Sensory learning and sensory toys have become extremely popular for children in the UK over recent years and for very good reason!
Sensory play is essentially any type of activity that stimulates at least one of a child’s senses – including hearing, sight, taste, smell, or touch.
This can help them make sense of the world around them, as well as loads of other great stuff! Find out more about the benefits of sensory toys and how you can make them affordable below.
They Can Help Strengthen Fine Motor Skills
Often sensory activities use movements such as pouring and pinching, which contribute to your child’s fine motor skills. A sand or water table from a store like The Toy Shop is a great sensory and learning activity for your child.
Motor skills are how we take in or respond to information through movement. For example, these skills tell you if you need to quickly move out of the way of a fast-approaching object!
They Provide Calming Effects
The texture of various sensory items such as slime which you can grab on Amazon for example, can have a calming effect on children and provide a release for stress and anxiety.
Not only this, but by engaging in sensory play, your child will be learning and refining skills without the pressure sometimes felt within a learning environment.
They Improve Concentration and Focus
Research shows that sensory activities build nerve connections within the brain. These eventually allow your child to concentrate deeply and for longer periods of time.
Helping your child to organise their senses allows them to block out things which aren’t relevant at that time.
They Encourage Independent Play
From improved concentration and focus comes the ability to work and play more independently. There are lots of sensory toys which can be used independently at stores like Hamleys for example.
As your child finds it easier to focus more, they will be more involved in the sensory items they are playing with. This will mean they’ll be happy to play without external stimulation from their peers too.
They Allow You to Use All Your Senses
As we’ve mentioned previously, sensory play encourages the use of all your child’s senses. Touch, smell, taste, movement, balance, sight, and hearing.
By naturally encouraging your child to develop these senses through an enjoyable activity that doesn’t feel like learning – they will display development of their senses over time.
They’re Super Fun!
Above all else, sensory play both at home and at school is super fun! And you can stock up on lots of independent and group sensory toys from stores like Maqio for example.
The best way to encourage your child to enjoy education and explore and grow their skills is by making it entertaining.
Sensory activities have become so popular over recent years due to how much children simply love playing with them!
How to Save Money on Sensory Toys
Make Your Own
Sensory toys are amongst some of the easiest toys to make yourself with things that you already have at home!
You can use something as simple as food bags filled with various different items such as rice or beads, or make your own tag blankets… with just a bit of imagination and rummaging through your cupboards, the options really are endless. If you are struggling to find some of the bits and pieces you need, like material, take a look at My Fabrics online.
Browse Online
With a quick browse online you can find heaps of different sensory toys that you can easily compare the prices of.
You should also have a look out for discount codes or any special offers for first-time customers! We always have plenty of live discount codes for sensory toys on our website. For sensory toys for all ages we love Bargain Max, and it really is a bargain!
Buy Second-Hand
As a parent yourself, you’ll know first-hand that your kids will inevitably get bored of one of their toys after a while.
All kids are the same. So there will always be opportunities to buy toys second-hand from other parents going through the same struggle! You could do a swap with friends, or take a look at places such as Facebook Marketplace or eBay for sensory toys and see what bargains you can find.
Follow Social Media Influencers
Last but not least, a great way to bag yourself sensory toys at the best prices is to follow the right people on social media!
There are so many mum influencers on channels such as Instagram and TikTok that are able to both show you how to make you own DIY sensory toys – and to share affordable options that you can purchase online. And the best bit is, there’ll almost always share a discount code for them, too!
