# Sensory play Canonical URL: https://www.kigomo.com/decks/sensory-play Last updated: 2026-10-12T19:22:47.197Z Touching, looking, smelling and moving their way through the world, at your child's own pace\. Category: Outdoors ## Cards in this deck ### [Lie under a shady tree](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/lie-under-a-shady-tree) Spread a blanket in the shade of a leafy tree and lay your baby on their back beside you\. Say very little and let them watch the leaves shift and the light flicker\. - Age range: Under 6 months - Duration: 10 min - Location: Outside - Category: Outdoors - Type: Activity - Benefit: Visual tracking - Materials: Blanket - Safety note: Keep your baby fully in the shade and out of direct sun, and check the blanket for insects\. [Full card in Markdown](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/lie-under-a-shady-tree/content.md) ### [Meet your baby in the mirror](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/meet-your-baby-in-the-mirror) Hold your baby close to a mirror so their face and yours share the reflection\. Wave their hand, say their name, and let them stare as long as they like\. - Age range: Under 6 months - Duration: 5 min - Location: At home - Category: Toys - Type: Activity - Benefit: Visual focus - Materials: A mirror - Safety note: Use a wall\-fixed or shatterproof mirror and keep a hand on your baby throughout\. [Full card in Markdown](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/meet-your-baby-in-the-mirror/content.md) ### [Prop a high\-contrast card at changing time](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/prop-a-high-contrast-card-at-changing-time) Stand a bold black\-and\-white pattern where your baby looks during a nappy change, about a foot from their face\. Watch their eyes find it, then move it slowly to one side once they lock on\. - Age range: Under 6 months - Duration: 5 min - Location: At home - Category: Montessori - Type: Activity - Benefit: Visual focus - Materials: High\-contrast card or board book - Safety note: Prop it beyond arm's reach so it cannot fall onto your baby, and take it out of the crib afterwards\. [Full card in Markdown](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/prop-a-high-contrast-card-at-changing-time/content.md) ### [Wear your baby for a walk](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/wear-your-baby-for-a-walk) Settle your baby into a carrier or sling, high and upright against your chest, and walk a slow loop of your street\. Talk quietly about what you pass, or say nothing at all\. - Age range: Up to 2 years - Duration: 15 min - Location: Nearby - Category: Outdoors - Type: Activity - Benefit: Calming touch - Materials: Carrier or sling; Sun hat - Safety note: Keep your baby's face uncovered and visible, with their chin off their chest so they can breathe easily\. [Full card in Markdown](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/wear-your-baby-for-a-walk/content.md) ### [Watch leaves move overhead](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/watch-leaves-move-overhead) Spread a blanket under a tree and settle with your baby facing up into the branches\. Watch the leaves shift in the breeze together and describe what you see — bright, moving, windy\. - Age range: 6 months–3 years - Duration: 10 min - Location: Outside - Category: Outdoors - Type: Activity - Benefit: Visual tracking - Materials: Blanket - Safety note: Pick a shaded spot, clear the ground of sticks and berries, and stay within arm's reach\. [Full card in Markdown](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/watch-leaves-move-overhead/content.md) ### [Explore a treasure basket](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/explore-a-treasure-basket) Fill a shallow basket with safe household objects your baby has never held — a wooden spoon, a metal whisk, a fabric coaster\. Sit close by and let them choose, turn, and mouth each one at their own pace\. - Age range: 6 months–3 years - Duration: 15 min - Location: At home - Category: Montessori - Type: Activity - Benefit: Sensory exploration - Materials: Shallow basket; Safe household objects - Safety note: Offer only objects bigger than a toilet paper tube, with no loose or breakable parts, and stay within arm's reach\. [Full card in Markdown](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/explore-a-treasure-basket/content.md) ### [Empty a low kitchen cupboard](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/empty-a-low-kitchen-cupboard) Clear one low cupboard down to plastic bowls, lids, and wooden spoons, then open it while you cook\. Let your baby pull everything out, bang it about, and pile it back in beside you\. - Age range: 6 months–3 years - Duration: 15 min - Location: At home - Category: Home - Type: Activity - Benefit: Sensory exploration - Materials: Plastic bowls; Wooden spoons - Safety note: Latch away knives, glass, and cleaning products, and keep your baby clear of the stove\. [Full card in Markdown](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/empty-a-low-kitchen-cupboard/content.md) ### [Feel grass with bare feet](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/feel-grass-with-bare-feet) Sit together on a soft patch of lawn and let your baby press and wiggle bare feet against the cool grass\. - Age range: 6 months–3 years - Duration: 15 min - Location: Outside - Category: Outdoors - Type: Activity - Benefit: Touch and texture - Materials: Blanket - Safety note: Check the grass for sticks or debris and stay within arm's reach\. [Full card in Markdown](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/feel-grass-with-bare-feet/content.md) ### [Blanket ride across the floor](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/blanket-ride-across-the-floor) Lay your toddler on a thick blanket on a smooth floor, hold two corners, and pull slowly in a gentle curve\. Stop and say \\"again?\\" before each go\. - Age range: 1–3 years - Duration: 10 min - Location: At home - Category: Home - Type: Activity - Benefit: Movement sensations - Materials: Thick blanket - Safety note: Use a smooth, clear floor, go at walking pace, keep away from stairs and furniture, and stay close enough to catch them if they tip\. [Full card in Markdown](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/blanket-ride-across-the-floor/content.md) ### [Dig in a sandbox](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/dig-in-a-sandbox) Sit with your child beside a sandbox and give them a scoop, a cup, and a bucket\. Fill, tip, pat, and pour, and notice how dry sand and damp sand behave differently\. - Age range: 1–3 years - Duration: 20 min - Location: Outside - Category: Outdoors - Type: Activity - Benefit: Sensory exploration - Materials: Scoop; Cup; Bucket - Safety note: Pick a shaded spot or use sun protection, and check the sand for sharp objects and animal mess before play\. Use a sandbox that is covered when not in use, stay within arm's reach, stop your child eating the sand, and wash hands afterward\. [Full card in Markdown](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/dig-in-a-sandbox/content.md) ### [Lift\-off on your legs](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/lift-off-on-your-legs) Lie on your back with knees bent and place your toddler's tummy on your shins, holding them under the arms\. Lift them gently into the air, wiggle your legs, and say \\"up, up and away\!\\" Lower slowly\. - Age range: 1–3 years - Duration: 10 min - Location: At home - Category: Home - Type: Activity - Benefit: Movement sensations - Materials: No special materials listed. - Safety note: Hold them firmly under the arms throughout and play on a soft surface\. Stop if they seem unsure or tense\. [Full card in Markdown](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/lift-off-on-your-legs/content.md) ### [Push them on a toddler swing](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/push-them-on-a-toddler-swing) Buckle your toddler into a bucket swing and stand in front of them\. Give a small push, say \\"push\!\\", and wait for a look or a word before the next one\. Tap their feet each time they swing toward you\. - Age range: 1–3 years - Duration: 15 min - Location: Outside - Category: Outdoors - Type: Activity - Benefit: Movement sensations - Materials: No special materials listed. - Safety note: Use a toddler bucket swing with the strap fastened, check the seat is not hot, remove scarves and hood drawstrings, keep pushes small, and keep other children clear of the swing's path\. [Full card in Markdown](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/push-them-on-a-toddler-swing/content.md) ### [Roll up like a burrito](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/roll-up-like-a-burrito) Lay a blanket on the floor and roll your toddler gently inside it, wrapped loosely with their face clear, for a giggly \\"ta\-da\!\\" unroll\. Offer a turn rolling you up too\. - Age range: 1–3 years - Duration: 10 min - Location: At home - Category: Home - Type: Activity - Benefit: Calming touch - Materials: Large blanket - Safety note: Wrap loosely, keep the face clear, never roll over the head, and stop right away if they push to get out\. [Full card in Markdown](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/roll-up-like-a-burrito/content.md) ### [Sniff the herbs and flowers](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/sniff-the-herbs-and-flowers) Walk along a garden bed or pots of herbs, crouch down, and let your toddler sniff a leaf or flower you pick out\. Rub a mint or basil leaf between your fingers and say what you smell\. - Age range: 1–3 years - Duration: 10 min - Location: Outside - Category: Outdoors - Type: Activity - Benefit: Smell - Materials: Safe herbs or flowers - Safety note: Only use plants you know are safe, keep leaves and petals out of mouths, and wash hands afterward\. [Full card in Markdown](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/sniff-the-herbs-and-flowers/content.md) ### [Tickle with a feather](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/tickle-with-a-feather) Stroke a soft feather lightly along your own arm, then your toddler's palm and foot\. Say \\"tickle, tickle\\" and pause so they can ask for more\. Let them try it on you\. - Age range: 1–3 years - Duration: 5 min - Location: At home - Category: Home - Type: Activity - Benefit: Touch and texture - Materials: Large soft feather - Safety note: Use a craft feather too big to fit in the mouth, check it is clean and intact, and supervise so it is not chewed\. [Full card in Markdown](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/tickle-with-a-feather/content.md) ### [Touch the bark on a walk](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/touch-the-bark-on-a-walk) Walk a short path and stop at three or four different trees\. Place your child's hand on each trunk and say whether it feels rough, smooth, bumpy, or ridged, and look for what lives on the bark\. - Age range: 1–3 years - Duration: 15 min - Location: Outside - Category: Outdoors - Type: Activity - Benefit: Touch and texture - Materials: No special materials listed. - Safety note: Stay on paths, skip trees with thorns, sap, or sharp bark, and stop your child putting bark in their mouth\. [Full card in Markdown](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/touch-the-bark-on-a-walk/content.md) ### [Walk a texture path barefoot](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/walk-a-texture-path-barefoot) Lay out a towel, a bath mat, a rug, and a smooth patch of floor in a row\. Hold your toddler's hand and walk over each, naming how it feels: soft, bumpy, cool\. Walk back in the other direction\. - Age range: 1–3 years - Duration: 10 min - Location: At home - Category: Home - Type: Activity - Benefit: Touch and texture - Materials: Towel; Bath mat; Rug - Safety note: Tape or anchor mats so they do not slide, and keep a hand free to steady your toddler\. [Full card in Markdown](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/walk-a-texture-path-barefoot/content.md) ### [Watch a sensory bottle swirl](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/watch-a-sensory-bottle-swirl) Fill a clear plastic bottle with water, a spoonful of glitter and a few drops of food coloring\. Glue and tape the lid shut\. Shake it and watch the glitter settle together\. - Age range: 1–3 years - Duration: 10 min - Location: At home - Category: Toys - Type: Activity - Benefit: Visual tracking - Materials: Clear plastic bottle; Water; Glitter; Food coloring; Strong glue - Safety note: Glitter and the water inside must not be swallowed\. Glue and tape the lid shut, check it before each use, supervise, and throw the bottle away if it leaks or cracks\. [Full card in Markdown](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/watch-a-sensory-bottle-swirl/content.md) ### [Chase a flashlight beam across the wall](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/chase-a-flashlight-beam-across-the-wall) Dim the lights and sweep a flashlight beam slowly along the wall and floor\. Let your toddler point at it, pat it, or follow it, then hand over the flashlight for them to try\. - Age range: 1–4 years - Duration: 10 min - Location: At home - Category: Home - Type: Activity - Benefit: Visual tracking - Materials: Flashlight - Safety note: Use a sturdy flashlight whose battery compartment is closed with a screw, never one with coin or button batteries, and never shine it into anyone's eyes\. [Full card in Markdown](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/chase-a-flashlight-beam-across-the-wall/content.md) ### [Look through a cardboard tube](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/look-through-a-cardboard-tube) Hold a toilet\-paper or paper\-towel tube up to your eye and say \\"I see you\!\\" Hand a tube to your toddler and look at each other through them\. Try humming or speaking into the tube\. - Age range: 1–4 years - Duration: 10 min - Location: At home - Category: Home - Type: Activity - Benefit: Sensory exploration - Materials: Cardboard tubes - Safety note: Hold the tube steady, and have your toddler sit down while looking\. Walking while looking through a tube risks a fall or poke to the face\. [Full card in Markdown](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/look-through-a-cardboard-tube/content.md) ### [Sniff the spice rack](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/sniff-the-spice-rack) Put a few whole spices or dried herbs with mild smells, such as a cinnamon stick, a vanilla pod, or dried mint leaves, in small jars\. Open one at a time, hold it a hand's length away, and take a slow sniff together\. Name each smell and wave the jar away\. - Age range: 1–4 years - Duration: 10 min - Location: At home - Category: Home - Type: Activity - Benefit: Smell - Materials: Small jars of whole spices or dried herbs - Safety note: Use whole spices only and avoid powders and extracts\. Skip pepper and chili, hold the jar yourself a hand's length from the nose, and do not let them taste or tip the jars\. [Full card in Markdown](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/sniff-the-spice-rack/content.md) ### [Scoop a rice bin](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/scoop-a-rice-bin) Fill a shallow bin with dry rice and add cups and spoons\. Sit together to scoop, pour, and bury little toys to dig back up\. - Age range: 2–4 years - Duration: 20 min - Location: At home - Category: Toys - Type: Activity - Benefit: Sensory exploration - Materials: Dry rice; Shallow bin; Cups and spoons - Safety note: Stay within reach — dry rice is a choking risk if mouthed\. [Full card in Markdown](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/scoop-a-rice-bin/content.md) ### [Stir up a mud kitchen](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/stir-up-a-mud-kitchen) Set out an old pot, a spoon, and a little water beside a patch of dirt, and let your child mix, scoop, and \\"cook\\" muddy pies to serve you\. - Age range: 2–5 years - Duration: 25 min - Location: Outside - Category: Outdoors - Type: Activity - Benefit: Messy play - Materials: Old pot; Spoon; Water - Safety note: Keep the mud away from mouths and wash hands well afterward\. [Full card in Markdown](https://www.kigomo.com/cards/stir-up-a-mud-kitchen/content.md)