The Benefits of Sensory Activities for People of Any Age - Guides (2024)

Throughout life, we use five senses — taste, touch, smell, hearing and sight — to understand and navigate the world around us. From toddlers playing with block puzzles to adults using music to help improve memory, sensory activities help people of all ages understand, investigate and make important decisions.

Many people think sensory activities are only for children or only necessary for early brain development. But people can benefit from sensory activities in every stage of life. In fact, research from the National Library of Medicine shows that intentional engagement with sensory interventions can:

• Improve cognitive development
• Teach self-regulation
• Manage anxiety
• Encourage an interest in discovery
• Enhance memory
• Develop and maintain fine and gross motor skills
• Teach problem-solving and critical thinking

Let’s take a closer look at activities you can try at any age and how they can improve your life.

Children

During a child’s first three years, their brain is growing and developing constantly. Sensory activities help them learn how to engage with the world and all its creatures. As they grow older, these sensory experiences create connections in their brains that help them with complex thoughts and tasks.

Sensory activities can benefit children by:

• Developing language skills
• Practicing fine motor skills
• Boosting cognitive growth
• Creating calm and teaching self-soothing techniques
• Supporting gross motor development

Sensory activities for children

Luckily, you don’t have to be a millionaire to create sensory experiences for kids. If anything, most sensory activities out there are incredibly accessible for a wide range of kids:

• Sensory Bins: For pre-K and younger kids, fill a small bin or container with objects that have different textures, like sand, rocks, pasta, beans and small toys. Give your child a spoon or a scoop so they can practice motor skills as well as ignite their senses.
• Balance: For elementary-aged kids, encourage them to walk on a balance beam or along a line you draw, tape or mark on the ground. Support them as they learn to put one foot in front of the other while walking.
• Calming Bottles: Fill a clear bottle with water, clear glue, glitter and food dye. Use this sensory tool to induce a sense of calm when your child feels overwhelmed or overstimulated.

Sensory activities can also help children with social interaction, peer engagement and mindfulness, which will be a boon for them as they age into teenagers.

Teenagers

Through sensory activities, teens can improve their cognitive, motor and social skills in an accessible, non-threatening environment. These activities complement the skills they are learning at school or in therapy, especially those in speech or occupational therapy. They can also help teens manage anxiety and overstimulation. Most importantly, sensory play is fun, something teens desperately need to prevent burnout from busy, overbooked lifestyles.

Sensory activities for teenagers

Teenagers often have strong preferences, so try to find a mix of activities that are enticing, unique, and easy to incorporate into your daily routines, such as:

• Jumping on a trampoline: Helps teens develop vestibular and proprioceptive senses, while also building social skills like taking turns, finding their personal space and establishing situational awareness.
• Arts and crafts: Painting, drawing, sculpting, building models and other arts can help teenagers feel a sense of calm, build emotional intelligence and practice fine motor skills.
• Climbing: Visit a climbing gym or nearby playground with a ropes course to help your teen with planning, strategy and coordination.
• Playing with pets: Being responsible for a pet has many health benefits for teens, including providing exercise opportunities, social learning and relieving anxiety.
• Carry a fidget toy: Give your teen a stress ball, fidget toy or handheld puzzle to help them find focus during sensory overload.
• Sensory snacks: Make health-conscious snacks with a variety of textures, colors and flavors to promote mindful eating.

Most of these activities encourage lots of movement for a good reason. Teenagers need physical activity to keep their minds and bodies healthy. These types of sensory activities build confidence, self-esteem, and self-discipline, and impact their overall physical health, too.

Adults

Sensory activities can give adults a great deal of joy and motivation, no matter their lifestyles or circ*mstances. Engaging the five senses triggers many positive reactions in adults, helping them manage anxiety and anger, enhance memory and cope with physical health conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes.

Sensory activities for adults

Research has even shown how sensory activities can help slow the progression of early-onset dementia and benefit cognition. Stimulate the mind and body through activities such as:

• Daily walks: Improved sleep, balance, muscle strength and bone health are just a few of the health benefits adults can experience by walking daily.
• Listen to audiobooks: Listening to audiobooks can help adults with memory and cognition. Although reading books provides similar benefits, listening to audiobooks is especially convenient since they’re portable.
• Massages: A sensory activity that has physical and emotional benefits, gentle massage can help adults feel calm, relaxed and optimistic.

Sensory activities can help adults relax and feel safe and calm no matter what health or lifestyle situations they face. This is true for older adults, too.

Older adults

Sensory activities can help older adults improve their overall quality of life. For those living with dementia, sensory activities can ease feelings of agitation or anxiety. For seniors living alone, this kind of stimulation can be a comfort during times of deep sadness or loneliness. For healthy older adults who want to stay that way, sensory activities can boost cognition, improve physical health and provide healthy ways to cope with emotions.

Sensory activities for older adults

For older adults looking to increase compassion, concentration and cognitive function, sensory activities can help them live more independently. Explore activities such as:

• Creating a sentimental sensory box: Excellent for older adults living with dementia, fill this box with familiar sights, sounds, smells and textures. This may include old photos, pieces of familiar clothing, perfume, medals, or awards and other memorabilia that elicit a positive response.
• Folding towels: The act of folding can promote motor skills, which helps to ease arthritis pain and stiffness. Engage the mind by organizing the towels by color, pattern or texture.
• Going outside: Many older adults, especially those with mobility challenges, hardly leave their homes. However, getting out into green spaces can benefit your health by engaging all five senses.
• Knitting, crocheting or cross-stitching: These sensory activities benefit fine motor, planning, strategy and cognition.
• Organizing closets and drawers: Older adults can stimulate their minds by organizing clutter, purging unwanted items and categorizing similar items. This activity also engages their bodies when they move things back into the rooms where they belong.

These activities can range from simple to complex, but the one thing they have in common is their ability to increase an overall sense of well-being.

How to get the most out of sensory activities

These activities alone may not be enough to improve your overall well-being — often they are part of a holistic plan for healthy living. To make sure your sensory activity efforts make a difference, maintain other areas of your health by:

• Going to regular physical checkups: See your primary care physician annually to talk about your concerns, review health changes and conduct blood work.
• Prioritizing eye health: Visit your eye doctor or ophthalmologist to maintain proper vision prescriptions and check for changes in your eye health.
• Keeping your ears healthy: Make ENT appointments (ear, nose, and throat) to talk about balance, sinus, swallowing and other sensory conditions that could impact your quality of life.

Sensory activities can be very stimulating for people of all ages. You may even find that some activities might be useful for other ages like children folding towels or adults using sensory bins. Explore these activities and find new, exciting ways to engage your senses and live a fuller, more joyful life!