Sensory Play in Spring: Fresh Ideas for Little Explorers

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As the days are just starting to get longer and feel warmer, spring is the perfect time to get outside and invite your little one to experience the changing season. Sensory play is a wonderful way to support your baby or toddler’s development, and spring offers endless natural sensory play inspiration.

Here are some ideas to spark your sensory play this season with your little ones, plus they have no cost:

1. Flower Petal Play

Collect fallen flower petals from around the garden or park. Place them in a shallow basket for your little one to explore with their hands (be mindful to watch little ones so they do ot eat them). Babies love the softness and feel, and toddlers can sort by colour or even get creative and “make soup” with water.

Skills supported: fine motor skills, colour recognition, and sensory awareness.

2. Grass Between Toes

One of our very favourite simple but powerful sensory activities, letting your baby or toddler feel fresh grass under their feet or fingers. The tickly, cool and soft texture is grounding and potentially after having a few months of gumboots or covered shoes on in winter the fresh feeling of the grass can be exciting. Nothing beats the feeling of Kiwi kids running around with their bare feet.

Skills supported: tactile stimulation, body awareness, grounding.

3. Listen to Nature’s Sounds

Spring brings buzzing bees, chirping birds, baby lambs being born and rustling leaves. Sit quietly outside with your little one and just listen. Ask older toddlers: “What can you hear?", "can you imitate this the sounds you hear”

Skills supported: auditory processing, attention, and language development.

4. Water Play with a Spring Twist

Use a tub of water with floating flowers, herbs, or natural items like leaves, twigs, snail shells, bark or whatever you can find around the house or park. Babies can splash and grab the different objects, while toddlers can scoop and pour.

Skills supported: hand–eye coordination, cause-and-effect learning, imaginative play.

5. Springtime Scents

Find some herbs or beautifully scented flowers. Crush safe herbs like mint or lavender between your fingers and let your child smell them. Pick some scented flowers and hold them up to your child's nose to smell. Babies can enjoy the aromas, while toddlers can also enjoy discovering the different smells and help “make potions” by mixing herbs and water.

Skills supported: discovering sense of smell, calm regulation, and creativity.

6. Nature Colour Hunt

Take a walk and look for colours amongst nature - yellow dandelions, whit daises, green grass, pink flowers. For toddlers, you can also make a little colour chart to match their finds, or direct what they colour nature items they could try find. .

Skills supported: observation, early colour learning, outdoor exploration.

Why Spring Sensory Play Matters

The natural world in spring is bursting with textures, sounds, and colours that invite curiosity. Sensory play not only helps babies and toddlers build important neural connections in the brain, but it also nurtures calm, joy, and a connection with the beauty of mother nature and the world around them.

✨ Try this: Pop a small basket or box by the door with a blanket or play mat, a toy instrument (like a shaker or harmonica), and then a little jar for nature finds. That way you’re always ready for a spontaneous sensory play moment outside, whether it is for bird watching, your little one wanting to do band practice outside or finding nature treasures together. .

We hope spring time encourages lots of sensory play fun for your family, and you find a couple of our fresh seasonal ideas helpful.

Much love Nicole and Penny

The Nosey Toesie Team x