The Ultimate List of Visual Sensory Toys for Kids

These visual sensory toys are the perfect way to provide calming visual input or to work on visual perception skills.

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Our eyes and brain communicate and work together to help us interpret our physical surroundings using sight.

The visual system is important for healthy sensory processing because it helps us to assign meaning to the objects we see in our environment – What color is it?  How big is it?  How close is it to me?

What better way to help kids develop their visual systems than by playing and exploring with some great visual toys!  Here are 10 of our favorites!

Visual Sensory Toys for Kids

Liquid Motion Bubbler

This is a great toy for kids who enjoy visual stimulation. The smooth movement of the bubbles can be calming and you can also use this toy as a timer – when the bubbles run out, the time is up!

Color Mix Sensory Tubes

These cool color mixing tubes are another great option for calming visual play. Kids will love watching the colors mix together when shaken and then separate when the tube is held still.

Constellation Night Light

Looking for calming activities to help kids get to sleep more easily?  How about some star-gazing, right in your own bedroom!

Storybook Projector

This is such a neat way to read a story – with a visually appealing twist!

Simon

Another old favorite, Simon is a fun and simple visual memory game with the appeal of lights, sound, and color!

I Spy Memory Game

If your kids like the I Spy books, they’ll love this game too!  We love how there are a few different ways to play to accommodate different skill levels, from a simple memory/matching game to more complex games with riddles and teamwork.

Ed Emberley’s Drawing Book: Make a World

Using simple lines and shapes with a step-by-step approach, this book teaches kids how to draw over 400 images – including an airplane, a train, animals, and more!

Lite Brite Four Share Cube

We like how this version of an old classic toy can be used by more than just one child at once – and it provides awesome visual stimulation with lots of color and light!

Spot It!

Between any two Spot It cards there is always one and only one matching symbol. Kids have to be the first to spot the matching images to win!

LED Finger Lights

These colorful lights come with elastic bands that attach right to kids’ fingers.  Try doing your favorite finger plays, like The Itsy Bitsy Spider with a visual twist!

Pixy Cubes

This is a challenging visual perception game, where kids have to use the set of dice to recreate the image shown on the card.

More about the Visual System

Learn more about the visual system – what it is, why it is important for child development, and what you can do to support it in your child.

Check out our post about visual perception to find out more about the way our brains perceive and process visual informaiton.

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Claire Heffron

Claire Heffron is co-author at The Inspired Treehouse and a pediatric occupational therapist in a preschool/primary school setting. She began her career with a bachelor's degree in magazine journalism but quickly changed course to pursue graduate studies in occupational therapy. She has been practicing therapy for 10 years in public and specialized preschool/primary school settings. She is a mom to three funny, noisy boys and relies on yoga, good food, and time outside to bring her back to center.

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