Outdoor Sensory Activities for Spring and Summer: Fun Sensory Play Ideas for Kids

With warmer, drier days ahead, spring and summer are the perfect seasons to explore the outdoors through sensory play. Whether it’s splashing in water, digging in sand, or listening to the sounds of nature, outdoor sensory activities offer wonderful opportunities for learning, development, and pure fun.

At SpecialKids Company, we’ve curated a collection of sensory play ideas you can enjoy with your child this spring and summer — all designed to stimulate the senses and support physical and emotional well-being.

Playing with Bubbles: A Magical Sensory Experience

Bubbles engage multiple senses including sight, touch, and movement. Try these bubble activities:

• Blow bubbles and encourage your child to chase or pop them.
  

• Use bubble wands of various shapes and sizes — perfect for kids who find blowing difficult.

• Experiment with scented or coloured bubbles for an extra sensory boost

 Water Play for Sensory Stimulation and Coordination

Water play is ideal for tactile exploration and cooling off on warm days. Here are some ideas:

• Set up a paddling pool or let your child play with the garden hose.
  
  

• Provide a bucket and paintbrush for outdoor “painting” on fences or patios.
  
  

• Turn car washing into a fun task with toy vehicles or your real car.
  
  

• Offer cups, bowls, and jugs for pouring, filling, and transferring water.
  
  

• Freeze small toys in ice cubes and let your child “rescue” them for added excitement.

Sand Play: Rich Tactile and Imaginative Fun

Sand is an excellent medium for sensory and creative play:

• Create a sandpit with scoops, moulds, and digging tools.
  
  

• Bury small toys or objects for your child to discover.
  
  

• Explore the differences between dry and wet sand textures.

Movement & Proprioceptive Activities for Body Awareness

These activities help children understand their body’s position in space while building strength:

• Bounce on a trampoline for vestibular input.
  
  

• Set up obstacle courses with jumping, crawling, and balancing challenges.
  
  

• Use swings — traditional, hammock, or sensory swings — to provide calming rhythmic movement.
  

Messy Play Outdoors: Sensory Exploration Without the Stress

Being outside makes messy play easy and worry-free:

• Use shaving foam for squishy, foamy tactile fun.
  
  

• Mix cornflour and water to make "gloop," great for hands-on exploration.
  
  

• Build a mud kitchen for creative sensory cooking with soil, water, and natural ingredients

Nature Sensory Activities: Discovering the Outdoors

Nature itself is a rich sensory playground filled with textures, smells, sounds, and colors:

• Go on a sensory scavenger hunt to find items that are soft, rough, bumpy, or smooth.
  

• Collect and sort natural treasures like leaves, flowers, stones, and twigs.
  

• Try gardening together — digging, planting, and watering support sensory and motor skills.

Sound-Based Outdoor Sensory Play

Encourage auditory exploration with these simple activities:

• Create DIY instruments from household items like pots, pans, or wind chimes.
  

• Play music outdoors and enjoy dancing together.
  

• Practice mindfulness by quietly listening to birdsong, rustling leaves, or the wind.

Outdoor sensory play can be simple, fun, and deeply beneficial for your child's development. Enjoy these spring and summer sensory activities with your family and watch your child’s senses come alive!