If you’re looking for simple ways to engage with babies and toddlers, then this article is all about making sensory toys. These are toys that stimulate the senses by providing a physical experience of something, or by creating an environment that’s stimulating. Sensory play can be very rewarding and beneficial for children as it teaches them about their world. It also helps develop motor skills. There are many different ways in which you can use sensory toys, from building blocks to sensory bath mats. We’ve picked out some of our favorites below.
Sensory Play Blocks – Build It Yourself
We have previously written about how to build sensory play blocks and how to get started. There are so many simple play blocks on the market now, but if you want to create your own, you will need to know how to do it yourself first. You should start by choosing the materials you want to use and what they’ll be used for. This means you’ll need to consider the size of the block, whether it needs to be able to stack together easily, and whether there are any moving parts.
You might want to buy a few small ones to begin with and then work up to larger ones. If you want to add some extra dimension to your blocks, you could paint them, decorate them, or even cut them into shapes. The possibilities are endless! To find out how to build sensory play blocks, visit our guide here.
Sensory Bath Mat – Make Your Own
It’s important when giving an infant a bath to provide lots of stimulation, so don’t forget to include sensory play toys while you’re doing it too. There are many different kinds of bath mat to choose from, but we particularly like one called Soothe & Soak. It comes flat, so you can simply lay it down inside the tub. However, if you want to make yours stand upright, you just need to put a little bit of water in the bottom of it (or you could just stick it into the tub) and it will stand perfectly upright. All you need to do is fill the top part with water and then place your baby in it. This way, he gets to feel the texture of the fabric, and his body sinks into the material. In addition, the water makes a soothing sound as it hits him, which he will love.
Soothe & Soak bath mats come in a variety of colors and textures, including cuddly fabrics, soft fleece, and smooth rubber. They also come with matching washcloths, bibs, and accessories such as rattles.
Play Dough
For older kids, you can also encourage them to get creative with play dough. If you’re thinking of buying some pre-made play dough, make sure you purchase organic products. Many contain harmful chemicals and preservatives, and these are best avoided as much as possible. You can try making your own, though, especially if you’re short on time. Just mix equal parts flour, salt, and water until it forms into a ball. Let your child roll it around in his hands before letting go of it. Then he can shape it into whatever he wants — balls, animals, people, etc.
You can get more ideas for play dough creations at our blog post, How to make homemade playdough.
Sensory Plushies
Another great toy for young children is a plushie. They’re perfect for helping your babies and toddlers explore their world visually and tactilely. Some great examples of plushies include stuffed animals, dinosaurs, cars, and dolls. For example, you can give your toddler a dolly and let her play with it. She’ll get to see what happens to her doll when she touches it, looks at it, holds it, and so on. As she plays and explores her doll, she’ll learn about its features, and then about other things in her environment.
If you’d rather give your baby a real life dinosaur, you can simply wrap a blanket around a stuffed animal. She’ll love seeing and touching it, and you can introduce new words to her as she interacts with it.
A person can make use of the stimming toys to get the relaxation from the excess amount of the stress and burden. The main motive of the people is to get the good results. A person can achieve the goals and plan for the future. A person can get all the detail and work in the effective manner.
These three items are only a tiny selection of the many types of sensory toys available today, but hopefully, you’ve found some useful information about them. You don’t necessarily need to spend a lot of money to create these sorts of toys — just look around your house for old blankets and clothes, or even plastic bags, and then make them into sensory play toys. It’s fun to experiment, and it’s good for your child’s development too.
