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Are you looking for gift ideas for your sensory seeking little one? Then look no further! Here is my round-up of some of the best gifts for sensory seeking kids.
Table of Contents
What is sensory seeking?
Everyone responds differently to sensory stimuli in daily life. It’s common for neurodivergent individuals to have more pronounced sensory needs, meaning they may be particularly over- or under-reactive to certain stimuli.
Being over-reactive/sensitive to sensory input can be termed as ‘sensory avoiding’. Sensory seeking is when an individual is under-reactive to sensory input, meaning they require more input than the average person in order to function.
What does sensory seeking look like?
Here are a few sensory seeking behaviours that children may show:
- Sight: Being attracted to visual patterns, colours, shapes etc. May like bright lights or spinning objects.
- Hearing: Singing, humming, making repetitive noises (e.g. clapping).
- Smell: May like to smell everything.
- Taste: Chewing non-food objects (eg collars). May really like certain tastes (bitter, sweet, sour etc) or certain textures (crunchy, chewy etc).
- Touch: May need to touch/fiddle with everything. Being highly tactile with people (eg cuddly). May like certain textures.
- Proprioceptive: May give/enjoy tight hugs. May crash into furniture and enjoy deep pressure.
- Vestibular: Rocking backwards and forwards, spinning, swinging, hanging upside down, jumping from a height.
Gifts for sensory seeking kids
Providing additional sensory input can be really helpful for sensory seeking kids as it can help them feel more organised in their bodies and in space. It can also calm their nervous system when it is overwhelmed.
So here are some ideas for gifts for sensory seeking kids, to provide that much-needed sensory input. I’ve ordered them (roughly!) from cheapest to most expensive and have tried to include a range of prices to suit different budgets. In this post I’ve focused mostly on products that can be used indoors.
(Disclaimer: We haven’t tried all of these products out – some we own and some are on our wishlist to try!)
Chewbuddy
Chewelry is amazing for kids who need to chew. It’s a great saviour of sleeves and collars in our house which get chewed to bits otherwise! The Chewbuddy is a little stick man that comes with a lanyard – it’s a pretty robust option and has different textures and shapes. We also have a couple of Lego brick chew necklaces which have rainbow colours so are obviously right up our street! (Note – always check that chew jewellery is made from food-grade material, BPA free and CE approved).
Currently £8.49 on Amazon
* affiliate link
Play foam
Play foam from Learning Resources is fab for developing fine motor skills, is endlessly squishy and never dries out.
Currently £9.45 on Amazon
* affiliate link
Sensory FX ASMR cube
This sensory ASMR cube looks great. It unfolds to reveal five exterior panels children can use to create unique sounds and movements. They can record different sound effect combinations and it’s great for restless hands to fiddle with. It’s currently £9.99.
Light-up spinning wand
A light-up spinning wand is a sensory treat for kids who love visual input.
Currently £11.95 on Amazon
* affiliate link
Puzzle board games with bold colours, patterns, and eye-catching visuals are also great sources of visual input, offering fun and visual stimulation in one activity.
Kinetic sand
Kinetic sand is such a satisfying texture for kids to play with. It can be a little messy but much less so than normal sand! It’s squeezable, fluffy and can be easily moulded into all sorts of different creations. There are lots of different sets available – I’ve chosen a rainbow one obvs! 🙂
Currently £12.49 on Amazon
* affiliate link
Foam pogo stick
A foam pogo stick is a great option for kids who love to jump, and the soft base means it won’t damage any floors if used indoors.
Currently £12.74 on Amazon
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Therapy putty
Therapy putty is like modelling clay – it’s firmer than slime and really works those hand muscles. Great for a kid to squeeze when feeling stressed. It comes in different strengths so some are firmer than others.
Currently £13.95 for 5 on Amazon
* affiliate link
Star projector
A sensory star projector provides a lovely calming visual experience and makes an excellent nightlight for kids to fall asleep to. We use ours every night without fail.
Currently £12.74 on Amazon
* affiliate link
Sensory body sock
A sensory body sock is a really fun way of providing deep pressure for a child. Made from a stretchy, lightweight fabric, it gives excellent tactile stimulation.
* affiliate link
Peanut ball
A peanut ball is a brilliant gift for sensory seeking kids. It can help develop gross motor skills, core strength and improve balance. We have one and it’s been invaluable.
Currently £19.99 on Amazon
* affiliate link
Slime potion maker
For slime making with a magical twist, this DIY slime potion maker looks so fun. You can create your own slime in the cauldron with magical mist and lights. And there are tons of fun extras like colour-reveal slime powders and sparkly decorations.
Currently £24 on Amazon
* affiliate link
Mindfulness buddy
This cute cuddly koala is weighted, super soft, plays a guided meditation with relaxing sounds and has a calming eucalyptus scent. For more info check out our full review here.
Currently £26.75 on Amazon
* affiliate link
Sensory swing
If you have the space, a sensory swing is brilliant for a movement seeking kid. We would love one of these but sadly don’t really have the space (not without losing our whole living room anyway!) Sensory swings can vary a lot in price. There are some cheaper ones but personally I’d probably pay a bit more for this to ensure it’s safe and good quality.
* affiliate link
Weighted blanket
A weighted blanket is a great tool for decreasing stress and encouraging relaxation and sleep. You should aim for the blanket to weigh around 10% of your child’s weight. They can vary considerably in price and there are lots of designs available.
* affiliate link
Bubble tube light
A floor-standing bubble tube light is fantastic for giving some calming sensory input, especially at bedtime. We bought this one for £30 from Dunelm which has floating unicorns and rainbows. There are various ones available.
Currently £34.99 on Amazon
* affiliate link
Gym mat
A gym mat is a really good gift for sensory seeking kids so they have a space to move, jump and flip about safely without injuring themselves. This folding gym mat is available from Ikea for £35.
Wobble board
A wobble board is a curved wooden balance board. It’s great for rocking and balancing on, and can also be used for imaginative play as a tunnel or a bridge etc. Wobble boards can vary in price – this one from Decathlon looks good and is £39.99.
* affiliate link
Indoor trampoline
Jumping is a great way for sensory seeking kids to get vestibular input, as well as burn off a load of energy! So a mini indoor trampoline is an obvious choice. We don’t actually have one but we really should as our sofa is taking a battering!
* affiliate link
Sensory play mats
These have been on my wishlist for ages! I first came across these orthopedic sensory floor mats from Happy Feet Play Mats at Blog On (a blogging conference). Oh my goodness, they are so satisfying to walk on, especially with bare feet! They give amazing sensory stimulation and can help improve posture, balance and walking. Obviously I love the rainbow set but there are loads of options.
* affiliate link
Spinning seat
A spinning seat looks fantastic for a sensory seeker – it is most definitely an investment though as they ain’t cheap! The child can spin themselves thereby engaging in heavy work which is really beneficial. It’s also great for stability and strength. The Gonge carousel from Sensory Direct looks excellent and is currently £178.99.
* affiliate link
I hope this list was useful. It’s by no means exhaustive – there are so many fab sensory toys out there. What are your favourites?
And of course, you can always make your own sensory toys too! Check out this post I wrote for Kiddycharts on how to make a calming sensory rainbow with lots of different textures. It’s a lovely activity to do with kids 🙂 Or how about some fab rainbow sensory play ideas?
Or a trip where the child gets to do something super physical always makes a great gift too. Trampolining, indoor climbing or even something like aerial tree trekking for the real thrill seekers! And if you have a Harry Potter fan, check out these magical Harry Potter gift ideas!
Hope you enjoyed these ideas of gifts for sensory seeking kids! Thanks for reading 🙂
Til next time,
Hannah xx
[All prices correct at time of posting]
Check out these posts:
- Gift ideas for preschoolers
- The best rainbow Christmas decorations
- Children’s books to help with anxiety
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30 Comments
It’s almost like you looked in my kids room for ideas! We have a lot of these. The indoor trampoline is used a lot, we got the chewelry but it didn’t help. My kids would use that light as some kind of dance pole if I got it, but there’s a really cool dog night light we got.
When you turn it on, it puts the stars and an ocean like water movement in different colors on the walls. The whole place is filled with beautiful, gentle movement.
Don’t know if it helps them sleep but at least they’re relaxing and looking at lights instead of trying to sneak out of bed.
Ooh I like the idea of an ocean projector, that sounds super relaxing!
What a brilliant comprehensive list – there are lots of things here that I think my son would like so I have bookmarked it and will return to it later
Thanks so much 🙂
My daughter loves slime and anything tactile! Great list!
Haha mine too! Thank you x
My eldest keepts chewing his tie at school so that chew buddy looks like a great option for him
Yes my son keeps destroying his t shirts etc so it works pretty well for him 🙂
Some fab ideas here. My boys love their night light (star projector) and their weighed blankets. Thank you for a great post, im going to save this for later x
Thank you so much 🙂
I love the range of products you have covered. I have an adult son who is autistic and he would have loved some of these toys when he was younger.
Ah that’s lovely to hear, yes my two love lots of them 🙂
I love the idea of the bubble light and also the weighted blanket, I think these would make great gifts for kids who seeking sensory activities 🙂
Thank you, yes the bubble light is really relaxing 🙂
There’s some great ideas here- I use quite a few of them in my classroom, as well as at home.
Ah that’s brilliant to hear 🙂
There are some lovely ideas here, thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much!
Absolutely love kinetic sand, that one gets so much play and use in our house. I find it so relaxing and my daughter loves it and will play for ages
It’s fab isn’t it, so versatile! 🙂
Amazing ideas! My cousin has literally just said her little one likes anything that makes noise, so this helps a lot, thank you!
I’m so glad it was useful 🙂
This is a great list of ideas! I found myself opening loads of them in a new tab to have a look at after! I didn’t know about sensory seeking but that is really interesting to know, thank you xx
So glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Amazing suggestions! I have to say I love the bubble tube! I remember these growing up and have always wanted one!
They’re very relaxing 🙂
These are such great suggestions! My youngest is into everything sensory! Especially when it comes to lights and noises. We’ve bought my eldest kinetic sand for Christmas. I’ve heard such great things about it for sensory play. X
Ah yes it’s lots of fun although can be a bit messy! Hope they like it 🙂
So many valuable resources are included in this list. Families and educators will gain great insight into the benefits of these gift ideas.
The Breathing Buddy Koala Bear is so cute, the other toys are great too. But the bear would be perfect for those calming needs.
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