Sensory Activities for 2-3 Years Toddlers

1. Set up a sandbox, sand table, or large bin filled with clean play sand.
2. Give your child cups, spoons, and molds (cookie cutters, plastic containers).
3. Show them how to pack sand into a cup and flip it over: "Tap tap tap... lift! A sand castle!"
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1. Fill a large bin with a base material — dry rice, dry pasta, shredded paper, or dried beans.
2. Hide 5-6 small toys or objects inside: plastic animals, large buttons, toy cars.
3. Tell your child: "There are hidden treasures in here! Can you find them?"
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1. Give your child a "heavy" job: carry a basket of books to another room, push a laundry basket across the floor, or pull a wagon.
2. Make it purposeful: "Can you carry these books to the bookshelf? You're so strong!"
3. Try other heavy work activities: stomping feet, pushing against a wall ("push the wall down!"), or squeezing a sponge in the bathtub.
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1. Prepare 4-5 small tastes of foods with distinct flavors: a lemon slice (sour), a bit of honey (sweet), a cracker (salty), plain yogurt (tangy), a banana (mild).
2. Offer each one: "Try this! What does it taste like?" Watch your child's face for reactions.
3. Name the flavors: "That's sour! Your face says sour!" "This one is sweet!"
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1. Set up a spot outdoors with a bin or bucket of dirt, a small container of water, and a spoon.
2. Let your child mix dirt and water together: "Stir it up! What does it feel like?"
3. Add natural materials: leaves, sticks, pebbles, flower petals. "What should we put in our mud pie?"
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1. Freeze a few large ice cubes or fill a balloon with water and freeze it for a big ice ball.
2. Place the ice on a tray and let your child touch it: "Feel that! It's cold and slippery!"
3. Add a few drops of food coloring or warm water on top: "Watch — the color is melting into the ice!"
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1. If you have access to a swing, let your child swing gently while you push. "Wheee! You're swinging!"
2. At home, hold your child's hands and spin slowly in a circle together. "Spin spin spin... stop! Are you dizzy?"
3. Try a DIY swing: sit your child on a blanket and gently pull them across a smooth floor. "You're riding!"
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1. Choose a simple no-cook recipe: mixing trail mix, making a smoothie, or spreading peanut butter on crackers.
2. Let your child do as much as safely possible: pour ingredients, stir the bowl, sprinkle toppings.
3. Engage every sense: "Smell the cinnamon! Feel how sticky the peanut butter is! Listen to the blender!"
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1. Tape a large sheet of paper to the table or use a highchair tray.
2. Squeeze 2-3 colors of washable finger paint onto the paper.
3. Show your child how to press fingers into the paint and spread it around.
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1. Gather pairs of textured materials: two pieces of sandpaper, two cotton balls, two smooth stones, two rough sponges.
2. Put one of each pair in a bag or box where your child cannot see.
3. Lay the matching items out on the table.
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1. Make or buy playdough in 2-3 different scents (add vanilla extract, cinnamon, or lemon juice to homemade dough).
2. Give your child one scented dough ball at a time.
3. Say "Smell this one! What does it smell like?"
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1. Place a strip of tape on the floor in a straight line (or use a low balance beam, plank, or 2x4 on the ground).
2. Show your child how to walk along the line, placing one foot in front of the other.
3. Say "Walk on the line — like a tightrope walker!"
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1. Set up a large tray or bin on the floor (lay down a towel for easy cleanup).
2. Provide 2-3 materials with different textures: cooked spaghetti, shaving cream, dry rice.
3. Let your child explore each one separately first: "How does the spaghetti feel? Slimy? Wiggly?"
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1. Take a bag or basket on a nature walk with your child.
2. Collect safe items: leaves, sticks, pinecones, smooth rocks, flowers.
3. At each find, explore together: "Feel this pinecone — it is pointy and rough!"
... See full activity in the app