My Top Five Props for Seaside Sensory Stories

Here are some fun props to add to your seaside stories along with the buckets and spades, shells and sun lotion! These props would be useful for many sensory stories set at the beach.

1) Squishy seal

A seal to hug could be very satisfying! Have a look online for a squishy seal plushie and you should be able to find just the thing. For example this seal pillow. (Alternatively if money is no object these organic seals are also lovely!)

Grey seal looking at camera while resting on a bed of seaweed.

2) Spaghetti seaweed

Why not try dying some spaghetti or tagliatelle with green food colouring to create seaweed. (A quick search online should lead you to lots of recipes for dying your spaghetti.)

Tagliatelle pasta that has been dyed green.

3) Lobster Claw Oven Mitts

Turn yourself into a huge lobster with these fun mitts!

Oven mitts in the shape of lobster claws.

4) Handwarmers re-create the heat of the sun

I use the disposable kind of handwarmers – they are a little wasteful but very easy to use. I simply pop them into a little drawstring bag and knot the bag up tight and then tell the children to ‘feel the sunshine’. You can find handwarmers like these all year round online, or stock up from outdoor/sports shops in the winter.

5) A stretchy octopus

Nice and tactile! Stretchy sea creatures are quite easy to find online…have a look at the squishy octopus in the Rex London online shop, for example.

Stretchy orange octopus toy on a white background.

Bonus Ideas!

Here are three bonus ideas for your seaside sensory stories…

To convey the idea of sea creatures that stick to rocks you could try using something with suction cups and sticking it to wheelchair trays or tables. These starfish look fun!

Image of a four star fish shaped non-slip small shower or bath mats. They are blue, green, yellow and pink.

I find that children are often fascinated by things that collapse or fold-up…try including a folding beach bucket like this one:

Image of a folding plastic bucket. It is blue with white rims and a white handle.

And last but not least – don’t forget a wave drum! These are widely available – try, for example the online music shop Knock on Wood.

Close up of young school boy sitting on the floor with a wave drum. (A clear plastic drum with beads inside which makes the noise of the ocean.

For more ideas about sensory story props have a look at our blog post The Wonders of Sensory Storytelling Part 1. To come together with others who love sensory stories and get inspired come to our Accessible Book and Story Festival, September 2026.

Remember – not all of my props recommendations are toys! The props I suggest should not be used by children unsupervised.