10+ Affordable Sensory Toys For Toddlers Ages 1-3
If you’re on the hunt for the best sensory toys for toddlers, you’re in the right place. Over the years I’ve tested tons of different activities for kids that involve sensory play, gross and motor skills, and have come up with a large list of different sensory toys and activities that work well for toddlers and their development.
In this post, I’ve rounded up affordable sensory toys and activity ideas that are fun, budget-friendly. I truly love these and so does my son. Whether you're building a toy rotation, looking for screen-free activities, or building a quiet time basket, these are some really great options. Please note, this is just based on my personal experience!
What Are Sensory Toys & Why Toddlers Benefit from Them
Sensory toys are amazing for helping toddlers explore textures, sounds, and movement, through playing. They can support development, keep them engaged, and give you a few minutes of quiet and a break (which we all need lol).
Through activities like squeezing, stacking, or listening to sounds, toddlers improve their motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and other abilities.
Finding affordable sensory toys can make it easier for parents to provide a variety of experiences without breaking the bank. These toys allow toddlers to explore textures, colors, and movements in a safe environment, supporting curiosity and learning in everyday play.
Whether it’s textured blocks or a DIY sensory bin, toddlers and babies will benefit most when they can engage with toys that challenge their senses in creative and engaging ways.
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10+ Affordable Sensory Toys For Toddlers Ages 1-3
1) Montessori LED Light Switch Board
I love this Montessori LED Busy Board because it’s really hands on and teaches fine motor skills. With the 8 different switches that it has, it teaches children different ways to switch, push or touch and they can watch as a different color and size light flips on with each one.
We love this toy for traveling in the car! My son got it around 2 years old. It would also make great use for quiet time.
It’s made from durable wood, sturdy and is completely safe with no actual electricity. The batteries are screwed in the top front section so no children can get to them on their own.
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2) Talking Flashcards Toy
This is a perfect option for early language development. There are 248 sight words, and 248 speaking words from the machine that represents each image.
The talking flashcards helps with building vocabulary, speech development, and encouraging toddler independent play.
Perfect for 18 months+.
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3) Felt Busy Board Book
We’ve had this since my son turned 1! Turn everyday activities into fine motor skills learning. Busy board books have interactive learning like zipping, buttoning, buckling, and tying.
This one is super lightweight, and easily portable. We absolutely love keeping this in the car so it keeps my kids busy and entertained. It would be a great option for a quiet time toy as well.
We love this for hands on activities and that it’s Montessori based.
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4) Mess Free Color Touch Board
My son LOVES this color touch board sensory toy for so many different elements. This is a mess free color touch board that is an affordable light up sensory toy. There’s plenty of bright changing colors, audio/music output, and your toddler can use their fingers to draw across a gel-like surface.
Since it’s mess free, it’s a great option for parents who want the benefit of sensory play without clean up. We actually love using this in the car too! My son plays with it for so long.
It’s perfect for creative play, quiet time, or keeping your toddler busy on the go.
My son got this for his 2nd birthday, but I think it would be fine for even a younger child since it’s just sliding hands and fingers across.
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5) Magna-Tiles
If you want to encourage creativity, problem solving and hands on learning, then MAGNA-TILES are for your toddler.
The magnetic tiles stick together with a satisfying feel and sound for audible sensory. They are very brightly colored for visual stimulation as well.
They’re great for developing fine motor skills, spatial awareness, and imaginative play.
These are great starters for kids 1.5 years and older.
There are a ton of knock-offs, but they are the original magnet building brand, and are the highest quality brand around in terms of magnetic pull and staying steady when building. They are also the most safe with magnets being secured well.
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6) Sensory Whack-A-Frog Game
This is a better option for a 2 year old and older. My son got this for Christmas as a gift right after he turned 2 and loves it!
This sensory toy is perfect for building hand-eye coordination and reaction time. There are tons of bright colors, lights, and sounds.
Kids love the challenge of whacking the frog with a soft mallet as soon as it lights up. It keeps my toddler very occupied for a long while.
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7) Affordable Sensory Bins
Sensory bins are packed with fun textures and accessories that can keep toddlers engaged for a long time. They are amazing for improving creativity and imaginitive play.
Of course you can make your own sensory bins with tons of different things around the home - But if you have no idea how, Creative Kids creates their own premade sensory bins that are all ready for use and can be re-used over and over again.
I specifically love this bin because it’s very gender neutral, and I think the sand is an interesting texture and love the bright colors. The ice cream cones with the cotton balls and sprinkles are a hit!
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8) Magnetic Color and Number Maze
Combine learning and sensory play with this fun magnetic ice cream maze! It comes in a bunch of other themes as well, this is just the one we chose.
Your toddler will use the magnetic wand to move colorful balls through the maze, which helps with fine motor skills, color coding, and learning to count.
Moving the balls requires good hand-eye coordination skills so it will be sure to keep your little one busy and entertained.
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9) Sensory Learning Box
I absolutely adore this Ms. Rachel learning activity box! It’s so fun to use when your toddler gets old enough to play along with it with Ms. Rachel on screen.
Even if they can’t it’s still really fun for them to feel all the different textures, attach items to the sides with velcro, and pull out toys for a surprise.
It’s packed with educational toys, sensory toys, and little stuffies to keep babies and toddlers engaged and entertained. It’s a highly engaging toddler sensory toy.
Whether you’re encouraging early learning, independent play, motor skills, or just wanting screen free playtime, this box is perfect!
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10) Kinetic Sand
This is definitely a favorite in our house and as a parent I prefer it over Playdoh. Kinetic sand looks just like regular sand, but when you touch it, it’s soft, silky, and moldable. You can squish it, stretch it, and press it into shapes, and it holds together without ever drying out.
When my son plays with it, it tends to be less crumbly than Play-doh, so I feel like it’s less messy in my opinion.
Your toddler can scoop, squish, and build with it, providing sensory stimulation while strengthening fine motor skills and creativity. It’s calming, screen-free fun that keeps them busy for awhile.
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What are some budget-friendly alternatives to buying sensory toys?
You can easily create an affordable sensory experience using items you already have at home. Some popular options include:
DIY Sensory Bins: Fill a container with dry pasta, rice, water, or oats and add different toys and textures.
Kitchen UtensilS: Pots, pan, spoons, strainers and whisks are so much fun for children to experiment with.
Craft supplies around the home: You may have these supplies around your home already such as pom poms, pipe cleaner, stickers, feathers, straws, etc.
Sensory play is one of the best ways to support your toddler’s growth, and you don’t need expensive items to make it happen. The toys on this list are affordable, practical, and designed to keep your child busy while encouraging learning through play.
Try starting with just a few, and rotate them to keep playtime fresh.
