Sensory Activities and Examples

Sensory play helps to build connections in a child’s brain which is important for children to learn and develop higher level or complex learning tasks. It is important to provide children opportunities to explore their senses through play. Senses include: sight, smell, vision, hearing, taste, balance, and proprioception (or body awareness). Sensory play is great for calming an anxious or frustrated child, or can stimulate or prepare a child for learning tasks. Sensory play also helps children learn sensory attributes or qualities such as hot/cold, sticky/dry, sharp/dull.

See below list of sensory activities:

  • Swinging on a swing
  • Jumping on a trampoline
  • Playing with water or sand
  • Fingerpainting
  • Listening to calming music
  • Looking at a lava lamp
  • Heavy work: carrying a backpack, wall pushes, animal walks