Sensory Play: Laundry Basket Push Game
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Looking for an easy and fun way to support your child’s sensory needs while burning off energy? Try the Laundry Basket Push Game—a simple sensory play proprioceptive activity that builds strength, coordination, and focus. It’s perfect for toddlers and kids of all ages!
Why Proprioception Matters
Proprioception is your body’s ability to sense where it is in space. It helps with muscle control, coordination, and motor planning. Activities that involve pushing, pulling, lifting, or jumping provide proprioceptive input, which can help kids feel more grounded, regulated, and in control of their movements.
You can read more about Proprioception from these two great posts here:
Sensory Play Laundry Basket Push Game
What You’ll Need
- A laundry basket
- A few books (to add weight)
- Favorite toys (stuffed animals, balls, etc.)
- Cones or colored floor circles (optional)
- Floor tape (optional)
How to Play
- Set It Up – Place a couple of heavier books in the bottom of the basket to add resistance. Let your child pick a few favorite toys to place inside.
- Find the Right Surface – A smooth floor (like hardwood, tile, or a porch) is best for pushing, while grass or carpet can add an extra challenge.
- Encourage Play – Have your child push the basket across the floor, using their muscles to propel it forward.
My daughter loved this game! She started on the grass but found it tough to push, so we moved to the front porch. Once she had the right surface, she was fully engaged for over 15 minutes—a sign that the activity was just the right level of challenge for her!
You can see in the video how much concentration she put into this activity. That is when you can tell an activity is really working. By taking an activity that your child is showing an interest in and adding just a bit of a challenge to it, they will want to keep doing it until they master it.
In my daughter's case, that was taking her love of pushing empty boxes or carrying boxes around the house and providing her a “just right” challenge by adding some weight and making it fun.
Ways to Adapt the Game
Obstacle Course Challenge – Set up cones or colored floor circles and have your child weave the basket in and out of them.
Follow the Path – Use floor tape to create straight, zig-zag, or figure-eight patterns, and have your child push the basket along the lines. This builds visual-motor coordination and body awareness!
Heavy Work Variation – If your child enjoys lifting, let them carry the basket for an extra challenge.
Perfect for Home or Therapy Sessions
This game is great for sensory seekers, kids working on gross motor skills, or anyone who needs heavy work input to feel calm and regulated. Plus, it’s easy to adjust based on your child’s needs and abilities.
Give it a try and let me know how your little one enjoys it! What other household items do you use for sensory play?
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Heather Greutman, COTA
Heather Greutman is a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant with experience in school-based OT services for preschool through high school. She uses her background to share child development tips, tools, and strategies for parents, educators, and therapists. She is the author of many ebooks including The Basics of Fine Motor Skills, and Basics of Pre-Writing Skills, and co-author of Sensory Processing Explained: A Handbook for Parents and Educators.
We do a lot of heavy work here too! One of the favorite games we did was holding the wall up. I’d holler the wall was falling and start pushing on it. I’d holler I needed 2 more strong people. They’d come running and we’d push….ahh…memories.
~Honey
In our house a laundry basket is just as popular as a cardboard box (only sturdier!). I love how you used it for a proprioception activity!