Looking to incorporate more sensory play into your toddler or preschooler’s life? Here are 16 truly fun options.<\/p>
Key takeaways<\/h3>- Sensory activities for toddlers and preschoolers are essential for brain development, motor skills and language growth, and they also make learning fun and engaging.<\/li>
- Experts recommend a wide range of easy, creative activities—from dance parties and gardening to sensory bins and Jell-O excavation— that stimulate touch, sight, sound, smell and even taste. <\/li>
- These hands-on experiences not only help kids explore the world around them but can also support picky eaters, strengthen fine motor skills and encourage imaginative play.<\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>
1. Dance party<\/b><\/h2>![\"sensory](\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/03\/toddler-dance-party-.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div><\/p>
Have a dance party to encourage kids to explore sight, sound, and their sense of themselves in space all at once. Start with bright lights and loud music for one song. Then lower the lights and music volume for the next, suggests Dr. Molly O’Shea, pediatrician at Birmingham Pediatrics Wellness Center<\/a>, an American Academy of Pediatrics journal editor and official pediatrician of Goldfish Swim School<\/a>.<\/p>Alternate this for 15 minutes — about three to four songs. “Start in a darker room to maximize the effect,” she suggests. “After children become accustomed to the fun, vary the pattern.”<\/p>
2. Scarf party<\/b><\/h2>![\"sensory](\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/03\/rainbow-playsilk.png\")
Image via Sarah’s Silks<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>Gather some pieces of fabric of different textures and have a “scarf party” as a fun way for kids to heighten their sense of touch, O’Shea suggests. “Wear them on your head, your neck, your arms and get used to feeling the different fabric textures. Move next to scrunchies of different colors and sizes to try on as bracelets on the lower and upper arm or leg to get used to a sense of tightness.”<\/p>
- Sensory activities for toddlers and preschoolers are essential for brain development, motor skills and language growth, and they also make learning fun and engaging.<\/li>
- Experts recommend a wide range of easy, creative activities—from dance parties and gardening to sensory bins and Jell-O excavation— that stimulate touch, sight, sound, smell and even taste. <\/li>
- These hands-on experiences not only help kids explore the world around them but can also support picky eaters, strengthen fine motor skills and encourage imaginative play.<\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>
1. Dance party<\/b><\/h2>
<\/figure><\/div><\/p>
Have a dance party to encourage kids to explore sight, sound, and their sense of themselves in space all at once. Start with bright lights and loud music for one song. Then lower the lights and music volume for the next, suggests Dr. Molly O’Shea, pediatrician at Birmingham Pediatrics Wellness Center<\/a>, an American Academy of Pediatrics journal editor and official pediatrician of Goldfish Swim School<\/a>.<\/p>
Alternate this for 15 minutes — about three to four songs. “Start in a darker room to maximize the effect,” she suggests. “After children become accustomed to the fun, vary the pattern.”<\/p>
2. Scarf party<\/b><\/h2>
Image via Sarah’s Silks<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div> Gather some pieces of fabric of different textures and have a “scarf party” as a fun way for kids to heighten their sense of touch, O’Shea suggests. “Wear them on your head, your neck, your arms and get used to feeling the different fabric textures. Move next to scrunchies of different colors and sizes to try on as bracelets on the lower and upper arm or leg to get used to a sense of tightness.”<\/p>
![\"sensory](\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/03\/spices.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>![\"sensory](\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/03\/toddler-eating-strawberries.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>