Sensory play is any activity that activates one or more senses, making it an extremely beneficial tool for children's development. Leading with curiosity, sensory play involves engaging with senses such as touch, sight, sound, taste, and smell in an experimental way. There is no limit to sensory play or how to engage with it, and it promotes problem-solving, exploration, and creativity, and directly improves the development of children. Sensory play is something a child can do alone and with others, and it benefits children at every stage of life, from infants to school-age kids.
Imagine a baby enjoying the texture of different objects or exploring various sounds around them. They are innately curious about their surroundings, engaging their senses in new ways, and building a deeper connection to the world. This innate curiosity is something true in all of us. We seek to engage with what and who is around us, utilizing our senses. By encouraging sensory play from a young age, we foster interaction and exploration, helping to build social and emotional connections.
Sensory play activates at least one of our five main senses, and this engagement leads to a range of benefits that support the development of brain areas, cognition, motor skills, social skills, and emotional skills. These areas of development and skills are a child’s fundamental building blocks of growth. In this article, we will explore the main areas of growth proven to be supported by sensory play and provide ideas and tools to help you reach those developmental goals.
How Sensory Activities Support Development
Cognitive Growth
Problem-solving skills: Sensory play encourages children to figure things out and find solutions, such as transferring beads from one container to another.
End Goals: It helps improve attention span, organization skills, categorizing by colors, and recalling information.
Understanding Textures and Toys: Sensory play aids in understanding different textures and the use of various toys.
Motor Skills
Fine and Gross Motor Skills: Sensory play involves a lot of muscle coordination as children build, pour, and physically interact, helping them develop movement skills to hit developmental milestones like tying shoes.
Tactile Play: Engaging muscles through activities like holding objects can later translate into skills such as holding a pencil.
Social Skills
Understanding Impact: Children learn how their actions affect their surroundings.
Cooperation and Collaboration: Playing alongside others helps children grasp different viewpoints and ways of playing.
Individual Expression: When children express themselves through play, they increase their confidence and ability to interact with others.
Turn-Taking and Following Directions: Emphasizing these skills during play helps children in all areas of socialization, whether at home with siblings or in the park with friends.
Emotional Skills
Self-Reflection and Soothing: Sensory play allows children to self-soothe and reflect on their emotions before, during, and after play.
Positive Associations: Associating play with positive experiences.
Emotional Expression: Creativity through art provides non-verbal expression for those who may struggle with verbal communication or have not yet developed that skill.
Outlets for Strong Emotions: Sensory play offers a chance to step back from strong emotions, breathe, and redirect emotional energy in a less reactive way.
Practical Sensory Play Ideas
Sensory Bins
In a container or box, place objects with a variety of textures to allow for hands-on play.
Include items like sand, rice, and beads.
Let the child lead and explore the different textures and objects.
The Benefits: Sensory bins provide a hands-on experience with various textures, promoting tactile exploration and fine motor skills. Items like sand, rice, and beads allow children to feel different sensations, which stimulates their sense of touch and encourages curiosity and discovery.
Playdough or Slime
Encourage the creation of different shapes.
Allow the child to pinch, squeeze, and pull the material.
The Benefits: Playdough and slime activities involve playing with malleable materials, which enhances fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Pinching, squeezing, and pulling these materials helps develop muscle strength and control.
Household Items for Imagination
Transform everyday items: a paper towel roll can become a telescope; pots can make different noises.
Use their toys to create and narrate stories.
The Benefits: Household items transform into imaginative tools, encouraging creative thinking and problem-solving. By using everyday objects in new ways, children enhance their cognitive skills, learn about cause, and effect, and develop their ability to create and tell stories.
Water Play
Provide various tools like cups, funnels, and sponges for pouring, squeezing, and splashing.
Incorporate floating and sinking toys for exploration.
Add color to the water for extra sensory stimulation.
The Benefits: Water play involves action verbs that can be modeled as they play with water. These are key vocabulary words such as “full” and “empty.” This also helps to learn with cause and effect.
Painting
Encourage expression with finger painting, brushes, or sponges.
Experiment with painting on various surfaces like paper, cardboard, or fabric.
Create textured paintings using tools like forks, cotton balls, or leaves.
The Benefits: Painting activities, such as finger painting or using brushes, engage multiple senses—touch, sight, and sometimes smell. Experimenting with different painting tools and surfaces enhances room for expression.
These practices offer a range of engaging sensory activities to support many areas of a child's development.
In Conclusion,
Sensory play is a vital component of childhood development, offering numerous benefits across cognitive, motor, social, and emotional domains. By incorporating a variety of sensory activities, you provide children with enriching experiences that stimulate their senses and support their overall growth.
Each of these activities not only engages different senses but also fosters creativity, problem-solving, and can enhance social interactions. Sensory play helps children build essential skills while having fun. As you integrate these practices into your daily routines, you contribute significantly to your child’s developmental milestones and emotional well-being.