Keeping Cool with Sensory Play: 7 Fun Activities for Sunny Days
Laura @inspiremyplay
Founder of @inspiremyplay, Early Years teacher for 11 years and mummy to three gorgeous girls. I'm passionate about about the benefits of play in early childhood.
Sensory play is fun and educational all year round, but when the sun is shining, it can also be a wonderful way to help children stay cool, calm and engaged. Whether it's splashing, scooping, pouring or exploring different textures, sensory play provides a refreshing alternative to high-energy outdoor activities while keeping little hands and minds busy.
Beyond the fun, sensory play plays an important role in supporting early childhood development, offering amazing benefits for babies, toddlers, preschoolers and beyond.
Through open-ended exploration, children build fine motor skills, strengthen hand-eye coordination, develop problem-solving abilities and expand their language as they describe what they see, feel and discover. It also encourages creativity, imaginative thinking and independent exploration, allowing children to learn at their own pace through meaningful, tactile experiences.
On warmer days, adding cool water, ice or chilled sensory materials creates an extra sensory dimension that children love. The calming properties of sensory play can also help little ones regulate their emotions and recharge after time spent in the heat, making it an ideal activity for sunny days.
Whether you're setting up in the garden, backyard, on the patio or simply taking play outdoors, these seven simple sensory play ideas are designed to make the most of the sunshine while inspiring curiosity, creativity and hours of hands-on fun!
1. Frozen Pom-Poms
This simple water play activity offers a refreshing, sensory-rich way to help little ones stay cool while encouraging colour recognition, counting and fine motor development.
What you’ll need:
How to play:
- Place pom-poms into the compartments of an ice cube tray.
- Fill each compartment with water and freeze overnight.
- Remove the ice cubes and place in the PlayTRAY.
- Invite your child to scoop and pour the ice cubes into bowls.
- Encourage them to group the ice cubes by colour and count how many pom-poms are frozen inside each one.
Ask open-ended questions like: “Can you find an ice cube with two pom-poms? What about one with three?” to encourage communication, counting and problem-solving skills.
For an extra challenge, provide tongs and droppers filled with warm water. Children can use the droppers to melt the ice and the tongs to rescue and transfer the pom-poms into bowls, helping to strengthen hand muscles, develop pincer group and build concentration.
2. Aquafaba Duck Pond
Suitable for babies aged 9 months+, this taste-safe sensory activity uses aquafaba – the liquid from a tin of chickpeas. Its light, fluffy texture creates a fascinating sensory experience for little ones who are still exploring the world through touch and taste.
What you’ll need:
- 2 tins of chickpeas
- 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar
- Food colouring (optional)
- Plastic ducks
-
PlayTRAY
How to play:
- Drain the aquafaba from two tins of chickpeas into a mixing bowl.
- Add the cream of tartar and a few drops of food colouring (optional).
- Use a mixer or blender to whip it up into a foam.
- Pour the foam into the PlayTRAY and place the ducks on top for little hands to explore.
The soft, creamy texture encourages sensory exploration while supporting fine motor development as babies pat, scoop and splash the foam. Adding ducks also invites early imaginative play and language development as you talk about the sounds ducks make. You could even sing "Five Little Ducks" together to extend the play.
💡Top tip: Aquafaba is best enjoyed soon after it's whipped. If it begins to return to a liquid, simply whisk it again to bring back the fluffy foam.
For even more taste-safe sensory foam inspiration, explore our aquafaba blog.
3. Ice Cube Painting
Ice cube painting is a simple activity to help little ones stay cool on hot sunny days while exploring colours, textures and creativity through hands-on play.
What you’ll need:
- Ice cube tray
- Food colouring
- Craft sticks
- Foil
- PlayTRAY lid
- Paper
How to play:
- Fill the compartments of an ice cube tray with water.
- Add a few drops of food colouring to each compartment and stir gently.
- Cover the tray with foil and carefully poke a craft stick through the centre of each compartment.
- Freeze overnight.
- Place a sheet of paper on the PlayTRAY lid.
- Remove the coloured ice cubes from the tray and invite your child to paint a rainbow or create their own colourful masterpiece.
As the ice melts, children can experiment with colour mixing, make different marks and watch their artwork come to life. Ask open-ended questions like: "What colour are you using?", "What happens when these colours mix?" or "Can you tell me about your picture?" to encourage communication, creativity and critical thinking.
4. Sponge Water Bombs
Who knew children could have so much fun with washing-up sponges and water? This simple sensory activity is perfect for hot, sunny days, helping little ones cool down while strengthening hand muscles as they squeeze, soak and splash!
What you’ll need:
- Washing up sponges or scouring pads
- Scissors
- Elastic Bands
-
PlayTRAY filled with water
How to play:
- Cut the washing up sponges into strips.
- Gather the strips together and secure them in the middle with an elastic band to create a sponge water bomb.
- Repeat to make as many sponge water bombs as you’d like.
- Fill up the PlayTRAY with water.
- Soak the sponge water bombs in the water and invite your child to squeeze, splash and explore!
Simple to make and full of sensory fun, these sponge water bombs are sure to become a summer favourite!
5. Gelatine Ocean Rescue
This sensory setup is not only perfect for cooling down, but a wonderful way to talk with your child about marine life.
What you’ll need:
How to play:
The gelatine adds an extra challenge, helping to strengthen little hands and develop fine motor skills as children rescue the animals with the tongs.
💡Top tip: To extend play, add a little water to the set gelatine to create a jelly swamp – a fun new texture they’ll love to explore!
6. Chalk Painting
Chalk paint is perfect for painting patios and driveways on warm days, or for bringing a change of scenery during the school holidays. It also supports creativity and fine motor skill development.
What you’ll need:
- ¼ cup (30g) of cornflour/cornstarch per colour
- ¼ cup (60ml) of water per colour
- Food colouring
- Paintbrushes
How to play:
- Measure out the cornflour/cornstarch into the PlayTRAY compartments.
- Add food colouring to the water, then pour into each compartment.
- Mix until thoroughly combined – it should have a similar consistency to paint.
- Provide paintbrushes and let your child get creative!
As chalk paint driers, it becomes beautifully vibrant, and because it washes away easily with water, clean-up is a breeze!
💡Top tip: For a fun twist, pour the chalk paint into spray bottles to create spray paint!
7. Frozen Number Rescue
Ice excavations are perfect for getting outdoors and enjoying the sunshine, while building number recognition, fine motor skills and hand control through purposeful play.
What you’ll need:
How to play:
Once released, invite children to match the correct number of pom-poms to each number, adding an extra layer of focused hands-on learning.
Keep your cool through sensory play!
These sensory play activities are a simple way to keep both little ones and parents cool on sunny days, bringing calm to playtime and helping to reduce overwhelm with easy, low-prep ideas that truly work.
Don’t forget to tag us @inspiremyplay if you try any of these ideas — we love seeing families getting hands-on and enjoying the benefits of sensory play.
Looking for more inspiration? Explore our range of sensory play tools, starter bundles and activity cards.
