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Sensory items. Some parents love them and some parents think they are ridiculous. I remember when fidget spinners came out and everyone was all the craze about them, but I’ll admit I was the parent that thought they were completely ridiculous. I never understood why a kid needed to play with something to learn, I still think that concept is a bit odd to an extent. When I was younger, I remember being talked at because I was playing with my pencil or piece of paper or drawing and that was unacceptable. But as a parent, I understand the idea that focusing energy into something else so you can pay attention to who ever is teaching, is a normal thing. It is normal to have a sensory object in school.

What is a Sensory Item and what are they for?

A sensory item is used to stimulate one or more of the five senses. The feeling of something soft or the sound of pops on a pop-it. Even a ball that lights up is a sensory item. Sensory Items can help kids calm down or focus on a task, they even help with fine-motor function and skills. From my personal experience, sensory items help my kids when they feel overwhelmed with exterior stimuli. These items also help special needs adults with feelings of anger or frustration. As an adult with Anxiety, I love sensory items they help relax me and I can feel in control of something, when I feel upset or overwhelmed. Even Music is a sensory item! I have attached my favorite Sensory music that my kids love to listen to and watch on YouTube, and most importantly, it’s nice to listen to for adults. The music is fun, and the colors are vivid and bright on a black background. My baby loves it and my older kids!

Water Bead Squishies

These water bead squishies are amazing. They are squishy, cute, and colorful. I love the animal shapes. When my kids earn these, they name them and it’s their buddy for the rest of the week.

Here’s another great option if you’re looking for something a bit bigger and colorful.

Mochi Squishies

These soft squishies are a favorite sensory item in our home. They are soft, colorful and really cute. My kids will complete jobs or chores in our house, and they have the opportunity to earn a squishy.

Caterpillar Sensory Toys

These caterpillars look more like slugs or snails to me, but either way they are amazing. They entertain all of my children from the 15-month-old to the 10-year-old. We love how movable they are and flimsy they are. The colors are bright and vivid.

Bubbly Motion Toys

These Motion toys are awesome for getting children to calm down or adults. Watching the bubbles can be so calming for everyone.

Popping Toys

I love popping toys and so do my children. When my 15-month-old is upset or having a tantrum, these popping toys can be a life saver. We keep one in the diaper bag and in my purse.

Here’s another great colorful option!

Water Glitter Tubes

These are almost the same as the other water bubble tubes up above, but a bit different. I love these because they definitely help with tantrums and time-outs. I know that toys are not allowed in time-outs, but for young kids this could be beneficial to help them focus on the issue. These can also be made using a plastic bottle, glitter, glue or clear soap and water. Super easy and really fun for the kids.

Sensory Bins

Sensory bins are awesome and there are so many options to creating your sensory bins. These bins help children identifying and feeling different textures and allow them to understand these strange creations are okay. I added some links to create an Arctic Sensory Bin! After purchasing these items from Amazon and putting them in your bin, fill up with cold water.

Sensory Bin Kit

This is an already created sensory bin kit that you can purchase on Amazon. This is perfect for kid’s birthdays or just because you feel like doing something different. I love the outer space idea; I think it’s great for a themed birthday or a regular Tuesday!

Sensory Kit

This sensory kit is amazing and huge! It has so many different options with all the neat toys. This would be great for teachers and parents, alike. I like to use kits like this for a reward system for doing certain chores in our house. The kids do the chore asked of them and they get to close their eyes and pick out a toy from the kit.

Water Bead Bags

Water bead bags are so versatile. They are fun for kids to play with, but they also work as ice packs for bumps and scrapes. These are so neat. I love these fruit shaped ones for my kids. Definitely a must have!

Quiet Book

This book is perfect for those places that you need to entertain your child at, but you prefer them to be a bit quieter. I love that this book has so many different pages and activities in those pages. It’s a great book for babies and toddlers.

Fidget Spinners for Babies

Fidget spinners definitely deserve to be on this list. My baby loves these spinners. They are so fun to play with in the bath, the floor, in the highchair. With the suction cup on the bottom, you can bring them anywhere with a hard surface.

Fidget Spinners for Kids, Teens, and Adults

Here is a great option for kids, teens, and adults. Everyone could benefit from the use of a sensory object, especially for stress and anxiety.

The Lesson about Sensory Toys and Objects

Sensory toys are great for babies, toddlers, kids, teens, adults. There really is not a con about sensory toys. Everyone can benefit from having something to put their nervous energy into. They help people with or without disabilities. From my experience, these objects can help calm a child in a tantrum or a special needs adult with anxiety. Parents need to realize that these can be necessary for child development or adult development. The benefits outweigh the drawbacks, which I cannot think of one drawback to having these items in your home.

Thanks for reading!

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