sensory toys

Sensory toys: exploring with all the senses

Feeling, hearing, watching… Sensory toys wake up all the senses. Simply through play, children discover how something sounds, moves, or feels in their hands.

On our ‘Sensory toys’ page, we organized everything into four clear categories for you: touch, hearing, sight, and play tray.

Extra handy: filter by age to quickly spot what fits a child's developmental stage, whether for a baby, toddler, preschooler, or school-age kid.

What are sensory toys, exactly?

Sensory toys stimulate the senses through play. Think of a light-up cube from Glo Pals, a rattle with a crisp sound, or a tactile game packed with different textures.

Children learn by doing. As they feel, smell, listen, and watch, they discover the difference between hard and soft, warm and cold, quiet and loud.

What is sensory play?

Sensory play has no set rules. Anything goes. It is all about experiencing, trying, and repeating, making it both relaxing and wonderfully educational. Think of playing with kinetic sand, water, and other materials with varied textures, or discovering new sounds and scents.

How does it differ from sensorimotor play and messy play?

Alongside sensory play, you will also come across messy play and sensorimotor play. The three overlap quite a bit, with a few key differences.

Just like sensory toys, messy play centers on sensory experiences:

• How does it feel, and how does it flow? The experience itself takes center stage.

• There is no goal or performance involved.

• Nothing needs to be ‘made’.

Sensorimotor play takes it a step further:

• Children develop the teamwork between their senses and their motor skills.

• A bead maze or activity toys like balance boards help children grow in this area.

Why are sensory toys so valuable?

Right from birth, children develop through their senses. They gather information, make connections, and build knowledge simply by watching, feeling, and listening.

Sensory toys support that natural growth without pressure or performance goals. They help with:

• Processing stimuli. By exploring new impressions at their own pace, children learn to handle different sounds, textures, and shapes in their own way.

• Strengthening fine and gross motor skills. Squeezing, rolling, stacking, and feeling train hand-eye coordination and muscle strength during play.

• Boosting concentration. Working hands-on with tangible materials holds their attention longer, letting children immerse themselves completely in their play.

• Developing social skills. Playing and exploring together, and sharing ways to play, teaches children how to communicate and cooperate.

• Building self-confidence. Every new discovery and successful action sparks a sense of pride and boosts their belief in their own abilities.
  
  

Some children find calm in it, while others get a burst of energy. That way, sensory toys help kids manage stimuli at home, at school, or at daycare.

Sensory play for every child

Because sensory toys support everything from processing stimuli to building concentration, sensory play is a great match for neurodivergent children with autism or ADHD, for example. Their brains sometimes work a bit differently than the norm, so they learn and develop in their own unique ways. You can easily tailor sensory toys to a child's individual needs, offering a wonderful way for every child to play and learn.

Free play, rich experience

Sensory toys are often open-ended toys. There is no fixed end goal. Children decide for themselves what they do, how they play, and when they are done, leaving plenty of room for creativity and confidence. They try things out, see what works, invent new ideas, and find their own solutions.

Children also learn to match words to what they feel. Smooth, bumpy, heavy, tingly: suddenly these are real experiences they can name, and their language skills grow right alongside their play.

Sensory toys for every age

Sensory toys have no strict age rules. Because they come in so many different forms, any age can enjoy them. Some kids dive straight into a play tray filled with kinetic sand, loose parts and materials, or colored rice. Others prefer holding something tangible, like textured toys or sensory bottles.

The best materials depend on what a child needs right now, what sparks their curiosity, and what fits their current stage. Let children explore at their own pace, either through free play or with a small suggestion to get them started.

To make choosing easy, we put together a top three for different ages and preferences:

Sensory toys for babies and 1- and 2-year-olds with sound or reflection

A transparent rattle with little beads or a funhouse mirror already works wonders. Little ones listen to the sound, gaze at their reflection, and marvel at what they see, practicing close looking and listening through pure play.

Sensory blocks or play balls for babies and 1-, 2-, and 3-year-olds

Soft, bumpy, and lightweight, just right for little hands. Sensory blocks and balls stimulate the sense of touch, motor skills, and sensory processing while children discover shapes, textures, and movement.

Loose materials in a play tray for kids aged 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8

A wooden play tray from Grapat and a handful of loose materials are all it takes. Think of rice, kinetic sand, scoops, loose parts, and wooden animal figures. Children scoop, pour, feel, and sort with no set rules and plenty of room to explore. By swapping the materials in the tray, you can shape this sensory bin to fit any child, at any age.

Curious which sensory play suits your little one best? Browse this page, filter by age and sense, and get inspired.

Making your own sensory toys

You can also easily make your own sensory toys at home with these tips:

Make your own mystery touch box

A cardboard box with two holes on the sides is all it takes for a surprising touch game! Pop everyday items inside: a sponge, pinecone, spoon, sock, whatever you find around the house. Hands in, eyes closed, and start guessing. Exciting and funny at the same time!

Tip: simply reuse an old shipping box.

Make your own play dough

Mix 2 cups of flour, 1 cup of salt, 1 cup of water, a tablespoon of oil, and a few drops of natural food coloring. Knead it briefly to create soft dough that feels wonderful to squish and fidget with.

Texture board

Glue all kinds of materials onto a sturdy piece of cardboard: bubble wrap, sandpaper, felt, aluminum foil, yarn… Let little fingers explore what feels rough, smooth, soft, or bumpy.

Buying sensory toys at I Love Speelgoed

At ilovespeelgoed.nl, you will find a wide range of sensory toys, from balls and blocks to play trays, kinetic sand, and all sorts of materials to fill the tray. Filter by age and discover the sensory toys that fit a child's age and stage of development best.