Sensory Play Ideas: Simple Toys and Activities

Sensory play simply means play that is fun to squeeze, stretch, pop, pour or watch. You do not need a big setup. A tray, a few well-chosen toys and a quiet corner are enough, and our range of sensory and fidget toys is a handy place to start.

Below are simple sensory play ideas for home, plus the toys we would put on the tray.

Which toys suit sensory play?

Look for toys with a satisfying feel or look: squeezy, stretchy, poppable, swirly or glowing. Small ones that sit on a tray work best, such as squeeze cubes, pop tubes and glow sticks. They are simply toys, and the point is to enjoy them. We do not make health or learning claims for any of them, we just think they are fun to handle.

Squeeze and stretch play

This is the easiest idea to set up. Put out a few squeeze toys and let people pick one up. The galactic sensory cube is a 5.5cm clear cube with colour swirls inside, and the pack says squeeze me and stretch me. The neon marble mushroom is a chunky 5cm marbled shape in a clear case, and the smiley stress balls come two to a pack, so there is one to share. Set them out on a tray with a small towel underneath, let everyone pick a favourite and see what happens. Some people squeeze, some stretch, and some just like to watch the swirls move.

For a softer, slower feel, add some squishies to the tray as well.

Pop and connect play

Pop tubes are great for building. The pop tube set has 6 rainbow tubes, each 2cm wide and 14cm long. Pull them out, push them together and connect them end to end into a long chain. Browse the fidget toys collection for springs, cubes and more things to pull and click.

How to make a simple sensory bin

A sensory bin is a shallow tub filled with household items to scoop, pour and hunt through. An adult should supervise, and keep small items and fillers away from mouths.

1. Choose a shallow tub or tray with a rim.
2. Fill it with dry rice, pasta shapes or oats from the pantry.
3. Add scoops, cups, spoons and a funnel.
4. Hide a few toys, such as a pop tube or a squeeze cube, in the filling for a treasure hunt.
5. Tip everything back into a lidded container for next time, and sieve out any stray toys.

Glow play in a dim room

For a change of pace, dim the lights and bring out some glow and light-up toys. Wave a jumbo LED glow stick, or snap together glow bracelets. Glow play works well on a rainy afternoon, at a sleepover or at the end of a long day, and it is a nice way to finish a session of the other activities.

Setting up a quiet corner

A quiet-time corner can be as simple as a basket, a cushion and a few toys. Keep two or three out at a time, rotate them each week so they feel new, and let the toys be there when someone wants them. A tray or basket also makes tidying easy, because everything has one place to go back to.

You can take most of these ideas on the road. A small zip bag with a pop tube set, a squeeze cube and a stress ball fits easily into a school bag or a car seat pocket, and it gives everyone something to do on a long drive or in a waiting room.

On a rainy school holiday afternoon, try a three-step rotation: start with a squeeze and stretch tray, move to a sensory bin, then finish with glow play once the room is dim. Each stage takes only a few minutes to set up, and it means you only need a small handful of toys to fill a whole afternoon.