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

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Since children of all abilities can benefit from sensory play, building a sensory toy box is a constructive way to grow and expand your children's developing minds. Sensory toys have become increasingly popular and accessible in recent years and have a slew of benefits, like stimulating the nervous system and helping with organization, all while keeping your child entertained as they go about their day.

Sensory toys and tools allow us to introduce sensory play to children at a young age in a controlled, safe environment. As an autistic editor and the mother of an autistic son, I would be remiss if I didn't mention how many of these toys aren't just for kids, either. People like me often need the sensory input that sensory toys can provide. (I have silly putty and Play-Doh at my desk, after all!) This means that these sensory toys all serve as great gifts for kids and really great gifts for autistic kids, too.

Check out the best sensory toys below, as well as tips from occupational therapist Devin Breitbart for how to determine which toys are best for your children based on reading their cues.

Intergalactic Hypercolor® Thinking Putty®

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

Wooden Balance Board

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.

Fidget Toy Sensory Tube Filled with Colorful Goo

This is a newer sensory toy on the market, and everyone who has played with it has been instantly fascinated. Do you remember as a kid those water-filled ping pong games? This is very similar but even more satisfying because it's squishy. You get to push the glitter through the game controller!

Creativity for Kids Sensory Bin: Outer Space

This is one of the best curated sensory bins that I've had the chance to test. Our tester loved the mix of toys and soft, squishy pebbles. There's a STEAM element as well, with the space theme and the scoop that teaches kids about spatial awareness. As for the alien, he's just a good, soft buddy.

Fun and Fitness Exercise Equipment for Kids

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.

3D Pin Art Sensory Toy Rainbow Needles Fidget Palm

Yes, your child will make a face mold with this, just like you did in 2007 in Spencer Gifts, but it's infinitely less disgusting because it's not being handled by hundreds of people each day. Just a few, probably germy kids and you, their equally germy parent. (Thanks for that, kids.)

Fidget Slug Toy, Sensory Slug Fidget

Simply put, the handheld fidget slug is incredibly satisfying. It rolls up like a roly-poly bug and fits in kids' hands so well. They can swing it around, bend it, watch it move, watch the colors blur, and more. It makes a light cracking sound, which is oh-so-ASMR and satisfying.

Jellies Suction Cup Bath Toys

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."

Squishy Stress Relief Balls

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.

theFube Fidget Cube

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.

Bucket of sand

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.)

6 Lbs. of Play Sand with Castle Molds

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.

Learning Resources Mathlink Cubes

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.

Modeling Beeswax

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.

Baby Simple Sensory Toys

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.

Stack 'n Spin Monkey Gears Toy

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?

See-Me Sensory Balls

Every child loves a good toy ball to play with. These toys are a favorite of Dr. Leela R. Magavi, M.D., a psychiatrist and the regional medical director of Community Psychiatry. She asserts that “toys that are flexible, soft, and colorful can calm children subsequent to emotional outbursts.”

Rainbow Fabric Ball

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.

My First Soft Book (Set of 6)

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.”

36" Trampoline for Kids

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.

What to Consider

There are myriad sensory toys on the market, and all of them seem to hit different areas of your children's senses. There are toys that crinkle, toys for chewing, toys meant to be visually arresting, and toys meant purely for soothing, so it might take you some time to figure out which works best for your child. Getting a range of these toys helps your children not only tune in to each of their senses but also allows you to assess which sensory play types they like best.

Breithart tells Best Products, “Sensory toys depend highly on each child’s needs and interests. Some sensory toys will work well for some kids but not others. For example, if you have a kid who LOVES movement, they would probably do well with some sort of swing. But for other kids, the sensation of swinging can be scary and uncomfortable.” Having said that, it's best to test out a few toys and (literally) get a feel for each.

We also need to be observant of what our child is seeking out through their play and what they might be shying away from. Psychologist Dr. Eva Lazar of The Lazar Center in Teaneck, New Jersey, tells Best Products that we need to ask ourselves what our child needs and the goal of the tool or toy we're considering for them. If you want to help your infant explore, these black-and-white squishy books are a great option that helps improve cognitive development. If your child is older and they're autistic or have ADHD, these beeswax modeling sticks offer a unique tactile sensation in a toy.

How We Selected

We spoke to many experts, from occupational therapists to pediatric ophthalmologists to psychologists and physical therapists, to determine which toys and tools are the best and for whom. Each of the 15 sensory toys on this list has been suggested by one of these experts and categorized for who might benefit the most from it.

Most importantly, I put the toys in the hands of children and adults to determine which worked and which flopped. Shop the best sensory toys below and help your child get stimulated while they're enjoying playtime.

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