I never really thought too much about sensory play until my kids were past their toddler years. Sensory play is important to a child's development according to many experts and although my kids are of preschool and elementary age, I decided to start doing a sensory activity with them every week to find out how they responded to it.
My mom, knowing how much the kids love tiny things, sent these little rubber dinosaurs to each of my kids. Each one is about the size of a quater! They are TINY!!!
Have you ever played with this stuff? It is amazing! It doesn't dry out or have a foul odor like playdoh. You can keep it in any container really and most playdoh toys work well with it! It's called Sands Alive from Play Vision. It is awesome stuff!! It is sand but soft and it sticks to itself. I got mine at JoAnn Fabrics but I am sure you could find it other places as well! Here's a link if you want to check it out.
Next thing I had them do was stick all their little dinos into their tray of sand. They quickly started making their own game of, "Paleontology, Dino Hunting." Since they are older, they didn't really need my help but I stood there and watched for awhile soaking in their giggles.
After awhile they were asking what else they could do, so I showed them how to make teeny tiny dino tracks. This added another fifteen minutes of sand and dino play. They really like their mini dinos and adding them to the sand that they already love to play in was a definite win!
What are some of your favorite sensory activities or games? I am just starting this so ideas would be great! This is going to be, "a keeper," activity! They are already asking to play with their sand and dinos again!