The best sensory activities for babies are the ones that stimulate the senses through play. Activities where most importantly, FUN is involved. If your child is not engaged or having fun with the sensory activity, the chances are your child will not be getting any of those benefits.
The five senses are TASTE, TOUCH, SMELL, SIGHT & HEARING. We know that even children and adults learn best and retain the most information when engaging their senses.
So, with that in mind let’s look at some of our best sensory activities for babies.
Ballon kicking
Ballon kicking is Fun for your Babys as they like moving objects. Tie a ballon or two on the ankle of your baby and, your baby will start kicking and watching the balloons move. Additionally, you can place your baby in front of a mirror for extra giggles and fun.
Additionally, With colorful balloons, you can give your baby sensory stimulation. The colors and movements of the balloons stimulate your baby’s vision. The texture of the balloons allows your baby the opportunity to get to know a new material.
Some babies love water almost instantly, but others may get frustrated and cry in the bathtub. So before you take your baby in the bath, you can put some colorful balloons floating in the water. If your baby loves to splash around in the water, if your baby hates swimming, this trick will be a success. With a mix of the different size balloons and colors, this will keep your baby occupied and enjoy bath time a little more.
Bubbles
Bubbles are a great way to have fun with your children and have many benefits from a sensory point of view. One of the good aspects of bubbles is they are inexpensive and, the options are endless.
Benefits Of Bubble Playtime
Motivation To Move – A simple and effective tool to motivate and play with your baby!
Hand & Eye Coordination – Popping the bubbles means working on eye-hand coordination!
Strength – Following and moving the obstacles for a baby that isn’t moving on their own yet is a great way to strengthen!
Visual Tracking– Bubbles are a great way to work on visual tracking skills. A skill that younger and older babies and kids continue to work on and help with things like reading later in life.
Sensory touch– Bubbles are wet and sticky which is great sensory input!
For some babies that can’t sit or crawl bubble play is still fun! A great option to do with a baby while they worked on tummy time!
As your baby learns to walk they will be able to move after the bubbles and squat up and down chasing after the bubbles! Maggie Moo Music includes bubbles in most sessions.
Messy play
Messy play can be done in many different ways, including simple foods like pasta. At Maggie Moo Music we offer sessions called Messy Moo! Messy Moo Sessions were developed for children up to 6 years of age. Messy Moo sessions promote sensory explorations, foster imagination, enhance color recognition, encourage experiments and create a positive attitude towards new experiences. Most importantly, babies and children can explore in conjunction with our educational Maggie Moo Music, which further enhances their learning experience! So come and join us for some Messy Moosical Fun.
Painting
Painting is a quick and easy activity for toddlers at home without fancy materials! It is perfect for the young artist in your life who needs to get their creativity out.
The first thing your little one will need is a large sheet of paper. A larger piece, around 24 x 36 inches, would be ideal.
If you do not have something this big available to use on the floor at home, any more significant surface area works great too!
Next, you will need to set out your paints. Watercolors are an excellent option to use on paper and will wash right off with water too.
You do not have to worry about making a mess or having any color stains left behind after the activity is over.
If it is not possible to use real watercolors, any finger paints or poster paint will work just fine. You can even get creative and use shaving cream instead.
Once all the supplies are ready to go, you will want your little one to take a seat on their favorite rug in front of the painting area you have set up.
They should be seated in a comfortable position and ready to start the activity.
Let them know that they can paint anything they want! It does not have to look like much or even resemble something at all, for that matter.
Allowing your child’s imagination free reign over this project will mean you both enjoy it more than if they were to mimic something they see before them.
Don’t be surprised if their paintings are not exactly what you had envisioned. Toddlers are still learning how things work, so it is important not to expect perfection during this activity if your little one is concentrating on the painting process.
However, there will be no need to worry about getting distracted or becoming bored.
You can use this as a time to talk with your little one and maybe even show them how you paint too.
It’s an excellent learning opportunity, so try not to miss it by being on the phone at home instead of participating in the activity together. If they ask questions, be sure to answer them as best you can.
You will need to make sure that they do not eat the paint; this is unhealthy and has a chance of indigestion, so keep an eye out for this and take care not to let it happen, if possible.
The painting activity could take anywhere from five minutes up to an hour, depending on how long your toddler wants to spend with it.
Do not rush them or try to make them stop until they are ready, though. Letting this process play out naturally allows them to express themselves in the best way possible.
Once finished, make sure that you set out a plastic cup of water and place their painting near it, so they can give it a rinse after if needed.
Playdough
Playdough is a sensory activity that most children enjoy. Making it at home with your toddler can be a fun way to explore sensory play and bond with them. This recipe is easy to make, does not require any cooking (so you do not need anything but the ingredients), and uses simple items found in most homes.
Maggie Moo Music Classes
At Maggie Moo Music, we offer music, movement, and sensory sessions to suit babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. Our music classes include Moo Born, Baby Moo, Mini Moo, Maxi Moo, and Mixed Moo. We also offer Mobile Music Sessions, Moo Doos (moosical birthday parties!), and music sessions in pre-schools and Kindergartens.
There is something to learn in every song – both physically and mentally. Although ultimately a fun session, the team of child education specialists behind Maggie Moo Music has ensured that a wide range of Basic skills is in the sessions. The whole session is structured playtime. Additionally, included in the sessions are some game songs which everyone loves. Game songs are a great way to learn simple directions and commands.
Conclusion
Looking for the best sensory activities to help your baby grow and learn. Try out some of the above favorites. By taking time each day to play with your little one in this way, you can ensure your baby develops the fine motor skills necessary for future learning success. At Maggie Moo Music, we cover many of these sensory activities in our classes.
Do not forget that these baby play ideas are great ways to spend quality time together.