Every child has their preferences when it comes to toys and how they spend their time, but for kids with different sensory needs, this preference is even more essential to know. Play is essential to growth and development, after all, so the last thing any parent wants is to have their child miss out on the incredible opportunities toys provide.
Luckily, while there are countless sensory needs, from types of touch aversions to specific auditory needs, there are just as many types of toys; you just need to know what you’re looking for!
So here’s a parent-friendly guide to choosing the best inclusive toys for your child with sensory needs:
1. Understanding Your Child’s Sensory Needs
While some toys may be labelled as specifically “sensory,” or even “sensory safe,” sensory needs and their solutions are not a one-size-fits-all. Every child is different, and their tolerance and processing of senses are varied. Some children may be sensory seekers, while others will do everything they can to avoid the same stimulants that others crave.
So, when it comes to picking out toys for your child, you first need to know their sensory preferences. You will have already picked up on signs for these preferences, for example, if they move every chance they get, if they love hugs, or if they avoid large noises like vacuums, but reading specific guides, such as this sensory profile guide by an occupational therapist, accessible by clicking here, can give more clarity to your child’s play needs.
For a more personal and formal sensory profile, consult an occupational therapist in person, but the online guides should give you enough of an understanding to start shopping with more success.
2. Types of Sensory-Specific Toys and Their Benefits
Once you know your child's sensory profile, you can figure out which toys are best for them, and which categories you can avoid entirely.
Here are the general categories of sensory-tailored toys:
- Tactile
E.g. textured blocks, kinetic sand, fabric squares, sensory dough.
Tactile play is perfect for children who learn best through touch — it helps them understand the world by feeling it.
The additional developmental benefits include:
- Enhances fine motor skills through squeezing, pinching, and shaping
- Builds hand strength and coordination
- Supports tactile discrimination, i.e. the ability to tell textures apart
- Calms the nervous system in children who seek deep sensory input
Our personal recommendation: Play-Doh. As a paediatric therapy tool, Play-Doh is perfect for kids who need more tactile support, helping them tolerate different sensory input as their busy hands regulate their nervous system.
- Auditory
E.g. rainmakers, sound puzzles, musical instruments.
Auditory toys help children tune into sounds in a positive way and are especially helpful for kids who are easily overwhelmed or hyper-focused on noise.
The additional developmental benefits include:
- Supports auditory processing and listening skills
- Encourages cause-and-effect understanding
- Assists speech and language development by tuning into different tones and patterns
- Can soothe or stimulate depending on the sound type (e.g. soft rain vs. upbeat drumming)
Our personal recommendation: This Baby Einstein - Pop and Explore Stingray Popper
provides visual and auditory sensory stimulation, engaging focus when anxiety starts to overwhelm.
- Visual
E.g. calming glitter tubes, light-up toys, colour contrast cards.
For children with ADHD or anxiety, gentle visual toys have been found to act like a “reset button” for the brain.
The additional developmental benefits include:
- Enhances visual tracking and focus
- Supports attention span and concentration
- Calms and regulates through slow, flowing visual input
- Encourages mindfulness and deep breathing when used intentionally
Our personal recommendation: Ecosystem, a natural card game, focuses attention on creating a natural ecosystem with cards, encouraging regulation and mindfulness through natural colours, scenes, and the game's purpose.
- Proprioceptive
E.g. weighted toys, body socks, resistance bands.
Proprioceptive toys offer grounding, which can be essential for kids who feel easily ‘scattered,’ hyperactive, or easily overwhelmed.
The additional developmental benefits include:
- Provides “heavy work” input that helps regulate energy levels
- Improves body awareness and spatial orientation
- Helps with self-regulation, especially during transitions or high-stress moments
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Often used in calming strategies for children with autism or sensory processing differences
Our personal recommendation: Little Reef Octopus - OB Designs, is a soft toy with long tentacles that children can wind around their arms as they hug the toy, adding extra focus and pressure on the body that helps ground them.
- Vestibular
E.g. swings, balance boards, spinning chairs.
For kids who love to move, vestibular toys are key to helping them find focus through motion.
The additional developmental benefits include:
- Supports balance and coordination
Helps regulate alertness — swinging can energise or calm depending on direction and speed
- Improves motor planning and spatial judgement
- Assists with transitions and emotional regulation
Our personal recommendation: Our Flybar Swurfer Swingboard is a highly physical toy, letting children swing themselves with handles and “surf” through the air. This swinging and physical output helps regulate their energy and focus, as well as clears their minds through the rush of fresh air.
3. The Power of Green Play (Especially for Kids with ADHD)
The biggest secret when it comes to picking toys for children with sensory needs is to not focus on toys at all. Nature-based, screen-free play – better known as “green play” – has been found to benefit children with alternative sensory needs the most, especially those with ADHD.
Many studies, including a recent study done just across the pond in New Zealand, have found that outdoor, unstructured play supports regulation and focus in ALL children, making it the most inclusive type of play no toy company can try to top, try as we might.
A similar response is found when using natural materials, such as wooden toys, sand, clay, or leaves, allowing nature to do what nature does best, and stimulate the senses gently, perfect for the sensory avoiders. Plus, if they don’t like the stimulus of one thing, it’s easy to turn around and have something new to focus on entirely.
For our beloved sensory cravers, there is nothing as sensory-rich as the natural world. With colours and stimulants that calm the nervous system as well as engage focus, nature truly is the perfect playground.
So, for many children, a simple afternoon building stick forts, digging in the garden, swimming in lakes or oceans, or merely sitting and watching the clouds go by can do wonders for focus and mood. No toys necessary.
Tips for Choosing the Right Toy for Your Child
So, how do you choose the best toys for your child’s sensory needs? You follow the list as above:
1. Figure out your child’s individual sensory profile
- This can be done through reading guides online or seeing an occupational therapist.
Extra tip: Trust your gut and listen to your child. The two of you know their needs more than anyone else, even if it feels a bit challenging at times. They are constantly trying to tell you what works and what doesn’t, even if indirectly, so focus on the responses to stimulants beyond their play and try to incorporate what they are receptive to. Even if it’s unconventional, it can still help their development and enjoyment.
2. Match toys to your child’s sensory profile
- Check out the categories we’ve listed and see what works from there. Experimentation is key, so make sure you give yourself and your child patience as you try to find the best solution for them.
Extra tip: Overstimulation, especially negative, is the last thing we want, so try one toy at a time to keep either of you from getting overwhelmed.
3. Focus on green play
- Play in your backyard, go to parks, or look for other open-ended play opportunities that let nature, and your child, control their fun.
Extra tip: Remember, every child deserves toys that meet them where they’re at, so a good sensory toy is one that your child keeps coming back to, not one that lights up and sings for 10 seconds, then gets tossed aside.
Check out our range of sensory toys to find the perfect match for your child's needs.
