How to make sensory bags that don't leak?

Use duct tape on the "ziplock" to help prevent leaks . The baby oil bags are cool because the baby oil causes pools of color which can be "broken up" with touch, but will form together again when they pools touch. some red food coloring added to the baby oil. Simple, cheap, and fun sensory play!

How do you fill sensory bags?

Fill a resealable plastic bag with tactile materials like hair gel, pumpkin seeds, shaving cream, or marbles . Reinforce the seal with strong tape, then use painter's or washi tape to secure the edges of the bag to the floor or a table where your baby can play.

What can you use instead of hair gel in sensory bags?

About the question what fluid goes in sensory bags, there are some options. You can certainly use liquid soup or hair gel or even gel detergent. I prefer however to use tap water for two good reasons. First and foremost, it's safer.

Can you use baby oil for sensory bags?

Add about a cup of baby oil to the bag . Add pom poms and seal the bag shut leaving little to no air inside. Tape it down to your surface. Push the pom poms to the white space and have your little ones sort them into the matching color.

How to make squishy sensory bags?

Place flour, food colouring and water into the small mixing bowl. Mix until all the ingredients are well blended. Scoop the mixture into the plastic zip-lock bag. Before fastening the end, place the squishy bag onto a flat surface and gently push any excess air out to avoid air bubbles.

How to make a sensory bag for autism?

Fill your plastic bag with hair gel or hand sanitiser, leave a little space for the gel to move around when squeezed Add in small crafty bits such as pompoms, sequins or beads. Seal the bag tightly and use strong tape to secure all the edges. Bring your sensory bag with you to show the person who you will be meeting!

How to make an Orbeez sensory bag?

Once you have plump water beads, get some ziploc bags, any size will do. Add a scoop of whatever color you choose to the ziploc and fill it about halfway with water. Add a splash of food coloring or liquid watercolor to the water. Seal the bag and duct tape it closed.

How to make a water bead sensory bag?

All you need to do is fill a gallon bag with some plastic beads (I used pony beads from Office Depot-but many stores stock similar beads in the craft section), add water, squeeze the air out and close the bag . 🤗 I use Ziploc brand bags and don't have much issue with leaking.

How to make sensory ABC bags?

Setting Up the Sensory Alphabet Activity I squirted about 8 oz of clear hair gel in the freezer bag. Then I added a bunch of alphabet beads to the bag. I made sure to add the letters for the kids' names and letters needed to make sight words and CVC words that I have been working on with my son.

How to make baby sensory bottles?

Put a funnel in the mouth of an empty water bottle and fill it about halfway with sand or rice. Add small toys, like alphabet beads, LEGO blocks, or mini-erasers. Then, fill the rest of the bottle with sand or rice, leaving about an inch of room at the top. This gives the contents room to move around and get mixed up.

Can you use soap for sensory bags?

Thicker liquids such as dish soap , hair gel, corn syrup, or glue. Add other items of interest. White glue with glitter or snowflake sequins makes a nice winter bag. Shaving cream and paint or food colouring.

Can you use water in sensory bottles?

1. Fill the bottles up 3/4 with water and then have students squeeze enough clear glue to the top. Be sure to take the glue lid off, it's much easier to squeeze the glue in without the lid. You can also try baby oil for this but I found that I the clear glue seemed to work best!

7 DIY Mess-Free Sensory Bags | WonderBaby.org (2024)

Written by Kelly O'Lone

Published on April 7, 2023

What Are Sensory Bags?

You can fill sensory bags with everyday materials and supplies, usually found in your house. In addition, they are an inexpensive craft project that is easy to make and perfect for sensory play.

Babies put everything in their mouths, so making something chew-proof makes sense. Sensory bags provide sensory play, which helps stimulate your child’s senses.

While sensory bags are safe for young children, providing adult supervision is always a good idea to ensure they don’t open the bag.

Your baby can start using sensory bags when they are infants, which helps keep them entertained during tummy time. Since not all babies love tummy time, it offers a fun change of pace for little ones.

7 DIY Mess-Free Sensory Bags | WonderBaby.org (3)

What Are Sensory Bags For?

Sensory bags provide sensory stimulation, specifically activating our senses of sight and touch. However, they also open the world and are a learning tool for discovering various textures.

In addition, sensory bags aren’t just a squishy craft (although they are fun!) with potentially messy side effects. Instead, they can help develop fine motor skills and language skills and are great at keeping children entertained.

Toddlers who play with sensory bags can help increase their vocabulary by describing what they feel and see. You’ll also notice your child developing sensory motor skills, allowing them to interact with their world.

Additional benefits of sensory bags include:

They help develop sensory input, the information our brains get from our senses
Aid in maintaining a child’s focus and attention
Develop math and science skills
Learning social life skills by working alongside other children

According to PeaceHealth, children with sensory processing disorder have difficulty processing information from their senses, leading to issues with responding appropriately.

However, providing your child with activities challenging their sensory input can help them respond correctly.

Things You Need to Make Sensory Bags

7 DIY Mess-Free Sensory Bags | WonderBaby.org (4)

Before you start, here are a few materials you’ll need to make sensory bags. You don’t need everything from the list to create a sensory bag, but it gives you an idea of everyday items used:

Gallon Ziplock bags
Plastic bag holder
Paints
Glue
Pom poms
Googly eyes
Shaving cream
Vegetable oil
Tape
Hair gel
Food coloring
Baby oil
Duct tape

As a side note, you can get most items at the dollar store, and the entire bag will likely cost you less than twenty dollars.

Guide on How to Make a Sensory Bag

If your toddler has significant muscles, you can double bag and use duct tape, ensuring nothing leaks. You, of course, will have to provide some adult supervision, but sensory bags can make for great independent play.

Here’s a quick overview of how to make a sensory bag:

Fill a plastic bag with paint or hair gel
Choose a theme and add desired objects
Remove excess air and seal the bag
Apply duct tape to the top for extra security
Have fun!

The American Academy of Pediatrics reports how sensory play can help reduce stress in children and is an excellent alternative to television and other screen-related activities.

7 Fun and Easy-to-Make Sensory Bags

7 DIY Mess-Free Sensory Bags | WonderBaby.org (5)

Holiday Themed Sensory Bag

Creating a holiday-themed sensory bag is the perfect way to ring in the season. Regardless of the holiday, you can make a sensory bag by finding objects representing the day.

For example, you can dye hair gel orange for Halloween and add pumpkins, ghosts, and skeletons in the Ziplock bag. Pumpkin seeds are also very fun to play with in a sensory bag!

Under-The-Sea

There are so many ideas for an under-the-sea theme you might find yourself making more than one sensory bag. I love the idea of a colorful bag filled with various sea creatures, especially since it doubles as a learning activity.

You can add water beads to your sensory bag, but ensure you seal them because they are dangerous to ingest.

Glittery Snowfall

I don’t love glitter (what parent does?), but adding it to a sensory bag adds a slight shimmer. Plus, it’s zipped up and likely won’t spill on your living room rug.

If it’s the cold of winter, you can keep the fun inside by creating a snowfall sensory bag. You can make this in several ways, including adding hair gel, glitter, and cut-out snowflakes.

Hair gel is typical in sensory bags because it is inexpensive, thick, and transparent.

Nature Sensory Bag

You can fill a nature sensory bag with all the fun things your kids bring in from outside, like leaves or acorns. I’d probably stay away from sticks because they likely will tear the bag, although toddlers won’t mind if that happens!

Your kids can also add flowers they find on the walk, adding color to the sensory bag.

Practicing Letters and Numbers

This easy sensory bag also helps your child practice writing their letters. I love this activity because it requires few materials and is one of my favorite kids’ activities.

First, put paint in the Ziplock bag, seal it, and tape it to the table to prevent it from moving around.

Next, your child can use their finger and write the letters in the paint. I recommend printing the letters and numbers so they have something to reference. Your child might need adult supervision to start, but it’s a great sensory activity they can do independently.

If you have a light table (and if you don’t, check out these DIY light table tutorials), these letter tracing bags work great with light shining through them!

Birdseed Sensory Bag

Filling up a plastic bag with birdseed is one of the most straightforward sensory bags you can assemble. Babies will enjoy pushing the seeds around, and you can also hide little toys or pictures in the birdseed for kids to find.

Since you don’t want babies or toddlers putting the birdseed in their mouths, ensure you securely seal the bag and add duct tape for extra security.

Googly Eye Sensory Bag

Another fun sensory bag is to fill a plastic bag with googly eyes and dyed hair gel. You can find various-sized googly eyes at the dollar store, and toddlers will enjoy pushing them around the bag.

You can also draw faces on poster board and put them in the bag, allowing your child to push the eyes where they belong onto the faces.