Spring Sensory Play Date Ideas

Have a play date on the calendar this spring?  These are the ideas for you!  We’re featuring our favorites from the All Things Kids Spring  sensory play date series from March with a round up of great play date ideas, sure to provide sensory input, multi-sensorial experiences, language development, imagination, learning; The benefits of sensory play go on and on!  So get that list of play date friends ready, this is going to be a fun play date!

(or just do a few of these fun ideas at home without the crowd.  It’s sure to be fun!)

ideas for a spring play date for kids

How to plan a Spring Play date:


Get the kids messy and dirty in the mud with a sensory gardening activity  (Lemon Lime Adventures).  You could provide containers, seeds, and a big bag of potting soil.  SO many sensory benefits occur with a good gardening activity.  This play date idea is sure to be a hit all summer as the seeds sprout and the children keep watch over their crops!

Sensory painting with a group of friends sounds like a great way to play.  Crayon Box Chronicles shares their melting insect painting activity.  Be sure to ask parents to dress the kiddos in their play clothes, because they might get messy with this one.  But, don’t stress the mess, there is a ton of sensory input happening with this creative artwork!

All kids love water play, right?  This spring sensory water bin that we created touched on a few of the senses and would be a great way for friends to play and interact.  The language that comes out with a sensory bin can be astonishing.  A small group of friends at a play group will love to explore in a water bin.  It would be fun to set up a few bins and let the kids go crazy with sensory play.  This Spring soap foam sensory play (House of Burke) is so much fun!  If it’s warm where you live, these water bins would be perfect outdoors. 

RELATED READ: Simple Spring Sensory

Planning an outdoor play date this spring?  This invitation to explore flowers from Buggy and Buddy would be a fin activity for an outdoor play date.  The kids could even gather their flowers first while on a spring sensory outdoor excursion (All Done Monkey) and then explore nature’s textures, scents, and sights with a sensory flower activity. 

Once you’ve got those fresh flowers collected, you could also set up a flower garden play dough (Fantastic Fun and Learning) play date.  Invite your friends to a flower themed play dough play date and you probably won’t have many “no” rsvps!

If you’re planning a play date this spring, a sensory bin themed play date sounds like a sure winner!  Set up a birds nest small world (Craftulate) or an insect sensory bin (Stir the Wonder) for guaranteed sensory-based learning and play.

An art-themed sensory play date sounds fabulous! Fun-A-Day shared this scented shaving cream art activity that would be a hit at a play date!  Throw down a dollar store table cloth on the floor or take the art process outside.  I love that this art work is scented and sensory!

This rainbow salt writing tray (Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails) would be a great way to explore pre-handwriting or letter formation skills with a spring sensory theme.  A group of friends would make this activity extra special!

I hope you were able to find a few fun ideas to make a spring play date super fun!