DIY Sensory Activities For Caregivers On A Budget

Are you a caregiver looking for activities to enrich your care recipient’s quality of life? No matter the age of your care recipient, simple sensory activities are one of the easiest ways to bring meaning and enjoyment to their daily life.

Sensory activities don’t have to be complicated or expensive. This article will highlight 5 DIY sensory activities for caregivers on a budget.

Looking for more information and ideas like this? Check if you have free access to Trualta.

Sensory Investigation

First, you’ll want to determine which sensations your care recipient enjoys experiencing and exploring. Similarly, you can discover which sensory stimulation your care recipient may find uncomfortable or unpleasant. Doing this can help you identify which types of sensory activities you may want to focus on creating.

Occupational therapy can also help with specific recommendations. An occupational therapist can conduct a sensory processing assessment and provide recommendations that address your care recipient’s specific sensory needs.

Below are 5 DIY sensory activities you can set up for your care recipient using common household items or kitchen ingredients.

1. Sensory Bin Exploration

Sensory bins provide a hands-on way to explore different textures, shapes, and materials. They encourage tactile engagement, fine motor skill development, and even relaxation when engaging in repetitive actions like scooping and pouring the materials in the bin.

This activity targets the following senses:

Touch
Proprioception, or the body’s ability to perceive its position in space
Visual (if using colorful, shiny, or light-up additions)

Materials:

A container or plastic tub
A base filling such as dry rice, dried beans, sand, pom poms, cotton balls, packing peanuts, or shredded paper
Small objects for exploration such as small toys, puzzle pieces, buttons, beads, shells, or stones

Variations & options:

Caregivers with care recipients sensitive to touch can opt for softer or smoother materials in the bin. For those who may want a more stimulating sensory experience, you can include rougher textures like dry pasta or rough (not sharp) stones and shells with ridges and creases.

As a caregiver, you can interact and engage with your care recipient during this activity by asking them questions about the items they find in the bin, how many different items there are, and how the items feel.

2. Shaving Cream Play

Shaving cream play is an engaging activity that promotes sensory exploration and fine motor skills development.

This activity targets the following senses:

Touch
Visual
Smell

Materials:

Shaving cream (foam, not gel)
A tray (to make clean-up easier)
Optional: Food coloring, paintbrushes, and small toys

Help your care recipient spray shaving cream onto a tray. Encourage them to touch and squeeze the shaving cream with their hands and fingers. A busy toddler may find exploring the shaving cream with their feet and toes extra exciting.

Variations & options:

Add a few drops of food coloring to add extra visual appeal and encourage your care recipient to swirl it around and create a marbled effect.

Create a seated scavenger hunt activity by hiding coins or other objects under the foamy shaving cream and encouraging your care recipient to use their hands and fingers to find them.

Strengthen fine motor skills and support cognitive development by encouraging young children and older adults alike to use their fingers to draw or write letters and numbers in the shaving cream.

Care recipients reluctant to try this activity may benefit from using disposable gloves or seeing you try it first.

3. Planting & Gardening

Whether indoors or outdoors, Gardening is a great way to engage multiple senses and foster a sense of accomplishment.

This activity targets the following senses:

Touch
Proprioception (digging, pressing soil)
Smell
Visual

A person wearing a green sweater is transplanting a small tomato seedling into a plastic cup filled with soil. They are using a small gardening trowel with a wooden handle, and their fingers are covered in dirt. Several other seedlings in plastic containers are visible on the table.

Materials:

Small pots, cups, yogurt containers, or a garden space
Soil or potting mix
Seeds or small plants (herbs, flowers, or vegetables)
Watering can or spray bottle
Optional: garden gloves for those sensitive to touch sensations

Variations & options:

If you have limited space or don’t have access to an outdoor garden, plant in small containers or pots. Your care recipient can sit at a table, stand, or even sit on the floor with newspapers or a tarp laid out on the floor.

Planting plants with pleasant scents like lavender, basil, or mint can make this activity even more sensory-rich.

Encourage your care recipient to use their hands to dig in the dirt, press seeds into the soil, or even simply sort seeds. These actions not only provide strong sensory exploration but also engage fine motor skills.

Other gardening sensory activities include raking leaves or pulling out weeds to engage the proprioceptive sensory system. In addition, simply watering plants and flowers can provide great sensory stimulation as your care recipient takes in the colorful sights of the garden’s flowers, the smell of the damp soil, the feeling of the cold water, and the sight of the rainbow forming as the sun hits the hose water’s stream.

4. Oobleck

Oobleck is a fascinating substance similar to slime that turns liquid or solid depending on how it’s handled. Poke your finger through it quickly, and you’ll find it’s rock hard. Go through it slowly to then find it’s completely liquid. This creates a perfect opportunity for sensory exploration as your care recipient squishes, presses, and stirs to problem-solve how it works.

Close-up of two hands playing with oobleck, a non-Newtonian fluid made of cornstarch and water. The hands are covered in the white, gooey mixture, with some of it dripping down from the disfigured ball the person has created in their hands. The background is slightly blurred, showing an outdoor setting.

While it may look messy, this activity can easily be cleaned and washed off hands and surfaces. However, if you choose to use food coloring, take extra care not to get it on clothing.

This activity targets the following senses:

Touch
Proprioception
Visual
Smell (if using scents)

Materials:

2 cups cornstarch
1 cup water
A mixing bowl
Optional: food coloring for added visual appeal
Optional: essential oils for added scent

If using food coloring and/or essential oils, add 2-3 drops of each to the water first and stir to combine. Add the scented, colored water to the cornstarch and mix slowly. You may use a spoon to start and dig your hands in afterward to get it combined.

Variations & options:

Involve kids and older care recipients alike in creating the oobleck by measuring, pouring, and stirring. This can promote cognitive development, problem-solving skills, and a sense of accomplishment.

A care recipient who is sensitive to touch may benefit from exploring the oobleck by using spoons or utensils first before getting their hands in. Alternatively, they may benefit from watching you play with it first. You can have a wet washcloth nearby for quick hand cleanups, so they feel more comfortable.

Squeeze it, stir it, turn it into a ball, then watch it melt. Pour it from one hand to the other and watch how it wiggles down.

Search for other easy recipes like cloud dough, slime, or play dough for additional sensory play. Each can offer a different texture for sensory exploration as you alternate between them throughout the week or month.

Homemade play dough and cloud dough can be sealed and stored in a plastic bag for later enjoyment. Sensory-sensitive care recipients may play with these while in the bag to reduce discomfort.

5. Sound Sensory Bottle

Sensory bottles are visually appealing and provide a great auditory experience as they’re shaken, tilted, and turned, making them a great tool for sensory engagement and relaxation.

This activity targets the following senses:

Auditory
Visual

Materials:

A clear plastic bottle with a secure lid
Fillers for sound: dry rice, dry pasta, beans, beads, or buttons
Optional: shiny sequins or beads for visual effects

Variations & options:

To make the sound less stimulating or quieter, add more filling to the bottle. Experiment with different materials to create a variety of sounds. Encourage your care recipient to select their most preferred sounds and pick out the ones they dislike too!

For added tactile input, involve your care recipient in choosing their materials and exploring their textures as they pour them in.

Sensory bottles can also be used as a calming tool for self-regulation. Opt for a longer bottle with fewer materials inside, as this can provide a longer, calmer sound as the bottle is tilted from one side to the other.

Looking for more sensory activities? Check out our other blog posts to find nature-inspired sensory activity ideas and more.

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DIY Sensory Activities For Caregivers On A Budget