4 Favourite Sensory Play Tray Bases + 13 Play Ideas
- Nov 2, 2023
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 21
We love sensory play! Here are some of our favourite bases that we use to make fun sensory play trays.
Sensory play trays are a favourite way to play in our house! They are not only lots of fun, but have high engagement levels too!
Sensory play has lots of benefits allowing children to:
Learn through play
Explore using different senses e.g. sight, touch, smell
Explore different ways to use materials
Think critically and creatively
Further develop their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination
Enjoy the calming effect + so much more
Sensory play trays have the added benefit of being able to be prepared ahead of time (dry bases) and put away to be used at another time. Simply adding in a new element is often enough to reignite a child's interest in playing with the same tray again.
*IMPORTANT - All play ideas shown here are for ages 3+ as they contain small parts which may be a choking hazard. All play ideas were actively supervised by an adult. Always actively supervise water play at all times. It is your responsibility to determine the suitability of these ideas for your child.
Everyone will have their own personal preference for sensory tray bases. Some children enjoy dry bases, but not wet. Trying out a range of different sensory play bases will help you to see what works best for your child.
I have found that although we have many different options at home for using in sensory play trays, there are some that we keep coming back to again and again.
Here is a list of 4 of our favourite sensory play bases and some examples of how we use them in play. These are our most used sensory play bases for quick and easy play trays!
1. Chickpeas
Chickpeas are one of our favourite sensory play bases. They are fun to play with, great for scooping and pouring and make a lovely sound too! You can leave them uncoloured or colour them with food dye or paint.
Flower Themed Play Tray
Chickpeas and Gems Sensory Play Tray
Plain chickpeas, some pretty gems and buttons make a fun invitation to play. Add in some jars and scoops to add to the fun!
Coloured Chickpeas
We coloured our chickpeas with food colouring and a few splashes of water, drying them in the oven on low heat. Paint can work well too. Add in a few scoops and bowls for some fun! Once they are mixed you will have rainbow coloured chickpeas.
Rainbow Coloured Chickpeas Sensory Play
2. Water
Water is so much fun in a tray for play. You can use it uncoloured straight from the tap or with a few drops of food colouring. Tip : If it is a cold day - make the water warm! Cold water is perfect for a hot sunny day!
Simply add in some bowls, jugs, scoops and loose parts - think flowers, pom poms, gems, or figurines for some fun play!
Pom Pom Soup
Add in some pom poms and coloured water for a fun sensory tray making pom pom soup!
Pom Pom Soup in the Mud Kitchen Sink
Water Tuff Tray and Flowers
Flower Soup Sensory Play Tray
3. Coloured Salt
Easily dye salt with a few drops of food colouring. Mix through the food colouring into the salt in a bowl. Tip it out to dry on a tray and then it's ready for play.
This sensory base is great for using with a paint brush for mark making, drawing or writing.
Tips:
Use lighter colours for best results e.g. yellow, pink, orange. I have found that blue leaves stains on hands.
Only play if your child's hands are cut free, as salt will sting any cuts.
Other play ideas:
Use in a tray with a paintbrush
Use in a clear tray on a light panel/light table with a paint brush for drawing or writing
Use in a tray with a tea set
Set up in a tray with tricky words and a paint brush to work on writing the words.
Tea Party Salt Tray
Grab a tea set and let your child enjoy playing with the salt to make pretend tea! Simple and a great way to invite more play with a unused tea set.
Invitation to Play - Salt Tray
A few bowls, scoops and a brush make fun invitation to play!
It doesn't need to be fancy. Simple works well too!
Coloured Salt Light Panel Play
Using a clear container on the light panel allows for coloured salt to be used for play. This is a really fun way to make marks, draw or work on forming letters using a paint brush to make lines.
In this picture below Miss then 6 enjoyed exploring drawing and making letters using a paint brush.
4. Plain Sand or Cloud Dough
Sand or cloud dough is another favourite sensory play base because it can be used in many different ways!
Normal sand that has been washed and cleaned and approved as child-safe can be used. You can buy play sand from places like Bunnings in Australia.
Another fun sensory base is cloud dough, which is a great alternative (using flour and oil). You can look up recipes for cloud dough online. We used flour, oil and a few drops of yellow food colouring to make this tray. I keep this in a tray with a lid on it and it has lasted for months so far!
Cloud Dough Sand Castles Tray
Sand Tray - Dinosaur Fossil Dig
Find the Bugs Sand Tray
Free Printable Top 4 Sensory Play Base Idea List
Print for quick sensory play set up ideas or use the blank version to make your own. Also included blank versions to write your own ideas/alternate spelling versions.
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Sensory play is such a fun way to play for kids of different ages!
Four of our most used sensory play bases are chickpeas, water, coloured salt and sand/cloud dough. We enjoy using these fun sensory bases in a range of ways.
What are you favourite sensory play bases? I wonder if any of these above are your favourite too? I hope you found some inspiration today for creating some sensory play for your child!
Until next time ...
✨Let's create a kinder world: one playful,
mindful and creative moment at a time.✨
Danica 🩷
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