Stuck indoors with restless kids on a rainy day? You’re not alone. I’ve been there many times, watching the raindrops on the window while my kids search for entertainment. Indoor sensory play has proven to be an effective strategy for transforming those gloomy days into opportunities for learning and engagement. Based on my experience with raising 5 kids who are curious, I’ve gathered significant experience with indoor activities that stimulate development while providing entertainment.
What is Sensory Play and Why is it Important?
Sensory play stimulates a child’s senses – sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, balance, and body awareness. It creates neural connections and supports their development in many ways.
Sensory play helps children:
- Develop language skills
- Build fine motor skills
- Improve cognitive functions
- Regulate emotions
- Enhance social skills
Different age groups benefit in unique ways:
- Infants need simple sensory experiences to build brain pathways
- Toddlers and preschoolers need more complex input
- School-age children use sensory play for advanced skills and emotional processing
Children with sensitivities to clothing tags, food textures, loud noises, or who seek intense movement may particularly benefit from targeted sensory activities.
Sensory activities can be great for any child to explore their world and get the many benefits of this type of play. My kids absolutely love sensory play, and so it’s something we’ve incorporated into our lives in various ways.
DIY Sensory Bins
Sensory bins are containers filled with base materials plus different tools or objects for exploration. Best of all, you likely have many of these sensory bin “ingredients” around your house already, which makes it easy to whip up on short notice! These are great activities for playing at home when the weather isn’t nice, when you need to be making dinner while keeping an eye on the kids, or if you’re looking for one more quiet-ish activity to make it to nap time.
Creating a sensory bin:
- Select a container with tall edges
- Choose age-appropriate base material
- Add tools like scoops and funnels
- Include themed objects
- Establish ground rules before play
Potential base materials:
- Dry rice or pasta (colored with vinegar and food coloring)
- Dried beans or lentils (not for children under 3)
- Water beads (with supervision)
- Clean sand or soil
- Shredded paper
- Foam pieces or pom poms
Themes can match children’s interests or the season: ocean bins, construction-themed bins, space-themed bins. Place a plastic tablecloth underneath for easier cleanup and rotate materials to maintain interest.
Also, make sure you are closely supervising young children with small items that could be choking hazards.
Kitchen Science: Edible Sensory Play
For children who explore with their mouths, edible sensory play using pantry ingredients offers safe engagement. Having essential kids’ craft supplies on hand makes these activities even easier to implement on a rainy day when you desperately need some entertainment!
Edible sensory recipes:
- Taste-Safe Playdough: 2 cups flour, 1 cup salt, 2 tbsp cream of tartar, 2 tbsp oil, 1.5 cups boiling water, food coloring, optional scents
- Edible Slime: 1/4 cup chia seeds with 2 cups water, microwaved for 3 minutes
- Rainbow Rice: Cook rice, divide into bags, add food coloring, dry on baking sheets
Food-based activities can teach about textures and tastes in a low-pressure environment. Temperature exploration with melting colored ice cubes encourages predictions about color mixing and melting rates.
Texture Exploration
Different textures provide distinct sensory input. Creating an organized space allows children to fully engage with these sensory experiences without overwhelming them. Sensory bins offer an ideal way to contain and categorize these materials for easy access and cleanup.
- Sticky: Contact paper, tape art, homemade slime
- Smooth: Wet stones, glass gems, silky fabrics
- Rough: Sandpaper, burlap, tree bark rubbings
- Soft: Cotton balls, plush fabrics, feathers
Sensory boards with various attached materials provide controlled texture introduction. Home texture scavenger hunts combine movement with sensory exploration.
For intensive sensory exploration, try finger painting with pudding, shaving cream art, or an indoor mud kitchen. Have cleaning supplies ready or set up messier activities in the bathtub.
Sound and Music Play
DIY instruments:
Contents
- DIY instruments:
- How do I know if my child is benefiting from sensory play?
- Can sensory play get too messy for indoor activities?
- What are the best sensory play activities for toddlers?
- How can I incorporate learning objectives into sensory play?
- Is there such a thing as too much sensory input?
- How can I store sensory play materials in a small space?
- At what age should I start sensory play with my child?
- Drums from oatmeal containers
- Shakers from plastic eggs filled with different materials
- Rain sticks from paper towel tubes
- String instruments using tissue boxes and rubber bands
- Wind chimes from old keys and wire hangers
Sound matching games develop auditory discrimination. Sound bottles with colored water or glitter provide multi-sensory stimulation. Movement-based auditory activities like “freeze dance” or “sound statues” help develop listening skills.
Light and Color Activities
Creating a simple light table: Place LED lights inside a clear container covered with frosted contact paper. This allows exploration of transparent colored objects and color mixing experiments.
Color mixing options:
- Water with food coloring
- Oil and colored water in sealed bottles
- Overlapping colored cellophane
- LED lights with colored filters
Shadow play requires just a flashlight and blank wall for creative storytelling. Calm-down bottles with water, glitter glue, and fine glitter serve as visual timers for emotional regulation.
Indoor Movement Activities
Indoor activities that develop balance and body awareness:
Obstacle courses using:
- Couch cushions for jumping
- Masking tape lines for balance
- Hula hoops as targets
- Pillows and blankets for crawling over/under
Child-friendly yoga provides quieter movement while teaching self-regulation. For energy release, try pillow play, blanket swings, and “heavy work” activities:
- Pushing weighted laundry baskets
- Wearing weighted stuffed animals
- Wall push-ups
- Animal movements around the house
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if my child is benefiting from sensory play?
Look for increased engagement, improved focus, and reduced emotional dysregulation. Benefits include better sleep, more adaptive responses to challenges, and openness to new experiences. Brief notes help track progress objectively.
Can sensory play get too messy for indoor activities?
Yes, but manage messes with drop cloths, high-sided containers, designated clothing, clear boundaries, and accessible cleaning supplies. For minimal cleanup, try sealed sensory bags or contained water play.
What are the best sensory play activities for toddlers?
Safe options include supervised water play, sensory bins with large items, edible art materials, textured surfaces for walking, and age-appropriate instruments. Always use non-toxic materials without choking hazards and supervise constantly.
How can I incorporate learning objectives into sensory play?
Add alphabet objects to bins, discuss science during water play, practice counting, build vocabulary through descriptive language, and ask open-ended questions. Multi-sensory approaches often work better than traditional methods.
Is there such a thing as too much sensory input?
Yes. Watch for mood changes, covering eyes/ears, withdrawal, aggression, or unusual quietness. Start simply and increase complexity gradually based on responses. Keep calming alternatives available.
How can I store sensory play materials in a small space?
Use stackable labeled containers, rotation systems, under-bed storage, compressed fabric storage, and multi-purpose household items. Hanging organizers with clear pockets maximize vertical space.
At what age should I start sensory play with my child?
From infancy. Begin with tummy time on varied textures, gentle touch, diverse sounds, high-contrast visuals, and safe textured objects. Activities evolve with development, benefiting even adolescents during stressful periods.
Final Note
Rainy days offer opportunities for sensory exploration rather than obstacles. These indoor activities support development while providing alternatives to screens. Effective sensory play requires no expensive equipment—just common household items, observation, and flexibility to match your child’s sensory preferences.
My sensory play journey included learning moments: creating overly complex bins, underestimating cleanup, or combining too many elements. Each experience revealed my children’s unique sensory profiles.
Start with just one activity, observing your child’s response. Participate in their discovery rather than directing it, creating connection opportunities. Your engagement enhances both the activity and your relationship.
From squishy slime to scented playdough, there are so many ways to engage little hands and minds. But if you’re looking for a hassle-free way to spark creativity, art kits are a fantastic option. These all-in-one kits provide everything kids need for painting, sculpting, or crafting—without the mess of gathering supplies yourself. Check out some of the best art kits here and turn a gloomy day into a masterpiece-making adventure