19 Sensory Activities For Toddlers to Make Their Imaginations Run Wild

Whether you make your own playdough or use a store-bought version, this is perfect for toddlers who love to use their imagination and don't mind getting their hands a little dirty. This soft and silky recipe uses ingredients you likely already have at home.

This three-ingredient activity, called puffy paint, brings new textures to three simple items, allowing your toddler to get their hands dirty while creating art. All you need are glue, shaving cream, and different shades of food coloring.

Rainbow rice, which is just dry rice that's been colored with food coloring, offers lots of sensory fun and encourages imaginative play. Add in different-size scoops and jars, and kids can practice their fine motor skills at the same time.

Sensory boards are made of a variety of different materials, including carpets, cardboard, or wood, as well as smaller items like buttons, bells, and sandpaper for a smorgasburg of sensory play.

Macaluso says one of her personal favorite sensory activities for her kids is kinetic sand. Kinetic sand is the best of both playdough and sand where it's got a similar grainy texture, but it holds its shape when it's pressed or squeezed.

Lavender is an amazing aromatherapy tool for kids! "Many children like the smell, and it is generally effective in calming a child who is anxious," The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia says. But if lavender isn't your kid's favorite, there are other aromatherapy scents you can use in this calming rice bin. This way they can have fun and feel zen.

Scooping bins offer toddlers different textures to play with, and working on scooping and dumping can help with their dexterity and bring in that sound element, too. This type of activity can be a good starting point for toddlers who are more timid with different textures. "Sensory play is particularly beneficial for children with sensory processing disorder because it can help them to become more comfortable with various textures and materials," Macaluso explains.

Ice is a fun activity because it's so focused on touch, which changes over the course of the activity — starting with cold and solid and ending in wet and liquid. For this activity, you'll need to do some prep work by freezing water in disposable gloves with small items inside like buttons, beads, glitter, and ribbon. Then when it's good and frozen, pop and get rid of the glove, leaving your toddler with the frozen ice they can melt with their hands to release the fun sensory items inside. Given the small parts in this one, it's best for an older toddler who knows not to put things in their mouth.

This sensory activity is best for toddlers 18 months old and up and is perfect for kids who love creating new scenes. This activity uses water gel, sand, and fun beach- or ocean-themed toys.

Create a magical sensory experience with things you already have at home. Fill up clear plastic bottles with glitter, water, beads, and other fun trinkets. Or stick to a theme like this nature-inspired one and have kids collect sticks, flowers, and leaves from outside.

Sometimes it is a good idea to play with your food, like in the case of this Jell-O dig. Hide small toys and trinkets in a bowl of Jell-O, and have your little ones fish them out. This sensory activity incorporates a lot of different textures for kids who don't mind getting a little messy.

This requires some creativity to set up, starting with finding a surface that's safe for kids to walk across. Then you need to lay out different materials safe for them to walk on, such as bubble wrap, carpet squares, and foam mats. Watch their eyes light up as they experience the different sensations.

Kids love bubble wrap, and popping it is a fun sensory activity on its own. But you can add to the fun by using the wrap as the rolling paintbrush to give an interesting texture to your toddler's next masterpiece.

Toddlers love to make noise, which is why this sensory activity is so perfect. Kids can take the time to practice their fine motor skills by picking up the filler for the eggs (e.g. rocks or beads) and putting them into the eggs. Then once that's done, toddlers can enjoy the sound of their own music, shaking the eggs to their own beat.