14+ Tactile Toys and Activities for Sensory Play

Sensory play is any toy or activity that uses a child’s senses (touch, smell, taste, sight, hearing and also includes movement and balance). Sensory play is an important aspect of child development. It can be tailored for babies to kindergarteners. Babies naturally use all of their senses to explore the world around them. They watch, listen, grasp, and put anything and everything in their mouths. It is just as important for children to explore and play with all of their senses as they continue to grow. The more senses that are used during play, the more engaging and beneficial it is to your child’s development.

Some examples of sensory play include:

– Activities that incorporate smells like science experiments or crafts with scented materials.
– Toys or activities that have different textures to engage the sense of touch like slime, Play-Doh, Thinking Putty, etc…
– Encouraging smelling and tasting while cooking or baking.
– Playing outside in nature is one of the most beneficial sensory activities as it uses nearly all of your senses.
– Fingerpainting is another great sensory activity as it can be done at any age!

Here are some of our favorite products that make sensory play easy, engaging and fun!

Magical Mixing Hands-on Science
$19.99

• By Creativity For Kids
• For ages 6 and up
• Engages sight, smell, touch, sound, and movement
• Encourages interest in STEAM, imagination, creativity, creative problem-solving, fine motor development, curiosity, cause and effect, and following directions

Mixed By Me Create Your Own Scented Putty
$19.99

• By Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty
• For ages 8 and up
• Engages sight, touch, sound, smell, and movement
• Encourages fine motor development, creativity, creative problem-solving, curiosity, cause and effect, and following directions

Dragon Color by Playfoam
$8.99

• By Educational Insights
• For ages 5 and up
• Engages sight, touch, and movement
• Encourages fine motor development, creativity, curiosity, and imagination

Buried Treasure Kinetic Sand
$6.99

• By Educational Insights
• For ages 3 and up
• Engages sight, touch, and movement
• Encourages, creativity, imagination, curiosity, and fine motor development

Warmies
$9.99, $19.99

• For all ages
• Engages sight, touch, and smell
• Encourages self-soothing, social and emotional development, imagination, language skills and can help with managing emotions and anxiety
• Available in a variety of styles

Dimpl Stack
$19.99

• By Fat Brain Toys
• For 6 months and up
• Engages sight, touch, sound, and movement
• Encourages fine motor development, spatial reasoning, tactile exploration, cause and effect, curiosity, color recognition, and creative problem-solving

Fruit Friends
$29.99

• By Fat Brain Toys
• For ages 1 and up
• Engages touch, sight, sound, and movement
• Encourages fine motor development, tactile exploration, curiosity, and cause and effect

Beaded Raindrops
$12.99

• By Hape
• For newborn and up
• Engages touch, sight, sound, and movement
• Encourages gross motor skills, self-discovery, self-soothing, sound exploration, curiosity, and cause and effect

Bilibo Mini (6 Pack)
$19.99

• By Moluk
• For ages newborn and up
• Engages sight, touch, and movement
• Encourages imagination, fine motor and gross motor development, open-ended play, creativity and, curiosity

Bilibo
$29.99

• By Moluk
• For ages 2 and up
• Engages sight, touch, movement, and balance
• Encourages gross motor development, curiosity, imagination, and open-ended play
• Available in a variety of colors

First Play Jungle Activity Table
$39.99

• By Melissa & Doug
• For ages 1 & up
• Engages sight, touch, sound, and movement
• Encourages tactile exploration, cause and effect, curiosity, language development, and fine motor development

Created by Me! Shape, Model & Mold
$21.99

• By Melissa & Doug
• For ages 3 & up
• Engages sight, touch, and smell
• Encourages creativity, imagination, fine motor development, color recognition, and language development

Poke-A-Dot Books
$12.99

• By Melissa & Doug
• For ages 3 & up
• Engages touch, sight, and sound
• Encourages fine motor development, cause and effect, and language development
• Available in a variety of titles

Rainbow Fluffy Paint
$17.99

• By Faber Castell
• For ages 6 & up
• Engages sight, touch, and movement
• Encourages curiosity, creativity, tactile exploration, fine motor development, and color recognition

Orbeez Mega Pack (2000)
$34.99

• By SpinMaster
• For ages 5 & up
• Engages sight, touch, and movement
• Encourages curiosity, creativity, tactile exploration, fine motor development, and color recognition and imagination

Sensory Bin (Various Styles)
$19.99

• By Creativity For Kids
• For ages 3 & up
• Engages sight, touch, and movement
• Encourages curiosity, creativity, tactile exploration, fine motor development, imagination

Whistle Stop Hobby & Toy, Inc. is a family orientated hobby and toy store that has been serving the Metro Detroit community since 1970!