Your ELC shares the following benefits of sensory play time for your child along with some fun and simple sensory activity ideas!
From babies to early school age, children are constantly developing their senses and discovering countless new things. Our little ones love to explore new sights, smells, tastes, textures and sounds, and luckily, there is no limit to how much sensory play a child can enjoy! Outdoor time, play time at kindy or prep, and lots of at-home activities all involve sensory play and development.
In addition to being fun and exciting for your child, sensory activities are important throughout childhood and play a vital role in many physical and mental developments and skills.
Benefits of Sensory Play:
There are many benefits to sensory play, and many ways in which sensory activities can assist in some of your child’s most significant learning and developmental leaps, including:
- Developing cognitive skills – sensory activities promote vital mind development skills like thought process, memory and attention
- Allowing your child to explore the environment around them – touch, smell, sight and sound all contribute to the discovery, awareness and understanding of the world
- Sparking curiosity and interest in different textures, objects and environments
- Developing motor skills – exploring textures and environments through touch promotes the development and improvement of muscle movement and physical awareness
- Improving spatial awareness – when exploring new objects and textures through the senses at a young age, children become more aware of themselves in relation to their environment and everything within it
- Encouraging creativity – art and craft, music, outdoor and indoor play all promote your child’s unique creative abilities
- Developing knowledge, experience and problem-solving skills
- Reducing agitation and promoting focus and mindfulness – having a sensory activity to focus on can distract and calm down even the most restless child
Some examples of sensory activities:
In addition to childcare, kindy and school activities, there are a lot of simple sensory play activities that we can do with our children at home, including:
- Sand play – explores textures and encourages creativity
- Music – such as xylophones and other child-friendly musical instruments
- Gardening – explores different textures and develops creativity and gardening skills
- Tactile play – this simply involves your child handling different objects and toys
- Bath time – baths, particularly with bath toys, involve a lot of sensory play including splashing, bubbles, and tactile play
- Art and craft – exploring and creating images, patterns and designs with your child encourage visual sensory development
- Food! – even mealtimes can be great sensory experiences for young children, especially fruit and veg platters with different tastes, colours and textures
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE TO READ:
The Developmental Benefits of Outdoor Play for Your Child
Outdoor play gives your child the chance to explore the natural environment around them. Not only does this provide new, exciting learning environments to discover, but it also offers a number of developmental benefits. – READ MORE
