What is a sensory bag?

A sensory bag is a bag full of everyday objects and materials for your child to explore.

Why are sensory bags good for toddlers?

Toddlers love exploring. It’s how they work out what different things do and what they can do with them. For example, your child might build small towers of blocks and knock them down, scribble with a pencil or crayon, or drop pegs into a basket.

A sensory bag gives your child plenty of safe and interesting things to look at, touch, feel, listen to, shake, bang, drop – and more!

A sensory bag can keep your child engaged and entertained, both at home and while you’re out and about. It can be especially good for a road trip, because your child can explore the bag while you concentrate on driving.

What you need for a sensory bag

For this activity, you’ll need:

• a large cloth bag
• ‘surprise’ items in a variety of types, shapes, sizes and textures.

The bag should be big enough to hold all the items. It should also be big enough for your toddler to feel around in while they’re choosing an item to pull out.

How to make a sensory bag for your toddler

Choosing things for the sensory bag

• Choose everyday items from inside and outside your home.
• Think about the things that interest your toddler, and build on these.
• Throw in a few surprises.
• Make sure all the items are age appropriate and safe.

Ideas for the sensory bag

• Toy animals and natural objects that come from animals, like feathers or shells
• Squeezy stress balls or toys
• Objects with interesting shapes that your toddler can manipulate, like clothes pegs or tongs
• Toys and other things that make noise, like rattles, bunches of old, clean keys, and small musical instruments
• Sparkly, colourful items like sequinned fabric, artificial flowers or bright plastic bangles
• Objects with different textures, like crinkly paper, soft velvet or smooth stones

Anything smaller than a 20-cent coin is a choking risk. And anything that could get wrapped around your child’s neck is a strangulation risk. Don’t include items that pose these risks. Also make sure there are no items with sharp edges or pointy bits.

How to get your child playing with a sensory bag

When you’re playing together

• Let your child take surprises out of the bag at their own pace.
• Encourage your child to use words to describe what they’ve found. Is it soft? Is it pretty? What does it do?
• Make a guessing game out of the activity. See whether you can guess which things your child has found.

When you’re driving

• Explain to your child that you won’t be able to look around while you’re driving. They’ll have to tell you what they’ve found, if they’re old enough.
• For longer road trips, have new items to put into the bag every now and then. But it’s OK if your toddler has favourite things that they want to see all the time.
• If you have a back-seat passenger who can help your child with items in the bag, include car snacks like packaged crackers or a healthy drink.

How to adapt sensory bag play for children of different ages

If your child is younger, they might not have the words to tell you about the things they find in the bag, but you can talk to them. For example, ‘What have you found? Is it interesting? Is that something squeaking?’ Your toddler is learning language all the time, and the more words they hear the better.

How to adapt sensory bag play for children with diverse abilities

If your child has difficulty with fine motor skills, use larger objects and give your child plenty of time to get things out of the bag. Or your child might need you to help with taking things out of the sensory bag. Let your child lead the play by telling you what they want you to do.

If your child has limited mobility, a sensory bag can be a good option, because you can bring the bag to them. Put the bag on a table, the floor, a bed or your child’s lap.

If your child has low vision or blindness, make sure to include items with different textures, weights and shapes. Items with high-contrast colours can also be good, as can things that make sounds, like bells, rattles or a set of keys.

If your child has sensory sensitivities, reduce other sensory stimulation while your child plays with the sensory bag. For example, lower the volume or turn off background music and avoid flashing lights or screens. Introduce new textures and colours slowly. Check regularly to make sure your child is enjoying the play and not showing signs of being overwhelmed.

You can get more ideas for adapting this activity from our articles on play and autistic children and play and children with disability. You might also like to explore our other activity guides. They can all be adapted to suit children with diverse strengths and abilities.