Sensory Activities For Toddlers- A toddler is always exploring and getting excited about what they will learn next. It is a great idea to give your toddler the opportunity to explore. Secondly, your child will explore and be able to learn from every activity they get involved in. We dive into some great sensory activities for toddlers that you are going to love.
The Best Sensory Activities for Toddlers
Sensory activities for toddlers not only make great memories for you to share with your children later in life, but your toddler learns so much about using their senses to experience. From sight to touch, your child will be fascinated with these fun (sometimes messy) and easy to create sensory activities.
Messes can be expected. Your child is a toddler after all. Sensory experiences mean getting down and sometimes dirty with these experiences. However, with your sense of humor and supervision, these can be really fun and educational tasks.
What is a Sensory Activity?
A sensory aviticty is any project that involves the five senses. Touch, smell, sight, taste and hearing. Babies, toddlers and preschool children thrive during sensory activity. They have a great time but also they learn a lot of skills. Babies learn how to grasp, they notice colors and touch different textures.
Some sensory activities have tastes experiences while the sound of crinkling, ripping or other sounds can really enhance a child’s sensory experience. Whatever the case, children should be exposed to sensory activities regularly.
What Makes The Best Sensory Activity?
Baby Sensory Activities
Babies love sensory acticities that are visual. New colors, bright colors can mean so much to a baby. They will be amazed with the reds and yellows in each sensory activity.
They will try to put the sensory activity in their mouth so avoid sensory activities that have small pieces or swallowable pieces.
Many parents often skip sound sensory activities for infants. Do not do this! Your babies first laugh may come from a sensory activity. The sound of ripping, taring, squooshing and more can make your baby giggle, laugh or coo. Encourage your baby to speak!
Toddler Sensory Activities
Toddlers also love sight sensory toys. There are so many fun sensory activities for toddlers it is so hard to narrow it down! Toddlers love to explore all of their five senses. Anything that keeps them busy and gives them a task to do will be a joy, no matter how messy! Visual sensory activtieis for toddlers are the most attractive at first.
Preschooler Sensory Activity
Presfhoolers take it a step further. Try to play match game sensory activities with your pres schooler. It will help with their memorization skills. Enjoy imaginary and sensory play as well. Let their imaginations go wild! They can start to develop vivid imaginations at this age and it can be very intriguing to watch them play and grow their skill set. Also encourage them to continue to build their tactile abilities. This will help in the playground and eventually in the school yard.
For Everyone
Make sure to have a lot of scooping, pouring and sifting activities. It has touch, sight and sound sensory activities all in one! Visual sensory activities for toddlers are the favorite amongst parents and children alike! Remember, the good sensory activities for toddlers are the fun sensory activities for toddlers!
Safety
Make sure to infants away form toddler sensory activities. Stick with infant sensory activities because infants cannot be around small pieces.
Keep your sensory activities rules consistent and always maintain the boundaries of every game.
As mentioned before, make sure that infants cannot be a part of toddler sensory activities.
Sensory Activities For Toddlers
We have compiled sensory activities for toddlers and sensory activities for toddlers and infants that both parents and children are going to love. From visual sensory activities for toddlers to tactile sensory activities to preschoolers we have everything! We also have added some sensory activities for toddlers and infants as well since many toddlers have younger siblings and it makes it easier for families to plan these sensory activities together rather than doing them on special days.
We have EVERY TYPE OF SENSORY ACTIVITY for toddlers. From winter sensory activities to sheep shearing sensory activities, you will have so many ideas for your children, your daycare and more! Let’s dive in to our posts and step by step videos.
Sheep Shearing Sensory Activity
The Sheep Sensory activity is great for children who are learning about animals. With simple shaving cream and a sheep drawing, your child can shear this sheep to get them ready for the hot summer sun!
Learn how to put together the sheep shearing sensory activity.
Glitter Jar
Here is a glitter jar recipe inspired from the hit show Esme and Roy. Learn how to make a glitter jar that will be a great toddler sensory activity that your kids can keep for years to come! Here is this quick and easy toddler visual sensory activity.
DIY Kindness Cloud Craft

Photo Credit: Momma Braga www.mommbraga.com
Momma Braga has a beautiful craft where you can create a picture of a cloud with a hanging rainbow. Have your toddler choose words for a friend or you choose special words that describe your toddler. Add glitter for effect and make sure to put a glass frame on the picture! No mess no stress with this toddler sensory craft!
Galaxy Slime
Make Galaxy Slime that is out of this world! Talk to your toddler about the stars, space and our solar system for this space sensory activity. Use little suns, moons and stars to add to your glittery galaxy slime. With the help of a parent, this can be a toddler sensory activity that you do again and again!
Nuts and Bolts – Loose Parts Play
The Theory of Loose Parts was created by Simon Nicholson, an architect, who saw every child’s ability to be creative with any ‘variable’, or material they came into contact with. In his article, How NOT to Cheat Children: The Theory of Loose Parts (accessible at: https://d14kfxvbwcq5jb.cloudfront.net/docs/documents/pdf/ip/Imagination-Playground-Theory-of-Loose-Parts-Simon-Nicholson.pdf), Nicholson condenses his theory to,“In any environment, both the degree of inventiveness and creativity, and the possibility of discovery, are directly proportional to the number and kind of variables in it.”
Create a loose parts play sensory activity
Sea Turtle Sensory Table
There are endless possibilities to make sensory tables, and they can relate to almost any subject. Best of all, you can make them using many of the materials you have in your art area or kitchen! We love to create sensory activities for all ages in the Jellybean Park Early Learning Centres. When we recently taught our 2 year olds about Sea Turtles, we set up a sensory table that created a play-scape and hands on experience for this theme.
Create your own sea turtle table!
Sensory Cards for Babies and Toddlers
Help your baby or toddlers brain development with this brilliant idea: Sensory cards for babies and toddlers! This sensory activity will be easy to make for parents and be hours of fun and discovery for your children. Make sure to watch and subscribe to JadyA for this fantastic idea.
10 Simple Sensory Activity Ideas
If something educational yet simple is something you are looking for, The Hidden Gem has some great ideas for your family. From outdoor sensory activities to magnets, you will have so many ideas for your little one. Watch and subscribe to The Hidden Gem.
Fun Sensory Crafts and Activities
Some of the best sensory crafts and activities we have seen on Youtube are from Craft Factory. Check out these top sensory crafts and activities. We guarantee you have not seen them all! Be sure to like and Subscribe to Craft Factory for more fun and one of a kind craft ideas.
Build-A-Snowman Winter Sensory Bag – Winter Sensory Activity for Toddlers, Preschool & Kindergarten
Raising Dragons is such a great site. This build a snowman winter sensory bag is perfect for your toddler, preschooler and kindergardener. This is a perfect way for the parent who is trying to introduce the seasons to their children or give something fun to look forward to in the winter. Be sure to like and subscribe to Raising Dragons on Youtube for more great information and tips.
Dollar Tree Sensory Bins
Every good toddler sensory activity needs items to help stimulate the child’s senses. many parents use The Dollar Tree to find the perfect items they need to create a sensory activity. The Purple Alphabet knows that every parent wants a few sensory bins to help their children enjoy their toddler sensory activity. Here are the must have Dollar Tree Sensory Bins that you will need to get those creative juices flowing. Make sure to like and subscribe to The Purple Alphabet.
4 Easy Sensory Activities For Small Spaces
Toddler sensory activities are fun, but if you have a small space to work with it can be cumbersome. Families that live in apartments, condos, some townhouses or just do not have a lot of space to work with struggle with some sensory activities. In this video by Buzzfeed producer Erin Phraner, there are four easy sensory activity ideas for small spaces that you are going to love. Be sure to like and subscribe to Buzzfeed producer Erin Phraner for more valuable content!
Foam Fun Sensory Activity For Toddlers
It would not be a great sensory activity for toddler list if there was not a fun foam sensory activity! We love Jumpin Honey’s video as this is an easy activity for kids. Who could imagine that these few simple ingredients can be the cause of hours of fun for your toddler? Here is the video and make sure to like and subscribe to Jumpin Honey for more great ideas.
DIY CLOUD DOUGH (EASY and TASTE SAFE) | SENSORY PLAY ACTIVITIES FOR BABIES & TODDLERS
We love this toddler sensory activity because the cloud dough is not only easy to make with your child but it is also taste safe which is a lifesaver for families with little ones that love to put things in their mouth. This is one of our favorite sensory activity for toddlers. In this easy step by step video, you can create your own DIY cloud dough that can be used as a sensory activity on its own and also along with other sensory activities!
Love Happy Ali has the best video for this step by step DIY sensory activity. Be sure to like and subscribe to Love Happy Ali. Fun fact about Love Happy Ali. She has created a non toxic taste safe DIY Cloud. Her daughter is 13 months so this is perfect for
Sensory Activities For Toddlers
We hope you enjoyed our sensory activities for toddlers with dozens of different ideas and step by step links and/ or videos. We like to make things simple and easy for our readers so they can find what they want and get started instead of being inspired but not having the ingredients or products they need to start a task. Be sure to like and subscribe to all of our readers and keep checking back with this post as we will update it regularly.