Sensory Toy Gift Guide: Perfect Picks for Every Child

Choosing sensory toys and gifts can provide the ones you love with a range of therapeutic benefits, from promoting relaxation to enhancing focus. Finding the right sensory toys can significantly enhance the well-being and development of children, especially those with sensory processing challenges including autism. This expanded gift guide offers additional options from National Autism Resources to cater to diverse sensory needs.

Visual Sensory Toys

Visual sensory toys can captivate attention, become a soothing distraction, and provide a calming effect. The color-changing Tornado Lamp and Tranquil Turtle provide both visual and calming benefits. Their soft, changing hues create a soothing ambiance that can help kids and adults unwind. These items make an excellent addition to home sensory spaces and work well as a nightlight, providing comfort during bedtime routines.

Bubble Tubes are a fantastic option for creating a soothing environment. These colorful, light-filled tubes feature bubbling water and floating shapes, providing visual stimulation that can help children relax. We also offer a smaller bubble tube that includes jellyfish. It’s perfect for use at home, in sensory rooms, or as a calming visual focal point for a classroom.

For a more interactive visual experience, consider the Lunar Light Show or Diamond Lamp. These items come with a small controller that allows you to customize colors and the way the light transitions.

Some fun smaller interactive visual gifts include the Liquid Timer and Light Up Bubble Blaster. The liquid timer features colorful liquid bubbles that move and flow as you turn it over, capturing attention and promoting relaxation. The bubble blaster lights up and shoots out a cascade of bubbles with a press of a button and is a lot of fun for highly visual kids.

Tactile Play

Engaging children in tactile play can help them develop essential sensory processing skills. The Super Sensory Kit includes a variety of hands-on sensory experiences. This set encourages creativity and fine motor skill development, making it an ideal gift for encouraging imaginative play.

Fidget toys are a fantastic way to provide tactile play that’s not messy. They can also help with focus and anxiety. Here are a few of our favorites:

• The Tangle Jr. Fidget Toy is a classic choice, designed with interconnected, flexible segments that encourage twisting and turning. Its tactile nature keeps hands busy while providing a calming effect, making it perfect for classrooms or home use.
• Sensory Discs offer a variety of tactile experiences, from colorful beads to intriguing textures, providing tons of sensory feedback to explore. Each sensory disc features a unique sensation to touch, squeeze, and observe, making them a great choice for creating soothing and interactive play opportunities.
• Our spinner rings have an outer band that spins around the actual ring. These quiet rings fit comfortably on your finger and provide endless hours of quiet movement that won't distract others.
• The playableART Ball is a mesmerizing fidget that is perfect for all ages– the colorful wooden balls glide smoothly in your hands, letting you manipulate this 3-D sculpture into an endless number of creative configurations.

Not sure which fidget to pick? Then try our fidget set. It includes a variety of our most popular fidgets and makes a great gift.

Auditory Sensory Toys

For children who seek auditory input, sound-based toys can be both entertaining and soothing. The Voice Changer is an interactive option that allows kids to explore vocalization with buttons that change the sound of their voice and lights. Another excellent auditory choice is the Klickity, which creates a clicking sound as a child moves each colorful lever.

A current customer favorite are Pop Tubes. These tubes make a fun popping sound as you move them and are a great pick for stocking stuffers. The Flip & Clack is another popular choice– this tactile fidget provides a satisfying series of clicks and clacks as you turn it in your hands.

The Vestibular Sense: Toys to Help Balance and Coordination

One sense we rarely talk about is the vestibular sense. The vestibular sense is the body's ability to perceive its orientation and movement in space, helping to maintain balance and spatial awareness through the detection of changes in head position and motion. Swings are an excellent addition to any play space, providing a safe space for children to get vestibular input and experience the calming effects of swinging.

Some more options that help are the Bouncy Board, Carousel Spinning Chair, Dizzy Disc, and the Rotator. Each of these items build balance and spatial awareness.

For more items that stimulate the vestibular sense, check out our Gross Motor & Balance selection.

Calming Sensory Weighted Gifts -

Sensory weighted gifts can provide comfort and grounding through gentle deep pressure. These gifts can include weighted blankets, lap pads, or stuffed animals, all of which deliver a calming effect that can help reduce anxiety and improve focus. The weight mimics the feeling of a gentle hug, promoting relaxation and security. By incorporating soothing textures and calming colors, sensory weighted gifts can provide an interesting tactile experience and create a cozy environment.

Chewable Jewelry

For children who need oral sensory input, chewable jewelry can be both fashionable and functional. The Brick Stick Necklace is a popular choice that provides a safe chewing option, is discreet, and provides interesting textures. Made in the USA from non-toxic materials, it’s ideal for older children who want a discreet way to satisfy their sensory needs without drawing attention. The Dino Bite and Krypto Bite are also very durable, nontoxic, and made in the USA.

Conclusion

When selecting sensory toys, consider the unique preferences and needs of the person. Whether it’s fidgeting, chewing, or exploring textures, the right sensory toy can provide comfort, focus, and joy. We have lots of options available at National Autism Resources to help you find the perfect gift that promotes sensory exploration and supports development. Our toys are not only a source of fun, but also a way to build skills and provide comfort.