Sensory play is any form of play that engages any of your baby or toddler’s senses. This includes the five sense of touch, smell, sight, sound and taste. It also covers balance, movement and spatial awareness. A baby’s senses are not fully developed when they are born. They develop as they begin to explore the sensory world around them. Each new experience they have with a different sense builds nerve connections that grow the architecture of their brain.
Brain Development
Sensory play helps strengthen baby’s brain development for learning, which enhances their memory and ability to complete more complex learning tasks.
Language Development
Sensory play also helps babies to learn more about the world around them and supports language development as they learn to respond to different stimuli. This encourages them to communicate with others whilst playing
Fine and Gross Motor Skills
Sensory play encourages babies and toddlers to move and actively get involved in play. This helps them develop their fine and gross motor skills – such as squeezing, pulling, pushing and throwing
Problem Solving, exploration and creativity
Encouraging babies and toddlers to experiment with different objects during sensory play such as squishing, pulling, rubbing, sniffing develops problem-solving and decision-making skills. For example ‘how to create bubbles’.
Cognitive Development
Sensory play supports a baby’s intellectual growth; enhancing their thought process, understanding and reasoning. As children play with new materials, they learn to understand new concepts – such as ‘empty and full’. New and frequent experiences create connections that improve a child’s ability to do more complex learning activities
Calming
Sensory play can promote mindfulness! Children engaged in sensory play often become absorbed in their activities such as playing with water and bubbles or playing with sand. This can be useful in distracting or soothing an anxious or restless little one and can teach self-regulation.
Adaptability
Sensory play encourages children to adapt in new situations. They begin to learn that they can use sensory play resources in a variety of ways and differentiate between different scenarios through discovery.
Sparks an interest in learning.
Creating a fun way to learn results in babies getting more enjoyment out of it which can help foster an interest in learning
Social Interaction
As baby’s get older, a sensory play environment encourages children to interact and work with others, which is essential for little ones development. They begin to share their ideas and build new relationships. Playing with water or sand is a great way to encourage social interaction!
Awareness
Sensory play helps your little one to become more self-aware and body-aware, which will helps them in developing a better sense of space around them.
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