SensoryBabyPreschoolersToddlers54 Comments
Little kids put everything into their mouths, and these edible sensory play ideas are perfect for their hands-on activities!
Occupying babies can be tough at times because they put everything in their mouths.
You just need some safe edible sensory play ideas.
39 Edible Sensory Play Ideas for Little Ones
It’s hard when you have older kids around that want to play with little things, such as the Lego craze we’re on right now in our house.
Louis kind of gets left out of a lot of things simply because he wants to explore everything with his mouth. Everything gets a taste test.
For my own sanity, and maybe yours, I’ve pulled together a list of easy edible sensory play ideas that babies and toddlers will love!
These are all perfect activities for babies, even toddlers, that constantly are mouthing objects.
These sensory play ideas go beyond a sensory tub, I’ve included a few creative sensory activities that are great to branch out and be creative.
Everything on the list is edible for those that keep putting things in their mouth.
Edible Sensory Play Ideas From the Pantry:
- Colored bread crumbs from Happily Ever Mom.
- Dry pasta! Add scoops and cups for lots of edible sensory play!
- Make an indoor sandbox with pantry items, like oatmeal!
- Cornmeal is also a great substitute for sand when you’re stuck indoors.
- Messy Motherhood knows rice crispies are awesome for sensory play, they crunch!
- Make a necklace with Fruity-Os or just a sensory tub is fun too from No Time for Flash Cards.
- Making Time for Mommy loves a sweet hot cocoa mix with marshmallows!
- Flour alone is a great sensory activity for young kids to play in.
- My Small Potatoes uses a bowl of uncooked Cream of Wheat for kids to play in!
- Explore all 5 senses with a marshmallow activity from Fantastic Fun and Learning.
- Build a sandcastle out of brown sugar – it’s super moldable!
- Play on the farm and follow a maze through dry lentils with an idea from Mommy Evolution!
More Edible Sensory Play Ideas From the Kitchen:
- Merri Cherry loves this simple rainbow jello sensory play activity!
- Learn, Play, Imagine made fizzy oobleck with cocoa for some chocolate-y sensory ideas!
- Busy Toddler whips up edible cool whip tub paint for messy-clean sensory play fun.
- Play in pudding “dirt” with pasta “worms” for gross-out sensory fun from The Measured Mom.
- Make coconut dough, with an idea from Fun A Day.
- Fresh fruit, balls of melons make a refreshing sensory tub for babies to taste test, like Joyful Parenting.
- Explore fruit in fruit jigglers! Modern Parents, Messy Kids added cookie cutters for more fun!
- Dig frozen veggies out of the freezer! A chilly sensory bin!
- Colored cooked spaghetti! Slimy Fun!
- Ice! So simple, yet ice is so fun for kids to play with, it gets slippery and hard to hold on to!
- Add a little seasonal scent to just plain rice for a fun scented sensory discovery bin!
- Try adding a colorful twist to salt and DIY a rainbow at home!
Creative Edible Sensory Play Ideas:
- Babies can paint on not worry if they put it in their mouths. Try fruit paint!
- Or just baby food works great for edible finger paint!
- We also made this gelatin-based homemade finger paint recipe to paint tape resist!
- The Imagination Tree has a cornstarch-based finger paint recipe that looks a little thicker to try!
- Yogurt also works for finger painting for little kids! Smells great too!
- Make some pudding for painting too like The TipToe Fairy.
- Edible Kool-aid adds a sweet smell for extra sensory play ideas when you paint, like Fun at Home with Kids.
- Use spaghetti ‘brooms’ as paintbrushes, like Fun Littles.
- Whip up yummy edible banana marshmallow slime, with a recipe from Crafts4Toddlers.
Take Sensory Into Play, and Keep Them Edible:
- Set snacks out to put in a bottle to make a baby rattle! Young kids will love to hear it shake! Plus its added fine motor.
- Set up a food exploring station to see all they can explore, like Modern Parents Messy Kids.
- Freeze berries in some water and have the kids ‘excavate’ them out!
- Make a peanut butter play dough, just like Kids Activities Blog
- Check out these frozen smoothies for sensory play from Learn Play Imagine! How cool!
- Decorate pancakes with baby food, with an idea from Modern Parents Messy Kids.
What’s your favorite way to let your baby play?
We’d love to check out your creative ideas!
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tdchinges says
These games are very creative and I am sure my son will love these games
Wendy says
Please review this list again and maybe add disclaimers. You’re including quite a few choking hazards and raw flour is a huge cause of food poisoning. Just because these things are all edible in some form does not mean they’re safe for sensory play.
Tabitha Lightfoot says
Hi Wendy! Thanks for your feedback! We always recommend parents supervise children during sensory play, especially if they are prone to putting things in their mouths.
smith wesley says
thanks alot
SNK Creation says
Such a Great article! Thanks for sharing the information. That is very helpful for increasing my knowledge in this field.
Jean @ Baby Ideas says
Your collection are so good keep it up.
Michal Boyars says
I LOVE your blog and really appreciate these ideas!! I do want to note for readers that marshmallows can be a choking hazard. That said, I am eternally grateful for this list of edible sensory activities!
April says
I appreciate that this is a list of edible things, but I find frozen berries, food frozen in ice, ice cubes, and uncooked pasta to be dangerous. They are too temping to go in the mouth and become a choking hazard. Children under 4 aren’t supposed to have hard candy because of this. If you really have a kid that puts everything in their mouth then you should know that that shouldn’t be listed. Literally yesterday I told my son to open his mouth and spit out a rock and before we could pry his mouth open he goes **gulp**. 10 seconds my friend. Not kidding.
PrimaryLearning says
These sensory activities are great! Thank you for sharing this list.
Alesia
Catherine Anderson says
Thank you for sharing these amazing list of baby sensory activities, Jamie! Especially the “Hot cocoa mix and marshmallows”, my daughter just goes crazy with marshmallows.
Jessie @ Baby Ideas says
Great round up. So many good messy sensory play ideas. Thanks for sharing this great list. Messy play is important for children, giving them endless ways to develop and learn.
Marion Rizzo says
Although I am very aware that tasting is natural developmentally, I often hesitate to make things too enticing. Safety is my first concern, but I wnd to not encourage eating or tasting. What is your opinion.
TumbleTastics says
Such a wonderful list of baby sensory activities thank you for sharing!
Anna says
I work at a day care in an infant / pre toddler class room
I was hoping to find a fun food activity to do with the kids on this web site.
But I came across some really BAD ideas,
Big Marshmallows and melon balls are both choking hazards.
Peanut butter play dough ? Better have an EpiPen Jr. on hand.
No Thanks !
Jamie Reimer says
Thanks for your input Anna. There’s many people that don’t have the issue with peanut allergies that it would be wonderful for, obviously, if you have kids or have an allergy with peanuts, don’t choose that one. There’s 31 other edible sensory ideas you could try.
Tumble Tastics says
My kids love playing with the water beads. Always soothes them and keeps them busy and fun sensory for all ages
Tricia says
This is such a great list. I’m stuck inside with a sick toddler, so I’m trying to think of ways to keep him happy. I can’t wait to try some of these when he wakes from his nap. Pinning!
Khushi says
Hi I Hv a 8 month baby n keep lookin for activities to entucate…. Entertain n educate her
Pls keep me posted
Tx
Julia says
My son can’t keep anything out of his mouth! Thanks heaps for the great links, LOVE the idea of Peanut Butter Play Dough…yum! Cheers, Julia :)
Jamie Reimer says
You’re very welcome Julia! Hope these help!
sarah matti says
please send me more ideas so I can supply it for my students. Thank you so much.
Genien says
Please do not use flour during sensory play. It is very dangerous. We are warned against this because when you breathe flour into the lungs, it hardens into a cement type substance which stops the lungs from working. People have died from this.
Katie @ Happilyevermom says
I love this collection (and, so will my kids). Thanks so much for including one of our recipes!
Jamie Reimer says
Thanks Katie! :)
Allison says
Great collection – thank you for including a couple of ours!
Jamie Reimer says
Thanks Allison! You always have amazing sensory ideas!
Meri Cherry says
What a great round up. So many good ideas. Thanks so much for including one from meri cherry!
Jamie Reimer says
Thanks! It was fun to find all these!