Sensory Toys
Sensory toys are toys that stimulate the senses. They are often also open-ended toys, allowing children to express their creativity. Examples include kinetic sand, play rice, clay, and various accessories.
Various types of sensory toys
Many sensory toys are visually stimulating. Examples include kaleidoscopes, Tickits with moving sand or liquid in beautiful colors and patterns, sensory bottles or tubes that can be turned upside down repeatedly, glow-in-the-dark bath toys, and lava lamps. There are also sensory toys that stimulate hearing, for instance because they contain a small bell. Most sensory toys focus on the sense of touch. These are toys that feel pleasant on the hands or the skin in general. Think of kinetic sand, play rice, clay, slime, balls, and blocks made of various materials with different textures. But finger painting is also a true sensorimotor activity!
Sensory processing with sensory toys
Sensory toys help your child process stimuli. For children with an overactive mind, it is often wonderful to do something physical with their hands. However, it is good to take your child's personality and capabilities into account. One child might handle visual stimuli very well but be very sensitive to sound, for example. In that case, choose sensory toys that do not make any sound. If your child is easily overstimulated anyway, choose sensory toys that focus primarily on a single sense. Therefore, do not choose anything with bright colors, tactile stimuli, and sound. A softly jingling, smooth wooden rattle in a natural color, natural wooden blocks, a play mat, or kinetic sand without too many frills are good examples. Is your child very sensory-seeking and does he or she need a lot of stimuli to regulate themselves properly? Then toys that stimulate various senses simultaneously are actually a very good idea.