Is sensory play important for development?
Throughout their early years, your curious little one will use their senses to explore and make sense of the world around them, touching, tasting, smelling, seeing, moving, and hearing everything. We don’t doubt that you already know this quite well by now.
Through sensory play, children can build nerve connections in their brains as they explore their world - a critical aspect of brain development. Sensory play also supports speech development, motor development, social interaction, and problem solving.
So, what is sensory play?
Sensory play includes any activity that stimulates your little ones' senses: touch, smell, taste, movement, balance, sight and hearing.
Playing, creating, investigating and exploring with sensory activities facilitates exploration and naturally encourages children to become curious and in tune with their senses! Children can refine their thresholds for different types of information using sensory toys and activities, which helps their brains develop stronger connections to process and respond to sensory input.
Here are 5 reasons why sensory play is beneficial:
✿ A child’s ability to accomplish more complex learning tasks is enhanced through sensory play, according to research
✿ Sensory play enhances language development, cognitive growth, motor skill development, problem solving, and social interaction skills
✿ Memory is developed and enhanced through this type of play
✿ An anxious or frustrated child can be calmed by sensory play
✿ Sensory attributes (hot, cold, sticky, dry) can be learned this way
Is sensory play really that important?
Yes! Exploration and independent thinking are fostered through sensory play, as are imagination and creativity. Remember, your baby is just curious about the big wide world - let’s make learning about it fun.
