Sensory Play for Toddlers: Benefits & Activities

By Agape Little Uni. Parent Resources February 13, 2025

Sensory play is crucial for a toddler’s development, providing them with the opportunity to explore and learn about the world through their senses. It involves activities that stimulate a child’s touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste, fostering their curiosity and encouraging active exploration. From squishing playdough to splashing in puddles, these hands-on experiences engage all five senses and foster the child’s holistic development. This article will delve into the reasons why various types of sensory play is important for toddlers, share examples of engaging sensory activities, and provide practical tips for creating an affordable sensory experience right in your own home.

Different Types of Sensory Play

Sensory play comes in many forms, each offering unique benefits for your toddler’s development. Here are some exciting sensory play ideas for 1 and 2-year-olds to spark your imagination:

Tactile Play (Touch)

Playdough: Moulding, rolling, and squeezing playdough strengthens little hands and encourages creativity.

Water Play: Splashing in a tub, pouring water between containers, or playing with bath toys develops hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.

Sand Play: Building sandcastles, digging, and sifting sand promotes sensory exploration and imaginative play.

Visual Play (Sight)

Shadows: Exploring light and shadows by projecting light onto a darkened wall and holding up shadow puppets or translucent objects fascinates young minds and enhances visual perception.

Colour Exploration: Sorting colourful objects, finger painting, or creating colourful collages stimulates visual learning and artistic expression.

Auditory Play (Hearing)

Music and Singing: Playing musical instruments, singing songs, or listening to different sounds develops auditory processing and language skills.

Sound Exploration: Creating sounds with everyday objects, like shaking a jar of rice or tapping on different surfaces, encourages curiosity and experimentation.

Olfactory Play (Smell)

Food Exploration: Introducing a variety of fruits and vegetables with different smells and textures encourages sensory exploration, as well as healthy eating habits.

Gustatory Play (Taste)

Safe Food Exploration: Offering a variety of safe and age-appropriate foods with different tastes and textures expands a toddler’s palate and encourages adventurous eating.

Creating an Affordable Sensory Experience at Home

You don’t need fancy sensory toys or expensive materials to create a sensory-rich environment at home. Many everyday household items can be transformed into engaging sensory activities for toddlers.

Here are a few ideas that are suitable for your children:

Fill a sensory bin with dried beans or rice and let your child scoop, pour, and bury their hands in it.
Create a “feely bag” with various textured objects like fabric scraps, sponges, or smooth stones inside.
Make DIY sensory bottles filled with colourful liquids and glitter.
Engage in water play during bath time with different containers, funnels, and scoops.

Remember, the key is to provide a variety of textures, colours, sounds, and smells for your child to explore.

Overcoming Common Challenges and Concerns

Sensory play can get messy, and some children may be hesitant to engage in certain activities at first. Here are some tips for overcoming common challenges:

Safety First: Always supervise your child during sensory play and ensure that all materials are safe and non-toxic. Avoid small objects that could be a choking hazard.
Prepare for Mess: Lay down a sheet or take the activities outdoors to make clean-up easier.
Start Small: Introduce sensory experiences and activities gradually, allowing children to discover new textures and sensations at their own pace.
Clean-up as a Learning Opportunity: Involve your child in the clean-up process. This teaches them responsibility and helps them develop important life skills!

Experience the Difference at Agape Little Uni by Busy Bees

At Agape Little Uni by Busy Bees, a Spark accredited preschool in Singapore, we recognize the importance of sensory play in early childhood development. Our toddler daycare centres are designed to provide a sensory-rich learning environment that encourages exploration, discovery, and creativity. Through our inquiry based learning preschool curriculum, we incorporate sensory activities that fosters a love for learning and supports each child’s holistic development. We also encourage parents to incorporate sensory experiences into their child’s daily routine to further enhance their growth and learning.

Schedule a tour or contact us today, and discover how Agape Little Uni by Busy Bees can provide your child with a nurturing and enriching early childhood education in Singapore.

Grade	Activity	Focus/Objective
PG, N1	Exposure to Muse Arts Teaching Methodology	Introducing Music as a form of Instruction
	Instill Muse Arts Routine	Allow the child to better understand our requirements of them during each lesson. Setting ground rules on when to play and when to listen.
	Building their music foundation via the introduction of Music and Movement with Music	Getting used to move in a coordinated motion with the Music. Instilling a culture of Freedom within Limits’.
	Exposure to Musical Instruments	Year 1: Percussion Instruments Year 2: Melodic Instruments
N2, K1, K2	Reinforcing Muse Arts’ Teaching Methodology and Routine	Instilling our Teaching Methodology and Routine to become second nature in them to enhance its effectiveness for the purpose preparing them to participate in activities that require a stricter control of progress, and adherence to time line, e.g., Preparation for a Performance.
	Exposure to orchestrated performances	Learning to work together and listen to each other so as to create a cohesive musical piece.
	Exposing them to more specific musical instruments, such as Keyboard / Ukulele / Xylophone	Further enhancement to their musical knowledge via exposure to more specific Musical Instruments. This allows parents to discover their child’s area of interest.

Agape Principle	What it looks like in practice?	Related EYDF Guiding Principles
Active and Authentic Learning Experiences	Provide concrete and real-life materials for learning Plan learning experiences that include an integration of various learning areas Allow children to experiment new ideas through play and planned learning experiences Children are able to connect classroom learning experiences with real-life experiences Learning experiences provide choices Learning experiences cater to the different interests and developmental stage of young children Learning experiences derived from assessment of children’s learning on a regular basis	The Developing Child The Intentional Programme
Positive Connections	Teachers work closely with parents in curriculum making Teachers use positive language to communicate with young children and their families Teachers observe and plan respectful learning experiences that embraces the diverse backgrounds of young children Teachers model good language and tone when communicate with children during routines, transitions and learning experiences Centre may invite professionals to provide talks and workshops to keep our parents abreast of the latest development in infant services and care for young children	The Involved Family The Professional Educarer The Intentional Programme The Engaged Community
Authentic Assessment	Ongoing assessment of children’s learning is carried out everyday Teacher has a systematic plan to observe and record children’s progress on a regular basis The content of each summary report is based on regular documentations of children’s learning Assessment processes include children’s views and voices	The Developing Child The Involved Family The Professional Educarer The Intentional Programme
Guidance, Empowerment and Support	Teachers and children are co-learners in the classroom Teachers develop children’s critical thinking skills by asking effective and age-appropriate questions Teachers create a conducive and rich environment for learning The learning environment promotes opportunities for choice-making and interactions Teachers provide feedback and encourage children to improve their own work	The Developing Child The Involved Family The Professional Educarer The Intentional Programme

Step	Description	Suggested Activities
Tuning In	The main purpose of Tuning In is to stimulate children’s interests in the topic of study.	Storytelling Songs and Rhymes Picture Talk Field Trip
Storytelling	The teacher finds a suitable story that is related to the topic of the week. She models good reading habits and spoken language. She reads the story with expressions and intonation to gain the children’s attention.	Puppetry Picture Talk Dramatization
Role Play	With regards to the topic of the week, teachers plan learning experiences which allow children to enact a role or an action.	Mathematical activities Discovery activities Cookery Puppetry Songs and Rhymes
Art and Craft	Children get to master their fine motor skills and work on 2-D and 3-D artwork with regards to the topic of study.	Creating 2-D and 3-D artwork
Cleaning Up	Children learn to clean and pack up after completing their activities.	Wipe the tables Putting things back to its original places Washing of hands and tools Sweeping
Cooling Down	After the children have participated actively in the preceding activities, they take this time to calm down.	Listen to a soothing music Close eyes and rest
Wrap Up	Teachers recall the activities that were done in the day and reinforce what was taught during these activities.	Recall A story A song A rhyme A word/phrase An action

Activities	What do we do everyday?
Arrival and Breakfast	Infant and toddlers arrive at any time according to the family’s schedule. For infants who arrive early, a good breakfast will keep them fulfilled and happy for the day
Morning Greetings	A time for Educarers to greet every child and share a song/book with the children
Large Group Time	Infants and toddlers gather and engage in holistic activities
Discovery Time	A time for infants and toddlers to explore the different materials and equipment in their learning environment. The infants and toddlers are free to choose what they want to do according to their interests
Small Group Time	An opportunity for Educarers and infants/toddlers to share learning moments in a small group
Outdoor Time	A time for infants/toddlers to explore the environment beyond the classroom environment. It includes time to engage in planned gross motor activities
Lunch	An unhurried time to sit together, communicate and serve lunch to the infants/toddlers
Nap Time	A time for infant and toddler to rest according to their natural sleeping time
Shower / Diaper Time	A time to bond with the infants/toddlers through shower/diaper time
Departure	A time to communicate with parents about the happenings in the day; and to model respectful communications with our various stakeholders

Benefits of Sensory Play for Toddlers