience even greater pleasure from it when made from safe ingredients. Try mixing sago and water together with Edicol dye for creative colour-mixing activities, or name them at playdate time!

Use resealable bags and hair gel to create sensory bags for babies and toddlers to push, squish, and pull on. Perfect for small items like buttons or beads! Just be sure that all packs are adequately sealed and under adult supervision!