Sensory toys are a category of educational and play materials designed to stimulate, explore, and develop all the senses, allowing children to learn about the world through listening, touch, observation, smell, and taste. Toys for sensory play can be simple or offer a multi-sensory experience, engaging different sensory systems simultaneously. From the first textured balls to various sensory boards and construction sets, many toys aid in sensory development.
Why is Sensory Play Important?
Recently, in our article "The Importance of Sensory Play," we highlighted how crucial it is to engage in sensory development from the first days of a child's life. In short, it forms the foundation for all other skills acquired throughout life, not just in early childhood. Sensory activities are linked to speech development, spatial thinking, the ability to perceive, analyze, and process information, creative thinking, playing musical instruments, drawing, and more. Everything a child learns and experiences is inextricably connected to sensory development.
By influencing the senses and stimulating sensory experiences, one can indirectly impact other areas of development. For example, playing with small items, sorting, and sculpting help children develop the skills needed to tie shoelaces or button clothes. Listening to various sounds, melodies, and voices improves auditory processing and even helps in learning to play musical instruments. Finger painting, playing with grains, and other activities stimulate the brain areas responsible for speech, making it easier for children to pronounce syllables, words, and phrases.
You may have noticed:
- Any early childhood development activities include sensory exercises. Kids who engage in these activities tend to handle more complex tasks compared to their peers who do not have as many sensory activities incorporated into their daily routine.
- Sensory toys, listening to melodies, and songs are even recommended for patients during rehabilitation after surgeries, strokes, and similar conditions, and this approach has proven effective.
- Such toys are especially vital for children with autism spectrum disorders.
What are Sensory Toys: Types and Examples
Toys for sensory play can vary depending on the specific senses they develop.
Visual stimulation toys
Mobiles for babies, books or cubes with contrasting or simple colorful images, moving elements, and multi-colored building blocks all contribute to the development of visual perception, concentration, and color recognition. These options help children learn to focus their gaze, recognize colors and shapes, and develop observation skills.
Auditory stimulation toys
Xylophones, drums, rattles, and children's pianos are examples of toys that develop auditory perception, response to sounds, and support language development. They can also have a calming effect.
Tactile toys
These include toys for sensory play like textured balls, sensory boards, fabric books with different textures, and toys made of soft foam or squeezable materials. Such items encourage exploration through touch and enhance sensory perception through various textures and shapes.
Olfactory toys for smell stimulation
Scented toys provide a multi-sensory experience and help children develop olfactory memory and associations. Examples include scented play dough or sachets filled with fragrant herbs.
Gustatory toys for taste recognition
While not classic toys, various foods help children gradually familiarize themselves with different tastes such as sweet, sour, and bitter. Infants during their first year (up to 12 months) often explore everything by tasting, trying to put virtually every toy into their mouth. Thus, safety should be a priority, ensuring that these items are non-swallowable, free of peeling paint, etc.
Toys for vestibular system stimulation
The best options are simple climbing structures like a triangle or arch. These frames match a child's height and physical capabilities, creating a safe learning and play environment that promotes balance, motor skills, coordination, and physical endurance. Rocking on balance boards or regular swings is also very beneficial.
Best Sensory Toys by WoodandHearts
Our range offers a variety of sensory toys suitable for children of all ages, starting from the earliest days of life. These include wooden mobile cards with high-contrast images and large foam blocks that help introduce different colors and can also be used to create a safe exploration space. For toddlers, we offer options such as:
- A Sensory Balance Beam – perfect for simple exercises, exploring various textures, and receiving a massaging effect from interacting with the boards.
- The Sensory Table by WoodandHearts, equipped with removable containers, is ideal for experimenting with building blocks, kinetic sand, grains, water, instant snow, and more. The containers are easy to remove and clean, so they can be filled with any materials. Activities at the sensory table stimulate sensory perception through touch and visual exploration.
- Finger painting becomes even more exciting with the use of convenient easels. Multifunctional models like the Kids Tabletop Easel allow for painting with paints on paper or using chalk on the reverse side.
- Wooden climbing structures enhance spatial perception and help children navigate their bodies in space. These are available for children as young as 8 months. Options range from compact sets like the Wooden Playset to full-fledged sports playgrounds such as the Large Playground Climber, suitable for use until children reach school age.
With our toys, you can create an environment where children can explore the world through touch, enjoy pleasant textures, focus on shapes and colors, and develop spatial awareness. Our toys, such as the Cloud Childs Rocking Chair, also aid in training the vestibular system. In addition to these toys, many sensory items can be created at home using everyday materials.
DIY Sensory Toy Ideas
- Fill jars with water, add food coloring and glitter, seal the lid, and let your child shake the jar to observe the movement of the water. This type of toy enhances visual attention, calms the mind, and helps with concentration.
- Fill a fabric bag with grains, beans, buttons, or herbs. Seal it tightly (or sew it closed) and let your child play with the bag, exploring different textures. This helps develop tactile perception. Make salt dough. You’ll need a bit of flour, water, and salt (to prevent quick spoilage). You can also add food coloring for colorful dough.
- Fill a bathtub with water and bring in various toys. Activities like splashing, lying on their back in the water, pouring water over toys, and feeling the water’s texture, along with the sound of water filling the tub, help children gain new sensory experiences and relieve emotional tension. In essence, any home or outdoor activity can be sensory play.
- Take your child to the kitchen and let them play with pasta of different shapes and sizes, interact with flour, pour water into different containers, scoop, or knead dough. Outdoor time can be just as beneficial: play in the sandbox or clay, create a mud kitchen, collect natural materials (sticks, pinecones, acorns, chestnuts), play with them, smell flowers, or listen to birds singing in the park.
The answer to what are sensory toys is quite broad. Practically everything around us can be a toy. Whether you choose ready-made products or create your own DIY toys, sensory play benefits your child, offering entertainment, calmness, and joy. By the way, sensory play is also beneficial for adults as it helps relax tense muscles, improves finger sensitivity, focus, and vision. Thus, the whole family can engage in sensory play, enjoying its benefits, pleasant emotions, and quality time together.