20 Best Sensory Toys For Toddlers
The 20 Best Sensory Toys For Toddlers
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Sensory play has become something of a buzzword the last couple of years. And there's a good reason for that. Sensory play refers to activities that engage your child's senses — sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell — and is meant to help them develop motor and language skills, build their brains, and encourage creativity and experimentation. There are benefits to sensory play at every age, and when it comes to toddlers, sensory activities and sensory toys can be hugely beneficial to helping them make sense of the world and the people in it.
Remember, the key is to find toys that engage multiple senses, not just one or two. In today's screen-heavy world, they can be an especially beneficial way to get your little one to explore the world with their touch, smell, and taste, not just their sight or sound. That's why we rounded up the 20 best sensory toys for toddlers. Here, you can find the best sensory toys for 1 year olds, 2 year olds, and 3 year olds, so you can help get your child engaged in sensory play no matter what their developmental level.
Best Sensory Toys For 1 Year Olds
1 Best Sensory Toys For 1 Year Olds
Baby Sensory Tissue Box Toy ($20, originally $22)
This simple toy is perfect for younger toddlers. The issues are printed with different colors and patterns (to engage their sight), and they crinkle (to engage their touch and hearing). Your toddler will have a blast pulling tissues out and learning to put them back in the box, and they'll learn their numbers, letters, and some key shapes too.
2 Best Sensory Toys For 1 Year Olds
Toddler Toys Busy Board ($20)
Your little one will love exploring the switches and buttons on this board, some of which turn on lights and other of which create sounds. It helps develop their logic, concentration, and coordination all at the same time, and you'll have fun watching them figure out which switch controls which function.
3 Best Sensory Toys For 1 Year Olds
Pull String Toy ($16)
The cords on this toy are soft, flexible, and textured, perfect for your toddler to grip and pull. They'll build their brain while hearing and feeling the vibrations the cords make, and the poppable bubbles and sliding button on the globe of the toy adds even more sensory stimulation.
4 Best Sensory Toys For 1 Year Olds
Fat Brain Toys Baby Toddler and Learning Toy Suction Kupz ($17)
Six silicone suction cups in various colors make bath time, table time, or floor time more fun! This learning toy can be stacked or stuck to the table or walls, and they can also hide snacks or small toys!
5 Best Sensory Toys For 2 Year Olds
NDMUS Wooden Activity Cube ($30, originally $32)
This cube offers nine sensory games in one, from a xylophone to a trolley to a bead maze. It's built to help teach your little one counting and math skills, as well as color, pattern, audio, and shape recognition and fine motor skills.
6 Best Sensory Toys For 2 Year Olds
CPSYUB Easter Egg Toddler Toys ($18, originally $22)
Your 2 year old will spend a surprisingly long time cracking open these eggs to discover the shapes inside, then learning to put them back together again and fitting them back into their case. They may even begin to use their skills to help you bake some day.
7 Best Sensory Toys For 2 Year Olds
Little Tikes Spinning Seas Water Table ($45)
With a little sunscreen and supervision, toddlers will play with this water table for hours! My kids love filling the cup with water and making the wheels spin or watching the balls spiral down and bounce in the water.
8 Best Sensory Toys For 2 Year Olds
Little Kids Fubbles No-Spill Big Bubble Bucket ($18)
Bubbles are the ultimate toddler toy, and this bucket is perfect for your I-can-do-it toddler. With big bubble wands in a spill-proof bucket, kids can blow bubbles all day.
9 Best Sensory Toys For 2 Year Olds
MagnetBlox ($320)
Don't let the high price tag on these blocks make you nervous; this fun, educational toy will provide entertainment for years to come! It comes with 19 fabric cubes and 8 triangles, each filled with magnets that allow kids to build towers, bridges, houses, tunnels, letters, and more.
10 Best Sensory Toys For 3 Year Olds
Fun and Function Gel Floor Tiles ($50-$190)
Choose from a variety of colors in these tiles, which kids can sit on, step on, or jump on to make the squishy colors move around. Line up several tiles in different color schemes for playtime!
11 Best Sensory Toys For 3 Year Olds
ZaxiDeel Sensory Toys ($18)
If you can't decide on one sensory toy, why not try a variety with this kit. It comes with pop tubes, bean bags, a stress ball, squeeze balls, stretchy strings, spiky sensory balls, and more inside a handy storage bin.
12 Best Sensory Toys For 3 Year Olds
KiwiCo Sensory Dough ($15)
With a little help from parents, kids can enjoy sensory play with this dough. Help your toddler stir together the flour-salt mixtures, scented oils, and colorful paints to create a safe dough that they can mold and play with.
13 Best Sensory Toys For 3 Year Olds
Hand2Mind Mindful Maze Boards ($14)
These boards are designed to relieve anxiety in kids and help them feel calmer. The colorful sensory boards have fun, raised mazes that kids can follow with their fingers for engaging play.
14 Best Sensory Toys For 3 Year Olds
SensiPalStore Squish Panels ($10)
Squish, squeeze, write, and play with these awesome panels. The set includes four panels filled with gel and glitter, water beads, or googly eyes. These are fun for exploring, finger-drawing, and relaxing.
15 Best Sensory Toys For 3 Year Olds
BunMo Bath Toys With Suction Bathtub Toy Organizer ($30, originally $44)
Who says sensory playtime can't happen in the bath? These tub toys come with 24 suction construction toys that stick to each other and nonporous surfaces. Plus the set includes a variety of fun colors!
16 Best Sensory Toys For 3 Year Olds
BunMo Stretchy Calming Noodles ($10)
These amazing noodles glow in the dark! Toddlers will love pulling, stretching, squeezing, wrapping, twirling, and playing with these colorful sensory toys.
17 Best Sensory Toys For 3 Year Olds
Little Tikes Foamo Foam Machine ($240)
Have the coolest house on the block with this foam machine, which makes tons of nontoxic foam when you add water. Cover your backyard in foam and let the kids have a blast playing in their swimsuits.
18 Best Sensory Toys For 3 Year Olds
Creativity For Kids Sensory Bin: Ice Cream Shop Playset ($18)
Sensory bins are such a fun way to get kids exploring with their hands. I like this playset, which contains colored sand, rainbow sprinkle beads, ice cream cones, and more for hands-on play.
19 Best Sensory Toys For 3 Year Olds
Hand2Mind Sensory Fidget Tubes ($23)
There's something so relaxing about watching glitter swirl and spin around you. Help kids to calm down and relax with these fidget toys, which include four unique tubes filled with water, glitter, and more.
20 Best Sensory Toys For 3 Year Olds
Nutty Toys Pops Tube Sensory Toy ($9, originally $23)
This pack features fun textured tubes that twist, connect together, and make satisfying popping noises. This is a fun sensory toy that helps kids stay calm and relieves stress.
