What Makes Sensory Play So Great?
It’s all the buzz. Sensory kits, boxes, bins, bottles and more. But do you really know why? Well, the buzz is real and we are here to explain what makes Sensory Play just so great for early learners and beyond.
What Exactly is Sensory Play?
As defined by the Action for Children, “Sensory play is any activity that stimulates our senses - touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste. It helps children interact with and make sense of the world that surrounds them.” (1)
Why Sensory Play and Learning Go Together So Well.
You’ve probably heard many times by now; that children learn best through play. It’s true. Not only is play fun for little ones, but it is also extremely important for their development. Through play, children are able to explore and share their ideas. They are learning how to persist, interact, engage, and invent in all new ways with each play session. This play is what stimulates their creativity and develops critical thinking skills. (2)
As it relates to sensory play, this hands-on learning experience has countless advantages. Most predominantly; sensory experiences form rich neural pathways that help to facilitate continuous learning and growth in children. Research has shown that exposure to sensory-rich environments positively influences cognitive development. (3)
Sensory Play has also been known to…
Help children understand how their actions affect what’s around them.
Support brain development, enhancing memory, complex tasks, and problem-solving.
Develop fine motor skills through tactile play.
Support language development, communication, and social skills.
Encourage creative and independent thinking.
Develop emotional regulation by providing a calming effect on children’s angry or anxious feelings.
Incorporating Sensory Play at Home and School.
You may have seen the sensory bins at your child’s preschool or the many DIY sensory activities online. But here is a round-up of ways you can add sensory learning to your child’s play at home or in the classroom. (4)
Sensory bins
A plastic tub or large container filled with different textured objects. Such as water, craft pom-poms, easter grass, buttons, rice, and more. Add in tools for scooping and manipulating to help develop fine motor skills. Just be mindful of the size of the items and whether they are safe for the children playing with the sensory bin.
Sensory bottles
A great alternative to sensory bins for infants. Carefully crafted sensory bottles are safe for infants and toddlers with adult supervision. These bottles usually can be found with liquid or solid fillers. Liquid bottles may contain a mixture of water, corn syrup, and food coloring, plus mix-ins. Whereas solids may have dry rice and miniature objects creating a ‘hide and seek’ activity.
Finger painting
Sure to be a blast for your child, finger painting is the epitome of a hands-on learning activity. With the freedom to create, try setting up a safe area with paper and fingerpaints where they can independently paint. If an infant, pat their hands with paint using a soft brush and provide them with a piece of paper. If the weather is nice, go outside to decrease the mess inside while adding to the fun of your little one. Then, your child can dip, mix, and swirl to their heart’s content.
Playing with their food
You may not want to allow it; but playing with noodles, dry cereal, and other food textures can help develop their senses in a variety of ways. Plus, this is one safe medium where they can explore not only the senses of texture and smell but also taste.
Bath time or washing hands
Water is a great medium for sensory play. When it comes to washing hands and bath time, it’s an excellent opportunity to combine learning with day-to-day activities. From something as simple as adding bubbles, toys, and encouraging splashing, to using a scented foaming soap can turn a chore into a sensory experience.
“Sensory motor skills are the basic foundation for learning. All the activities and movement we did as infants, toddlers and children help prepare our body and our brain to learn. These skills are essential to develop the ability to participate in classroom activities and affects academic achievements. Physical activities promote dual processing of the brain which means the integrated use of both our brain’s hemispheres which research shows is imperative to learning.” (5)
1) What is sensory play and why is it important? Action for Children. (2022, February 10). https://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/blog/what-is-sensory-play-and-why-is-it-important/
2) Luckenbill, J., A. Subramaniam, & J. Thompson. 2019. This Is Play: Environments and Interactions that Engage Infants and Toddlers. Washington, DC: NAEYC.
3) The Power Of Sensory Play In Childhood Development. Jennifer "Jay" Palumbo, Forbes. (2023, October 10). https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenniferpalumbo/2023/10/10/the-power-of-sensory-play-in-childhood-development/?sh=1091f4af4faa
4) What is Sensory Play? The Benefits for Your Child and Sensory Play Ideas. The Cleveland Clinic (2022, March 17) https://health.clevelandclinic.org/benefits-of-sensory-play-ideas
5) Sensory Motor Skills: Fact Sheet. The University of Wyoming. (2024, March 1) https://www.uwyo.edu/wind/_files/docs/echo/ec-resources/session-materials--2-sensory-motor-skills-quick-fact-sheet.pdf