How to Use Sensory Salt: 10 Simple Ways to Play
Sensory salt is one of those wonderfully simple play materials that can be used in so many different ways.
It’s colourful, tactile and open-ended, making it perfect for sensory play, pre-writing activities, fine motor play, creative play and imaginative play.
Here are 10 simple ways to use sensory salt at home, in a playgroup or in an early learning setting.
1. Practise Pre-Writing Skills
Pour some sensory salt into a shallow tray and let children use their finger or a wooden tool to draw.
Try:
- Lines
- Circles
- Waves
- Shapes
- Zigzags
It’s a fun, hands-on way to practise the movements needed for early writing.
2. Practise Letters & Numbers
Write letters, numbers or your child’s name in the salt.
You can also use letter cards as a guide and let children copy them into their sensory tray.
Grab some letter magnets if your child is just learning their letter shapes. This is a great way for them to familiarise themselves with the shapes of leters.
3. Create Patterns & Pictures
Sensory salt isn’t just for writing.
Children can create swirls, patterns, flowers, faces, animals or anything else they can imagine.
Smooth it over and start again!
4. Scoop, Pour & Transfer
Add little spoons, scoops, cups and containers and let children transfer the salt from one vessel to another.
Scooping, pouring and sprinkling are simple fine motor activities that can be incorporated into everyday sensory play.
5. Explore Colours
Use different colours of sensory salt to create colourful layers, sort colours or experiment with mixing them together.
It’s a simple way to introduce colour recognition and colour exploration through play.
6. Create an Ocean Sensory Tray
This is one of our favourites.
Add sensory salt to a tray with:
Shells + sea treasures + scoops + ocean animals
Suddenly your sensory tray becomes an underwater world.
It’s perfect for ocean sensory play and small-world play.
7. Add It to a Potion
Sensory salt makes a fantastic potion ingredient.
Add scoops to a bowl, combine it with shimmers, scales, botanicals or shells and create your own magical recipe.
Add water if you’d like to turn it into a wet potion, or keep everything dry for an apothecary-style setup.
8. Create a Sensory Tray
Keep it beautifully simple.
Add a layer of sensory salt to a tray and provide a few tools.
That’s it.
Children can trace, scoop, pour, draw and experiment without needing a complicated activity.
9. Hide Little Treasures
Bury small, child-safe objects in the sensory salt and let children search for them.
Try shells, large beads, wooden shapes or other suitable loose parts.
Add tweezers or tongs for an extra fine motor activity.
10. Open-Ended Sensory Play
Sometimes the best sensory activity is one without instructions.
Give children a tray of sensory salt and let them decide what happens next.
They can scoop it, draw in it, mix it, pour it or turn it into part of an imaginary world.
There doesn’t have to be an end result.
That’s the beauty of open-ended sensory play.
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One Simple Ingredient, So Many Possibilities
Sensory salt can be a pre-writing tray, an ocean floor, a potion ingredient, a colour activity or simply something to scoop and explore.
And because children can use it in so many different ways, you can bring it out again and again with a completely different invitation to play.
Ready to Play?
Explore our range of coloured sensory salt, available in a huge range of coastal-inspired colours.
Use it for sensory play, pre-writing activities, potion making, sensory trays and small-world play — or simply see what your little one creates.
One little sprinkle can become an entire world
