Simple Sensory Activities for Infants During Winter

Explore simple sensory activities for infants during winter, using everyday moments at home to explore touch, sound, and movement.

During winter, families often spend much time indoors, and infants experience most of their day within familiar spaces at home. While babies do not need structured activities or special materials, many everyday moments involve sensory experiences through touch, sound, movement, and closeness.

These experiences are simple ways how babies experience the world around them and can help families notice how infants explore, react, and settle during the day.

Here are 5 simple sensory activities families can try during winter, using things that are already part of daily life.

1. Feeling Different Textures Around the House

Infants often explore through touch, using their hands, feet, and whole bodies. Indoors, many ordinary items offer different textures that babies can notice.

You might include:

• Lying your baby on a soft blanket or mat
• Letting them touch a cotton cloth, towel, or scarf
• Allowing them to hold a smooth wooden spoon or fabric item while supervised
• Noticing textures during dressing or diaper changes

It can be helpful to offer one item at a time and allow your baby to spend a few moments exploring it in their own way.

How this can be helpful: Spending time with different textures gives babies a chance to notice physical sensations and become more aware of their bodies in a calm, familiar environment.

2. Listening to Everyday Household Sounds

Even when infants seem quiet or still, they are often listening to what is happening around them. Winter days at home make many everyday sounds more noticeable.

You may pause and let your baby listen to:

• Water running in the sink or bath
• A heater or fan humming in the background
• Dishes being washed
• A voice speaking or singing softly

Leaving short pauses between sounds allows babies time to notice changes without being overwhelmed.

How this can be helpful: Hearing familiar sounds at home can help them become more aware of their surroundings.

3. Gentle Movement During Daily Care

Movement is part of everyday care, especially when babies are picked up, changed, or settled. These moments can also be sensory experiences.

You might include:

• Rocking your baby while holding them
• Gently bouncing them on your lap
• Slowly moving their arms and legs during diaper changes
• Offering tummy time on a blanket or mat

Watching your baby’s cues and stopping when they seem tired or unsettled helps keep these moments comfortable.

How this can be helpful: Gentle movement allows babies to experience how their bodies move and feel while staying close to you.

4. Noticing Warmth and Comfort

During winter, infants experience warmth through clothing, blankets, and being held.

You might notice moments such as:

• Wrapping your baby in a blanket after a bath
• Letting them feel your warm hands
• Holding them close while resting or settling

These experiences happen naturally during care routines.

How this can be helpful: Feeling warmth and closeness may help babies feel settled and cared for during the day.

5. Familiar Smells in Everyday Routines

Smell is part of many daily moments, even though it often goes unnoticed by adults.

Infants may be exposed to:

• The smell of clean clothes
• Bath time
• Milk or feeding time

How this can be helpful: Familiar smells are part of what makes an environment feel recognizable and comforting for babies.

Final Thoughts

Sensory experiences for infants during winter do not need to be planned or labeled as activities. Many of them already exist within daily care and shared time at home.

By noticing these moments and allowing them to unfold gently, families can offer infants space to explore their surroundings while feeling safe and supported.

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