Sensory play is an important part of childhood development. It not only provides a fun and creative open-ended play, but it also helps strengthen things like fine motor skills and problem-solving skills! Today we are breaking down what sensory play is and why it is important for children. We will also provide some fun and easy examples of sensory play that you can practice at home with your kids!
What is Sensory Play?
Sensory play is any activity that stimulates your child's senses - sight, hearing, taste, touch, smell, and even their movement. These activities encourage kids to explore the world around them while playing and using their imagination. Sensory play also encourages other learning and developmental skills like problem-solving, fine motor, and scientific thinking.
Sensory play is a broad term to describe a large variety of activities. Any activity that is designed to stimulate any of a child's senses can be considered sensory play. Some examples are water tables, experimenting with different foods, crafting, and much more
What are the benefits of Sensory Play?
There are so many benefits to sensory play, especially in younger children. From birth, children are constantly learning by watching people around them and exploring their environment. Encouraging that curiosity is what sensory play is all about. Children go through various stages of cognitive development all the way until adulthood, and their understanding of the world gets broader and more developed with stage. Participating in sensory play makes a child more confident and helps them to improve their problem-solving skills, language development, motor skills, ability to focus, and more. In short, sensory play encourages development by allowing kids to harness their natural curiosity about the world around them. When you partake in the activities with them, they are also experiencing the benefits of quality time with a loved one!
Sensory Play Activities
Looking to start sensory play with your child? Here are some easy activities to do at home!
Play with slime
Fill a bin with dry rice or beans and bury toys inside
Taste-test different foods
Finger-Paint
Play with toys and soap in a big bowl of water
Decorate cookies with icing
Fill a bottle with water, oil, and glitter (Seal it tightly!)
Play with soft crafting clay
We've built our Creative Kits to simplify sensory activities! Each of our creative kits come with all the materials needed for 3 craft and sensory activities. Just open and go!
Overall, sensory play is a great way to help stimulate a child's development by promoting exploration with all five senses. Kids learn by doing, so engaging in activities that allow them to interact with the world is very beneficial. Harnessing a child's natural curiosity and allowing them to act on it will help them to learn confidence in themselves while they learn about their environment. Sensory play is a fun way for children to learn, and when you encourage it by taking part in it with them, that will further benefit them. Play-based learning like this is a great way to bond with a child while encouraging healthy development.