These Super Satisfying Sensory Toys Will Help Your Kiddo Develop Through Play (2024)

This is the very putty I have at my desk, and I personally gift it to everyone. It's the best by a mile, never dries out, is super satisfying to play with, and it's the best for stretching between your fingers like taffy. My 4-year-old nephew is just as obsessed as I am and loves playing with it as part of his nighttime routine to unwind before bed.

While it's not perfect for every kid or adult, it gives so much tactile stimulation as well as visual stimulation that it's a favorite of a lot of kids and parents. The glossy texture, the sticky-soft feel, the stretching abilities are all fantastic to play with.

More: Shut Off the Screens for These Cool Montessori-Style Toys

Dr. Rashmi Parmar, M.D., a pediatric psychiatrist at Community Psychiatry, tells Best Products that some children might favor one system over the other for sensory input, be it their visual, auditory, tactile, taste, or vestibular (balance) systems.

If your kid is a spinner/jumper/toe walker, this balance board can be a real game-changer. It is a molded wooden board that children (or adults) use to rock back and forth in a motion similar to surfing. It requires balance, but it also gives a lot of sensory response throughout the body.

A real dark horse on our sensory toy list is this manual treadmill for kids. I thought it was going to go over like a lead balloon, but I brought it to a few small kids to test, and not only did they love it and continue to use it, but their cat has figured it out as well.

It has an almost bouncy feel for the riders, giving a nice, low-impact sensory return, and the cushioned handles do the same. If you have a runner or heavy-footed little, they'll love this.

Kids with sensory issues often have a hard time in the bath and need some distraction while they're getting clean. Providing novel toys in the bathtub is one way to do that.

Breithart urges parents to find out what most affects their children's comfort levels. Nubby toys like Boon's Jellies can be incredibly helpful because they allow kids a different type of controlled, sensory input when they have to do something uncomfortable, like getting into the bath or going out to eat.

Our tester loved these not only in the bathtub but also on his high chair tray with just a spritz of water to help it suction. His mom said "It's a great, clean distraction when I am trying to cook."

Whether they're getting fidgety or need to relieve some stress, these squishy, bright relief balls are great to have at the ready. Aside from squeezing, your kid can stretch, pull, and massage the material between their fingers.

Dr. Tadros and Dr. Walfish both sing the praises of simple balls for children looking for some sensory input and needing to find their inner chill.

Holy cow, this fidget cube is epic, isn’t it? It has buttons to push, areas for spinning, and even knobs and switches.

Even though fidget spinners aren't as trendy as they once were, Dr. Walfish is still a huge fan of them. She says that they let kids find their visual and physical center by engaging both in the motions and feel of the toy.

I love this one, personally, as it has an especially satisfying "clicking" feeling when the bits are pushed. It's highly tactile.

A cross between gritty sand and stretchy slime, your kid will fall in love with this sensory experience. They can crush it, pull it, and mold it into endless shapes and designs. The reusable bucket keeps the slime safe until the next play session.

It offers the same sensory-play benefits as kinetic sand, but it pops it up a bit by adding the ooey-gooey texture of slime. (A perennial child favorite.)

Kinetic sand is a huge hit in our house. And it's a favorite of pediatric physical therapist Dr. Giselle M. Tadros, too.

She tells Best Products that all children can benefit from sensory play and that “kids need to run, climb, smell, hear, and touch all sorts of textures in order to grow and develop.”

Kinetic sand is one of those toys that are rich with texture and give kids the ability to shape and form it into objects that engage with their potential for pretend play — which the American Journal of Occupational Therapy says is absolutely crucial to the development of spatial awareness.

Every parent I spoke to commented on how much kids love this stuff. As someone who watches a bunch of ASMR TikToks where people cut into it, I can see the appeal. This is a huge, 6-pound box of the stuff, so I suggest doling it out a bit at a time.

Stacking toys are extremely useful for fine motor development, according to Ark Therapeutic. They help children learn spatial awareness and develop their capacity to understand structure.

Dr. Tadros says that good sensory toys like these Mathlink Cubes not only provide feedback but also help children with their fine motor skills.

These are pretty small, so we suggest them strictly for kids over 3 years old.

I know what you’re thinking: “Beeswax? What the heck?” and it is unorthodox, but that’s the reason it’s so effective as a sensory toy, according to Dr. Lazar. She says that parents need to stop getting caught up “in generic spaces.”

The beeswax is multisensory, engaging the sense of smell and touch. On top of that, molding it into shapes takes some effort, so kids are forced to find their center and feel grounded as they play. As mentioned earlier, this is also a great sensory toy for autistic children or kids with ADHD.

There's something super satisfying about popping bubble wrap, and this toy recreates that same sensation. Your baby will love the eye-catching colors and the soft silicone texture of the little bubbles.

They can push, pull, and pop each mound for endless sensory play. This is essentially a squeeze ball in a different form, and it's touted as a favorite by many of the occupational therapists I spoke with. The bounce-and-release sensation is both a way to learn about cause and effect and to genuinely just chill out.

This toy is like a little fidget spinner for babies and toddlers. Psychologist Dr. Fran Walfish, author of The Self-Aware Parent, tells Best Products that sensory toys like this are particularly useful for kids who need some help focusing when things get distracting.

They're especially good for kids who are on the spectrum or who deal with ADHD. (Or both.) They are a locus amidst the chaos. Plus, babies just like to look at things that spin. Ever seen a baby stare at an overhead fan for hours?

This HABA ball provides a whopping eight different sensory-input mechanisms for the itty-bitties to play and engage with.

Applied behavior therapist Akeem Terrell tells Best Products, "My rule of thumb for choosing a good sensory toy is to choose one that activates two or more senses: touch, smell, sight, and sound."

This toy hits a few of these with crinkly interiors and soft exteriors, and likely, the ones using it are still mouthing their toys, so it's safe for them as well.

Black-and-white books may seem like the least interesting type of baby toy. But until they're about 3 to 6 months old, your little one can only see about 12 to 15 inches in front of them.

The black-and-white images create a high-contrast picture that helps to strengthen their developing cognitive function. These soft fabric books are perfect for your drooly darling to munch on, stare at, and squeeze.

Pediatric ophthalmologist Benjamin H. Ticho, M.D. tells Best Products, “High-contrast toys are most useful at the very young age when it can be hard to tell what the baby’s looking at. Anything that holds their attention makes their visual fixation that much easier to observe.”

This trampoline is a similar type of toy as the balance board, as it works with your child's vestibular system. A favorite of Dr. Tadros, trampolines ramp up your child’s playtime — and also get all their wiggles out.

Our tester was positively giddy when she saw that her new trampoline lit up and could play music. It gave her something to jump to, encouraging her to jump longer.