Spring Sensory Play Date Activities from All Things Kids

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Signs of spring are on their way!  Use the sensory activities listed below to create a sensory playdate filled with everything Spring. It’s the perfect time of year to meet up with friends and play through the senses!

Spring Sensory Play Date Activities!

We wanted to put together fun activities and ideas for Spring sensory-themed play dates.  Invite a few friends over, pull out the old sheet, and get ready for some sensory based play this season.  These would be great ideas for preschool classroom activities, too.  Sensory play is so important for children.  There is so much learning that happens when kids get messy and explore textures.  They are learning new concepts such as cause and effect while developing language and self-confidence.  Sensory play can be based on anything!  These Spring-themed sensory play ideas will keep you and the kids occupied and having fun this month while the weather turns.  Don’t stress the mess and have fun!

The bloggers below present a fun and sensory-tastic Spring activity that covers each day of the week, and are perfect for creating a Spring playdate that covers all things sensory. 

These are the sensory activities you won’t want to miss this Spring:

Monday: Crayon Box Chronicles brings us Melting Insect Sensory Painting
Tuesday: The OT Toolbox (that’s us!) shares Spring Sensory Water bin
Wednesday: All Done Monkey shows how to have a Spring Sensory Outdoor Activity
Thursday: House of Burke created a soapy color-mixing sensory bin. How fun! 
Saturday:  Fun-A-Day

How to incorporate sensory play into playing outside

Sensory diet activities can be specific to sensory system like these vestibular sensory diet activities. Sensory activities can be prescribed according to need along with environment in order to maximize sensory input within a child’s day such as within the school day. Using authentic sensory input within the child’s environment plays into the whole child that we must understand when focusing on any goal toward improved functional independence. 

Many sensory diet activities can naturally be found outdoors. In fact, outdoor sensory diet activities are a fun way to encourage sensory input in a child’s environment and without fancy therapy equipment or tools. 

It’s a fact that kids are spending less time playing outdoors. From after-school schedules to two working parents, to unsafe conditions, to increased digital screen time, to less outdoor recess time…kids just get less natural play in the outdoors. Some therapists have connected the dots between less outdoor play and increased sensory struggles and attention difficulties in learning. 

Knowing this, it can be powerful to have a list of outdoor sensory diet activities that can be recommended as therapy home programing and family activities that meet underlying needs.

That’s where the Outdoor Sensory Diet Cards and Sensory Challenge Cards come into play.

They are a FREE printable resource that encourages sensory diet strategies in the outdoors. In the printable packet, there are 90 outdoor sensory diet activities, 60 outdoor recess sensory diet activities, 30 blank sensory diet cards, and 6 sensory challenge cards. They can be used based on preference and interest of the child, encouraging motivation and carryover, all while providing much-needed sensory input.

Here’s a little more information about the Outdoor Sensory Diet Cards
  • 90 outdoor sensory diet activities
  • 60 outdoor recess sensory diet activities
  • 30 blank sensory diet cards, and 6 sensory challenge cards
  • They can be used based on preference and interest of the child, encouraging motivation and carryover, all while providing much-needed sensory input. 
  • Research tells us that outdoor play improves attention and provides an ideal environment for a calm and alert state, perfect for integration of sensory input.
  • Outdoor play provides input from all the senses, allows for movement in all planes, and provides a variety of strengthening components including eccentric, concentric, and isometric muscle contractions. 
  • Great tool for parents, teachers, AND therapists!


Be sure to grab the Outdoor Sensory Diet Cards and use them with a child (or adult) with sensory processing needs!

Outdoor sensory diet activity cards for parents, teachers, and therapists of children with sensory processing needs.

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