TL;DR:

  • Sensory play involves activities that engage a child’s senses to promote development, emotional regulation, and learning. It supports brain infrastructure, lowers cortisol levels, and helps neurodiverse children self-regulate through tailored, safe experiences. Observation and individual cues are essential for creating effective, calming sensory play both at home and in school environments.

Sensory play is defined as any activity that deliberately engages one or more of a child’s senses, including touch, sight, hearing, smell, taste, movement, and body awareness, to support their development and learning. According to BBC Tiny Happy People, sensory play includes exploration with materials and environments like squeezing, pouring, and listening to sounds. It is not screen-based entertainment. It is a child pressing their hands into cold, wet sand and feeling something shift in their nervous system. For neurodiverse children, including those who are autistic, have ADHD, or experience sensory processing differences, understanding what sensory play is and how to use it well can genuinely change daily life.

What is sensory play and which senses does it involve?

Sensory play engages far more than the five senses most of us learned in school. The full picture includes proprioception (the sense of where your body is in space) and the vestibular system (your sense of balance and movement). Both are critical for regulation, coordination, and focus, and both are frequently dysregulated in autistic and ADHD children.

Close-up of sensory toy textures in therapy room

Here is how the senses map onto development:

Sense Example Activity Developmental Benefit
Touch (tactile) Squishing playdough, finger painting Fine motor skills, emotional regulation
Sight (visual) Colour sorting, light tables Attention, pattern recognition
Hearing (auditory) Shakers, rain sticks, music Language memory, cause and effect
Smell (olfactory) Scented dough, herbs in a tray Memory, emotional association
Proprioception Climbing, carrying heavy bags Body awareness, self-regulation
Vestibular Swinging, spinning, rocking Balance, focus, calming

BBC Tiny Happy People highlights how sensory play helps children link sensory experiences with learning outcomes, including attention, emotional awareness, language memory, and understanding cause and effect. That is not a small list. That is most of what early childhood development is built on.

NYU Steinhardt’s early childhood research, cited by K-12 Dive, goes further: sensory play supports brain infrastructure building and lowers cortisol levels in young children. Lower cortisol means a calmer nervous system. A calmer nervous system means a child who can actually learn.

Pro Tip: If your child seeks out spinning, crashing, or heavy pressure, that is not naughtiness. It is their vestibular and proprioceptive systems asking for input. Lean into it with intention rather than redirecting it away.

Infographic showing hierarchy of sensory senses in play

How do you create safe sensory play at home or in school?

Safety is where a lot of well-meaning sensory play falls apart. The instinct is to grab whatever is to hand, but for children who mouth objects (which is extremely common in sensory-seeking and autistic children), the risk assessment needs to come first.

HealthyChildren.org is clear: button batteries and lithium coin batteries are among the most dangerous hidden hazards in children’s play environments. They look harmless. They are not. A child who mouths a button battery can sustain a serious internal injury within two hours.

Before you set up any sensory activity, run through this checklist:

  • Age-appropriate sizing: Any loose material or object should pass the toilet roll tube test. If it fits inside, it is a choking hazard for children under three.
  • Battery audit: Remove any toys with accessible battery compartments from the sensory space. Check fidget toys, light-up items, and musical instruments.
  • Recalled items: Check the Office for Product Safety and Standards recall list before introducing second-hand sensory toys.
  • Mouthing risk by material: Sand, water beads, kinetic sand, and slime all carry ingestion risks. Supervise closely and choose food-safe alternatives where possible.
  • Texture and skin sensitivity: Some children with sensory processing differences have skin that reacts to synthetic dyes or fragrances. Patch test new materials on the inner wrist first.

HealthyChildren.org recommends starting with a category-based risk audit rather than just assessing material texture. That framing is useful. Think: what could this child do with this object, not just what is this object made of.

ABCmouse notes that sensory play can be adapted from early infancy through school age, moving from unstructured infant exploration to more structured preschool activities. The structure is not about control. It is about giving children a predictable framework within which they can take risks safely.

Pro Tip: Watch your child’s face and body, not just their hands. Flushed cheeks, a glazed expression, or sudden withdrawal are signs of sensory overload. That is your cue to reduce input, not push through.

How does sensory play support neurodiverse children’s regulation and social skills?

This is the part that matters most to me, and probably to you if you are reading this. Remy, my son, is autistic and has ADHD. Sensory play is not a therapy session in our house. It is Tuesday afternoon. But what it does for his regulation is real and consistent.

K-12 Dive reports that sensory play supports emotional regulation and focus in young children, with NYU Steinhardt researchers pointing to measurable calming effects. For children whose nervous systems are frequently in a state of high alert, that matters enormously.

Here is what works well for neurodiverse children specifically:

  • Sensory stations with choice: Offer two or three options rather than one prescribed activity. Choice reduces demand and supports PDA profiles.
  • Low-stimulation spaces alongside active ones: Not every child wants to crash and spin. Some need a corner with weighted blankets and soft textures. Both are sensory play.
  • Communication scaffolding during play: BBC Tiny Happy People notes that narrating sensory play activities helps neurodiverse children link sensations with vocabulary and feelings. You do not need to talk constantly. Just name what is happening. “Cold. Wet. Squelchy.” That is enough.
  • Familiar vocabulary and AAC support: If your child uses PECS, Makaton, or an AAC device, bring it into the sensory space. Do not leave communication tools at the door just because it is play time.
Activity Type Social Benefit Emotional Benefit
Water play with a peer Turn-taking, shared attention Calming, sensory satisfaction
Sensory bin exploration Parallel play, narration opportunities Focus, curiosity
Movement (swinging, bouncing) Shared rhythm, co-regulation Cortisol reduction, body awareness
Tactile fidgets and textures Quiet companionship Grounding, self-soothing

The social piece often surprises parents. Sensory play creates a low-demand shared context. Two children do not need to talk or negotiate rules. They can just both be in the sand. That is connection. It counts.

You can find more on sensory strategies for neurodiverse kids that go deeper into adapting activities for different regulatory profiles.

How does sensory play differ between home and school settings?

At home, sensory play is usually messier, more spontaneous, and more individually tailored. You know your child. You know that the slime is fine but the glitter sends them into orbit. You can set up the kitchen table with exactly the right level of input for exactly this child on exactly this afternoon.

In educational settings, the picture is more complex. A SENCO or early years practitioner is managing a group with wildly different sensory profiles, often in a space not designed for sensory regulation. The importance of sensory experiences in classroom focus and emotional regulation is well established, but translating that into practice requires deliberate design.

Some practical differences worth noting:

  • Home: Flexible timing, individualised intensity, familiar materials, no audience.
  • School: Structured sensory breaks, sensory corners or zones, group activities with shared materials, adult-facilitated narration.
  • Both: Observation of cues, choice where possible, communication support, and a clear understanding that more input is not always better.

BBC Tiny Happy People is direct on this: neurodiverse children often benefit from individually tailored sensory input, and responses to the same activity vary widely across children. What calms one child can overwhelm another. That is not a problem to solve. It is just the reality of working with human nervous systems.

For educators looking to build more inclusive early years play into their settings, the starting point is observation, not equipment. Watch what children seek out and what they avoid before you spend the budget on a sensory room.

Key takeaways

Sensory play supports brain development, emotional regulation, and social connection in all children, and is especially effective when individually tailored for neurodiverse children.

Point Details
Seven senses, not five Proprioception and vestibular sense are as important as touch and sight in sensory play.
Safety audit first Check for button batteries, choking hazards, and mouthing risks before any session.
Observation over prescription Watch your child’s cues and reduce input at signs of overload rather than pushing through.
Narration builds language Naming sensations during play links vocabulary to experience and supports communication.
Choice reduces demand Offering two or three activity options supports regulation, especially for PDA profiles.

What i have actually learned from doing this with remy

I spent a long time thinking sensory play had to look a certain way. Pinterest bins filled with coloured rice. Elaborate foam trays. The kind of setup that takes forty minutes to prepare and gets abandoned in four. We left groups early more times than I can count because the noise was too much, or the lights were wrong, or another child grabbed something and the whole afternoon unravelled.

What I know now is that sensory play is not a performance. It is Remy sitting in a pile of kinetic sand for twenty minutes while I narrate quietly. It is the swing in our garden that he uses to regulate before school. It is the weighted blanket he drags to the sofa when the world has been too loud. None of that looks like a sensory activity. All of it is.

The research from BBC Tiny Happy People on tailoring sensory input to individual cues confirmed what I had already worked out the hard way: more is not better. Better is better. One activity that your child actually wants to engage with is worth ten that you have read about online.

I would also say this to any parent who has sat in a mainstream baby group feeling like their child is the only one not doing it right: they are doing it exactly right. Their nervous system is just asking for something different. Find that thing. It exists.

— Caitlin

Sensory play sessions built for children like yours

https://www.fidgetadspin.com

Fidget and Spin runs weekly SEN stay-and-play sessions in Brighton and Hove, designed from the ground up for neurodiverse children aged 1–6. There are three sensory zones: Wiggle and Bounce for big movement, Snuggle and Chill for low-stimulation rest, and Squish and Squeeze for tactile exploration and fidgets. Every session is built around choice, low demand, and the understanding that your child’s way of playing is valid. Anthony and I built this because we could not find it. You can book a sensory session and see what it feels like when a space is actually made for your child. We also run SEN stay-and-play at Ladies Mile if that is closer to you.

FAQ

What is sensory play, exactly?

Sensory play is any activity that engages one or more of a child’s senses, including touch, sight, hearing, smell, taste, movement, and body awareness, to support their development and learning. It includes both structured activities and spontaneous exploration.

What are the main benefits of sensory play for children?

BBC Tiny Happy People identifies attention, emotional awareness, language memory, and cause-and-effect understanding as key benefits. NYU Steinhardt research also links sensory play to lower cortisol levels and improved focus.

What are sensory play toys and materials?

Sensory play toys include items that stimulate specific senses: playdough, kinetic sand, water beads, light tables, rain sticks, weighted blankets, fidget tools, and swings. The best choice depends on your child’s individual sensory profile and what they seek or avoid.

Is sensory play only for neurodiverse children?

Sensory play benefits all children, but it is particularly valuable for neurodiverse children whose nervous systems process sensory input differently. ABCmouse notes it can be adapted from infancy through school age for any child.

How do i know if sensory play is overwhelming my child?

Watch for flushed cheeks, withdrawal, glazed eyes, or sudden distress. BBC Tiny Happy People advises that more sensory input is not always better, and caregivers should observe comfort and distress cues closely and reduce intensity accordingly.