Sensory

130 Sensory Play Ideas

Colleen Beck OTR/L

Colleen Beck, OTR/L is a pediatric occupational therapist and the owner and author of The OT Toolbox website. She manages all of The OT Toolbox social media accounts and runs the popular newsletter. Colleen created The OT Toolbox in 2011 and since then has written thousands of blog posts designed to support therapy providers, educators, parents, counselors, admin, and caregivers in promoting the healthy development of kids. Check out Colleen's blog posts below:

by Colleen Beck OTR/L
January 3, 2015

Looking for a few fresh sensory play ideas? These sensory activities are full of fun and creative ways to explore the senses while learning through taste, touch, sight, smell, the auditory sense, and even proprioception and vestibular sensory systems! One of our favorite ways to explore and learn with kids is through sensory play. There’s a reason why…when we encourage our kids to participate in sensory play, they learn! Getting kids involved in messy sensory play, sensory play dough, sensory tables, or slime sensory play encourages gross and fine motor skills, motor planning, and so much more.
Check out all of the sensory play ideas here…You will see edible sensory play and sensory activities that promote learning. There are just SO many sensory activities that kids love! Below, you will find some of the top sensory play ideas that we’ve shared here on The OT Toolbox, in different collections over the years. In fact, there are over 130 different sensory play ideas that promote learning and sensory challenges through various sensory experiences!

Sensory Play Ideas that kids will love

130 sensory play ideas for learning and messy, sensory fun with kids.

130 Sensory Play and Learning Ideas

Check out these sensory bins and sensory play ideas that can be used in learning and play:

Use these sensory bin ideas to help kids explore the senses with sensory play ideas that will help with sensory challenges or learning through sensory play.

These 60+ Sensory Bin Ideas are great for exploring sensory experiences through play. Sensory bins can be fit to any theme based on the child’s interests and sensory learning experiences.

Kids will love these messy sensory play ideas that challenge the tactile sense and are fun!

These 8 Messy Sensory Play Ideas are awesome to use as a sensory challenge or to help kids play and experience the tactile sensory input they need to develop a functioning tactile sensory system. Use these sensory play ideas and experiences in therapy or at home.

These sensory art activities are messy sensory play ideas and ones that incorporate the senses in art and creative experiences!

These 18 Creative Art Projects incorporate a variety of senses in sensory art play! They are perfect for using in art lessons or in creative fun at home or in the occupational therapy clinic…while working on the underlying skills kids need!

These olfactory sense of smell sensory play activities and sensory play ideas use scented sensory play to calm or stimulate the senses!

These 9 Olfactory Sense of Smell Activities incorporate the sense of smell in play and sensory input. Use them to address the calming or stimulating experiences kids need through sensory play.

Try these sensory recipes that promote messy sensory play experiences to challenge and promote tactile sensory play!

These 14 Recipes for Sensory Play promote messy sensory play experiences through goop, play dough, edible sensory play ideas, and other sensory ideas that encourage playing through the senses!

Use these visual scanning activities to help kids promote the sense of vision and its use in functional skills, perfect for visual scanning exercises through sensory activities in occupational therapy.

These 7 Visual Scanning Activities are perfect for addressing the skills kids need for reading, writing, puzzles, and so many other functional skills using the sense of vision.

Try these sensory bin ideas to encourage sensory play in any theme!

Try these 9 Easy Sensory Bin ideas to incorporate sensory play in a variety of ways. Sensory bins are so versatile and can address any learning need and any interest!

These summer sensory experiences are outdoor sensory fun that kids will love including messy sensory play!

These 10 Summer Sensory Play Ideas will be a huge hit over the summer months or anytime that outdoor sensory play is needed. Use the summer sensory ideas as a way to encourage messy sensory play and tactile and proprioceptive sensory experiences that kids will love!

Need more sensory play ideas? Try some of these favorites: