Toddlers are natural explorers, using all their senses to understand the world around them. Sensory activities are not just fun; they are crucial for a toddler’s cognitive and fine motor development, helping them process information, build nerve connections in the brain, and refine their understanding of different textures, sounds, and smells. Children learn by interacting with others; toddlers often imitate peers and adults around them, turning these activities into rich social learning experiences.
The Power of Sensory Play for Toddler Development
Sensory play engages a child’s five senses: touch, sight, sound, smell, and taste, along with an awareness of body position, balance and movement. These activities help little brains grow and develop, building the skills that will help them complete complex tasks later on. For toddlers, sensory play is a cornerstone of early learning, aiding in:
- Cognitive Development: Encourages problem-solving, cause and effect, and critical thinking as toddlers experiment with various materials.
- Fine Motor Skills: Refines hand-eye coordination, dexterity, and strength through squeezing, scooping, pouring, and manipulating small objects.
- Language Development: Expands vocabulary as children learn to describe new sensations, textures, and properties of materials.
- Social Learning: Provides opportunities for shared experiences, turn-taking, and parallel play, fostering interactions with peers and caregivers.
- Emotional Regulation: Offers a calming and engaging outlet, helping children process emotions and self-regulate through focused, hands-on exploration.
10 Fun and Easy Sensory Activities for Toddlers at Home
Here are ten sensory activities you can set up quickly using household items, designed to engage your toddler’s senses and support brain development.
1. Homemade Playdough Creations
How it works: Playdough is a classic, easy sensory activity for toddlers that never loses its charm. You can make a simple playdough by mixing 1 cup of flour, ½ cup of salt, 1 tablespoon of oil, and a bit of warm water (add food colouring for extra fun). Involve your toddler in pouring and stirring, and once the dough is ready, sit at a table and play together: roll balls, cut with cookie cutters, or poke with fingers.
Skills Boosted:
- Fine Motor Skills: All that pinching and rolling builds hand and finger strength for future skills, like writing, tying shoelaces and buttoning clothes.
- Hand-Eye Coordination: Using tools or aiming to stick pieces together.
- Cognitive Skills: Shaping dough into recognizable objects involves memory and imagination.
- Social Learning: Making playdough “cookies” or trading shapes with a friend teaches sharing and cooperation.
Tips:
- For added sensory input, mix in a few drops of kid-safe scents, such as vanilla or lemon.
- Use tools like popsicle sticks, plastic utensils, or stampers for added exploration.
2. Squishy Bag Painting
How it works: Squirt dollops of different coloured washable paint inside a large, clear Ziploc bag. Seal it tightly, removing as much air as possible. Tape the bag securely to a window, high chair tray, or table. Let your toddler push, squish, and spread the paint without the mess.
Skills Boosted:
- Fine Motor Skills: Squeezing and manipulating the paint builds hand strength and coordination.
- Sensory Exploration: Tactile experience of squishy paint without direct contact.
- Creativity: Exploring colour mixing and visual patterns.
Tips:
- Double-bag for extra security against leaks.
- Add glitter or small beads inside the bag for added visual interest and texture.
3. Mystery Sensory Box
How it works: Cut a hand-sized hole in a shoebox (or use a pillowcase) and hide various safe objects inside. Little ones reach in without looking and describe what they feel. Gather a few everyday items with different textures (e.g., a cotton ball, a wooden spoon, a rubber ball, a silky scarf). Place them in the box and have your child put a hand in to feel one object at a time. Prompt them with simple questions (“Does it feel hard or soft?”) and have them guess the object.
Skills Boosted:
- Cognitive Skills: Sensory perception and problem-solving as they identify objects.
- Language Development: Learning texture words and descriptive language.
- Memory: Recalling objects by touch.
- Social-Emotional Skills: Taking turns and enjoying a shared game with a parent or sibling.
Tips:
- Swap roles and let them hide items for you to guess, too.
- Extend this into a group activity to promote cooperation and shared excitement, as toddlers can watch each other try the mystery box and learn by observation.
4. Water Table Fun (Indoors or Outdoors)
How it works: Fill a basin, large bowl, or dedicated water table with a few inches of water. Add various floating and sinking toys, sponges, cups, scoops, and funnels. Let your toddler splash, pour, and transfer water.
Skills Boosted:
- Early Math/Science: Concepts of volume, sinking versus floating, cause and effect.
- Fine Motor Skills: Pouring, scooping, and squeezing sponges.
- Sensory Exploration: Tactile experience of water, its temperature, and ability to splash.
Tips:
- Always supervise water play closely, even with shallow water.
- Add a few drops of food colouring or bubbles for extra engagement.
5. Rice or Bean Bin Dig
How it works: Fill a large container with dry rice, dried beans, or lentils. Bury small toys, scoops, measuring cups, and small containers within. Let your toddler dig, pour, scoop, and search for buried treasures.
Skills Boosted:
- Fine Motor Skills: Scooping and pouring develop hand control and coordination.
- Sensory Exploration: Tactile experience of different grains, and a gentle sound as they pour.
- Problem-Solving: Using tools to find buried objects.
Tips:
- Place a large sheet or towel under the bin for easier cleanup.
- Add a magnetic wand and magnetic letters/numbers for an extra learning element.
6. Texture Path (Sensory Walk)
How it works: Create a mini obstacle course of different surfaces for your toddler to walk, crawl, and jump on. Gather materials from around the house that are safe to step on: a soft pillow or mat, a piece of crinkly wax paper or bubble wrap taped to the floor, a strip of rough doormat, or a cool tile. Lay them out in a line or circuit on the floor. Encourage your child to take off their shoes and socks to feel the textures with their feet.
Skills Boosted:
- Gross Motor Development: Balance, coordination, and motor planning as they navigate surfaces.
- Sensory Processing: Tactile input from their feet and vestibular/balance sense as they adjust to uneven surfaces.
- Social Learning: Taking turns, following each other, and cooperating to navigate the course.
- Cognitive Skills: Memory and imagination by integrating a story (“Let’s cross the squishy mud, now tiptoe over the hot desert sand…”) into the activity.
Tips:
- Secure anything that might slip to prevent falls.
- For a group, make it a follow-the-leader game. Older toddlers might help younger ones, a great display of cooperation and empathy.
7. Feather or Pom-Pom Drop
How it works: Tape a paper towel roll or PVC pipe vertically to a wall or table, extending into a basket or container below. Provide light, soft items like feathers, pom-poms, or cotton balls. Encourage your toddler to drop the items into the top of the tube and watch them fall.
Skills Boosted:
- Fine Motor Skills: Pincer grasp to pick up and drop small objects.
- Cause & Effect: Understanding that dropping an item makes it disappear and reappear.
- Problem-Solving: Adjusting aim to get the item into the tube.
Tips:
- Make multiple tubes at different heights or angle some of them for varied trajectories.
- Use pom-poms of varying sizes to practice grasping different sizes.
8. DIY Texture Cards
How it works: Create a set of cards or a small book with different textures for your toddler to touch and feel. Cut out pieces of textured materials like sandpaper, felt, corrugated cardboard, cotton balls, or bubble wrap, and glue them onto sturdy cardstock or cardboard squares. Present the cards one at a time and encourage your toddler to feel each one with their hands.
Skills Boosted:
- Sensory Exploration: Develops tactile discrimination and understanding of varied textures.
- Language Development: Expands descriptive vocabulary as you name the textures (“bumpy,” “soft,” “rough”).
- Fine Motor Skills: Touching and tracing the different textures refines finger control.
- Memory: Recalling the names of textures or matching them to their corresponding cards.
Tips:
- Ensure all materials are securely attached.
- For an older toddler, use a blindfold to focus purely on touch and turn it into a guessing game.
9. Bubble Chase and Pop
How it works: Bubbles are a fantastic, easy sensory activity that merges visual, tactile, and social fun. In an open space, blow a stream of bubbles within your toddler’s reach. Encourage them to catch or clap the bubbles. If they’re able, let them try blowing bubbles themselves.
Skills Boosted:
- Gross Motor Skills: Running, reaching, and balancing to chase bubbles.
- Hand-Eye Coordination: Aiming to grab a bubble.
- Sensory Processing: Feeling the subtle sensation of a pop and seeing the bubble’s colours.
- Social Learning: Bubble play is fantastic for peer interaction; kids giggle at each other and naturally start playing cooperatively as they chase the same bubble.
Tips:
- Turn bubble play into a social learning game: sing a simple bubble song while one child blows bubbles and others pop them, then rotate roles.
- For a language boost, introduce new words by describing bubbles as “shimmery,” “floating,” or “tiny.”
10. Sound Discovery Bottles/Bags
How it works: Fill clear plastic bottles or sturdy Ziploc bags with various items that make different sounds when shaken. Rice, beans, pasta, buttons, and mini bells are all excellent examples. Seal them securely. Let your toddler shake, tap, and listen to the different sounds.
Skills Boosted:
- Auditory Discrimination: Learning to differentiate between various sounds.
- Sensory Exploration: Engages the sense of hearing.
- Cognitive Development: Matching sounds, understanding cause and effect.
Tips:
- Create pairs of bottles with the same contents for a matching game.
- Discuss the sounds: “Does this sound loud or quiet? Is it crunchy or jingling?”
The Learning Nest’s Focus on Social Learning and Development
At The Learning Nest, we believe in the critical role of sensory activities in a child’s overall development, especially in fostering social learning. While these activities nurture individual cognitive and fine motor skills, they also create natural opportunities for interaction, observation, and communication among toddlers.
“We wish more parents knew that sensory play doesn’t have to be complicated. Simple activities like the ones outlined here ignite neural pathways, build brain connections, and support language development, problem-solving, and social skills, all while laying the foundation for future learning.”
In our programs at our North York and Junction centres, toddlers are encouraged to explore sensory bins together, engage in parallel play, share materials, and describe their discoveries to educators and peers. This collaborative environment supports their social growth, helping them learn to navigate group dynamics and communicate effectively from an early age.
Our experienced educators understand how to guide these interactions, turning shared sensory experiences into moments of social learning.
If you have questions about early childhood development, our programs, or wish to explore our premium daycare centres in North York and The Junction, we invite you to connect with us. Our team is here to support your family’s journey.
Contact us today to schedule a visit or speak with one of our team members.
