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Updated October 28, 2026: I originally shared how I bought and used water beads, also known as Orbeez, for children’s sensory play. I no longer recommend them for children’s activities.

Water beads can be swallowed and continue to expand inside the body, causing serious injury. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission urges child-care centers, camps, and schools to avoid them entirely. You can read the current CPSC water bead guidance here.

I’ve removed the buying links and instructions for preparing, storing, and reusing water beads. Here are a few sensory-play ideas I prefer.

Sensory play without water beads

Sensory play doesn’t have to involve tiny loose materials. Children can explore touch, movement, color, and sound through familiar activities.

Playdough: Invite children to squeeze, roll, flatten, and stamp playdough. Try the Sensory Recipe and Activity Cards or make playdough bugs and spiders.

Water painting: With an adult nearby, offer a large brush and a small cup of water for painting on a sidewalk or outdoor easel.

Movement and storytelling: Read a story, then move like the characters. Children can join in, watch, or choose their own way to participate.

Light Board or Light Table
Using a light board or light table is one of my favorite sensory activities. Any transparent object looks so amazing on a light table — use sensory bottles, leaves for fall, shapes, and magnetic tiles, just to name a few.

Sensory Bin With Appropriate Fillers
There are so many different things to use as filler for sensory bins. Some teachers don’t like using edible sensory bin fillers, some teachers are okay with it. I purchased little plastic pellets (at the time, they had *brown and *multicolored options). The pellets are expensive, but I like that I can wash them easily and reuse them. I even thought once I finish with them from teaching  — I can pass them on to another teacher or use them as filler in my eye pillows. 

You can try so many different fillers: shredded paper, I have also seen *Pluffle, which has a unique texture to it, but I haven’t tried it yet. *Colored sand is another sensory bin filler alternative. Kinetic sand and DIY play “snow” you can easily do yourself. 

Choose materials that fit the children’s ages, and supervise the activity. Children don’t have to touch every material to take part.