Sensory Play Kit on a Budget

Our favourite class is Baby Sensory. We both really enjoy the sessions and it's also given us loads of ideas to use at home. Our sensory play box is full of ideas we have borrowed and bargains we have found in the pound shop! It's lovely watching Baby B develop different skills as he grows and it's a relief to have a go-to box of stuff for when the afternoon is dragging on and we need some entertainment.

Visual

The sparkly pompom is a pound shop treasure and the ribbons are just odd bits sewn on to a curtain ring. They are both brilliant for developing tracking. With baby lying on the floor and some good music playing, move them slowly from left to right, forward and back, up and down, and get baby's eye muscles working.

The frog is a bath toy on a piece of string. I sing '5 Green and Speckled Frogs' while swinging it gently, then hide it behind my back when 'one jumps in the pool' to help understanding of object permanence.

More pound shop treasure! The light up spider was a Halloween decoration and is fun for doing Incy Wincy Spider in the dark. Watching glow sticks and bubbles keeps him happy for hours.

These are a few pages from a scrap book I made from pictures cut out of magazines. There are pages of faces, colour pages and themed pages like food and transport. He's just starting to show an interest at 6 months. It will be useful for language development.

These gorgeous cards were a gift and he has loved looking at them since he was a newborn. The black and white designs are easy for tiny eyes to focus on.

Finger puppets and silly voices are great for entertaining baby and improving concentration. He follows them as they move about and chuckles away. Just make up any old nonsense, they won't know! I just looked for inspiration on Pinterest and hand-sewed felt pieces. They don't have to be perfect to impress your baby.

Sound

The ball is a cat toy from the pound shop. It has a bell inside so has been good for getting B to turn his head towards the noise. A kitchen roll tube is brilliant for making your voice sound funny and for directing sound towards just one ear. And it's free!

The bells are taken off a Christmas decoration I didn't like. I sit B on my lap, hold the bells and we pretend to go on a sleigh ride, with lots of bouncing and jingling.

The tiny maracas and really cheap on Ebay and are perfect for tiny hands.

This music set was a Christmas Aldi bargain. It's good to demonstrate the different sounds and to make rhythmic sounds along to our favourite music.

Texture

The piece of silky fabric was £1.60 in the John Lewis bargain bin. It feels lovely and B likes to rub it on his cheek.

Silver survival blankets look amazing and sound amazing. This is probably the item that keeps B amused for the longest. It's also great for playing peepo.

The crinkle mat is homemade - tutorial coming soon. It's bright, colourful and visually stimulating, it makes a satisfying crinkle sound and the ribbons are lovely and silky.

Pat mats are great for helping baby use an open palm. They develop co-ordination and hand control and feel lovely as they are squished. They are fun and easy to make too. Get a laminating sheet and iron (medium heat) at least 5 cm on 3 sides. This seals the edges and creates a pocket. Then put some water or, more effective, baby oil or clear hair gel inside. Add something interesting to look at, such as...

 ...shiny table confetti.

 ...buttons and sequins.

 ...coloured beads.

 ...those foreign coins you have lying around. Put them in Coke to make them shiny first.

...paint.

Then use the iron to seal the top, trying to get the air out. They are really nice to use on the highchair tray. If your baby keeps trying to chew them you could tape them to a pieces of strong card or old baking trays.

This set of sensory balls is the most expensive thing in the box but B really likes them. The blue one is really easy for small hands to pick up and we do lots of rolling and catching with it. The others crinkle and jingle.

Movement

Kids love balloons and will reach, hold and roll to play with them. Add some rice for extra sensory fun.

These Lamaze bugs go on wrists and ankles and encourage babies to explore their bodies.


That's our sensory box so far. I hope some of the ideas are useful. Please share your ideas!