Quick and Easy Sensory Play Ideas for Preschoolers

I am really loving setting up quick and easy sensory play activities for Orla and Archie to keep them busy! I am totally loving being part time this year! I feel a little squeezed from Monday to Wednesday (my colleagues joke that I have a crazy hour Wednesday evening where I run around trying to get everything done and sending a million emails) but……. come Thursday, I feel relaxed and am enjoying spending lots of time with my little people and we’ve been trying out some messy play ideas. For the last few weeks, I’ve tried setting up Orla and Archie with a simple sensory play ideas for preschoolers for them to do on their own (like painting for Orla or drawing for Archie) but this has rarely gone well. Archie (who is 17 months) wants to do whatever 4 year old Orla is doing and often ends up messing up her game or climbing all over her picture!
So last weekend, we did some messy play altogether and this worked well – even Elodie (aged 9) and Finlay (aged 6 ) joined in!) So, I thought I’d post some of our favourite Sensory Play ideas for preschoolers that are quick and easy to set up – oh! and tidy up too! If you’d like more ideas of how to still do messy sensory play but without a mammoth tidying up session – see this post here for more easy peasy ideas for Messy Play Ideas that are Easy to Tidy Up!
The first Sensory Play ideas we tried were these ones…….
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Quick and Easy Sensory Play Ideas for Preschoolers
1. Rose Petal Potion Sensory Play
You will need…
Scented Bubble Bath or Bath Bomb
2. Ocean World Sensory Play
You will need…..
Water Beads (NB: Be careful – water beads must NOT be eaten by children, don’t use this one for toddlers.)
3. Witch’s Potion
You will need……
Green Bubble Bath (or food colouring)
My kids love mixing this one up to create their own Witch’s Potion! We also added some popping candy for extra fizz!
4. Flower Play Dough Garden Sensory Play (littleworldsbigadventures)
5. Superworm Sensory Play (Crafts on Sea)
6. Edible Farmyard Small World Play (Messy Little Monsters):
7. Rainbow Spaghetti Play (Messy Little Monster):
8. Making Robot Sensory Bags (JDaniels4Mom):
9. Construction Truck Sensory Play (Simple Play Ideas) :
10. Alphabet Sensory Bin (Teaching 2-3 Year Olds): Great literacy preschooler sensory play – for little ones that are learning their alphabet!
11. Winter Sensory Play (The Ladybird’s Adventures)
12. Loose Parts on a Mirror Play Idea (Little World, Big Adventures)
13. Coloured Rice Sensory Play (In Our Pond)
Hopefully, there’s enough Sensory Play to keep your little ones busy for hours! I am going to be using some of these ideas for some half term fun! Make sure you bookmark this page or pin an image or two so you don’t forget any of them!
When it comes to sensory toys, a Custom Fidget Spinner, as a unique toy, can also provide lots of fun and a rich sensory experience. Due to the wide variety of materials used in custom fidget spinners, each one has a distinct feel. When children play with custom fidget spinners, they develop tactile perception through different textures. Moreover, custom fidget spinners can be customised with unique styles, colours, special patterns, etc., to enhance visual appeal and fun.
More sensory play ideas….
Here’s some fun sensory play ideas about Spring for preschoolers – Spring Sensory Play ideas for preschoolers
If you’d like some more ideas for Fun Autumn Sensory Activities there’s loads in this Autumn post and see our Farm Sensory Play Setup here.
