The 5 best fall sensory activities for toddlers, preschoolers and Kindergarteners

What is sensory play?

From the very first day of their life, children use their senses to learn and explore the world around them. Their senses aren’t fully developed at birth and mature over time. Sensory play helps children engage and stimulate those senses (touch, hearing, sight, smell, taste), as well as movement, balance and spatial awareness and provides great opportunities for cognitive development.

Why sensory activities are great for kids

Sensory play has many benefits for children. Observing, manipulating, analyzing are great for improving problem solving skills and overall cognitive development. Sensory activities help to form new brain connections and supports the development of toddler’s fine- and gross-motor skills, language skills, creative and independent thinking and can also have a calming effect which helps kids deal with anxiety and anger. If you would like to learn more about the benefits of sensory play, check out the references at the bottom of this post.

My kids love sensory play and activities and so do I. I love that I can provide them with activities that not only keep them entertained but also foster their development on so many levels. Below you will find our 5 most favorite fall sensory activities.

Fall Sensory Bottles

Fall Sensory Bottles are always a hit with toddlers, especially younger toddlers and even babies. Just take an empty and clear plastic bottle (I love using VOSS bottles, but any bottle workds), fill it with fall items, like acorns or leaves and let the exploring begin. You can either fill your bottles with baby oil to get things inside to float or just fill them with your items. Your toddler will love to help fill the bottles and observe the items inside. You can find further instructions and ideas for fall sensory bottles here and at this link.

Leaf Sensory Bags

Sensory Bags are suitable for babies, toddlers, pre-schoolers and honestly, even adults. They are so captivating, calming and soothing, your kids will love playing with them. You need a sealable bag and colorless oil and then you can really fill them with anything, but specifically for fall I love to add colorful leaves and glitter in fall colors (my daughter is obsessed with glitter).

Easy Fall Sensory Bin

Sensory Bins are great for toddlers and pre-schoolers as they provide a great opportunity for open ended play and engages the children’s senses and creativity. We love the easy fall sensory bin linked above. It is filled with un-popped corn kernels and my toddlers love scooping, digging and transferring the kernels. I can only recommend getting some kid tweezers and scoopers for this activity. They provide a ton of fun, train fine motor skills and can be used for many more activities. As always, never leave your kids unsupervised if they are at risk of putting the small kernels in their mouth!

Fall Play Dough Kits

This fall play dough kit is perfect for toddlers and pre-schoolers and will keep them entertained for a while. It engages them in open-ended play while fostering their creativity. You will need DIY fall colored play dough (you could also use store bought), fall related items such as pine cones, cinnamon sticks and leaves as well as fall cookie cutters. You can also get creative and add other items to the mix. Also check out this Halloween play dough kit for more fall sensory fun.

Pumpkin Bath

This is a very simple yet fun activity for toddlers. All you need is tear-free soap or bubble bath, a few smaller pumpkins, a sink or small tub and a few brushes or sponges. That’s it. Because it takes literally no prep time, pumpkin baths are the perfect activity for when you need your toddler entertained for a few minutes so you can get stuff done. I utilize this activity when I am tidying up the kitchen. My son will stand by the sink and have a blast scrubbing the pumpkins, while I can clean up quickly.

Are you looking for more engaging fall fun? Check out these fall crafts and don’t miss out on a fun and engaging fall scavenger hunt your kids will love!

References:

Action for Children (2022): What is sensory play and why is it important? Link: https://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/blog/what-is-sensory-play-and-why-is-it-important/ (Last checked: 09/02/2023).

Action for Healthy Kids: Sensory Play. Link: https://www.actionforhealthykids.org/activity/sensory-play/ (Last checked: 09/02/2023).

Cleveland Clinic - Health Essentials (2022): What Is Sensory Play? The Benefits for Your Child and Sensory Play Ideas. Link: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/benefits-of-sensory-play-ideas/ (Last checked: 09/02/2023)

Only About Children: Exploring the Benefits of Sensory Play for Children. Link: https://www.oac.edu.au/news-views/sensory-play/. (Last checked: 09/02/2023).