Sensory play: What is it and why you should do it with your kids

Posted in Development.
sponsored-image

If you haven’t heard of sensory play, get ready to have your mind blown.

Well, not blown exactly. But decidedly excited. Because the beauty of sensory play is not only how engaged your child will be, but also how easy it is to create.

Sound good? We thought so.

View this post on Instagram

Pure joy is a universal language… ✔ ✔ ✔ #checkmateautism #mood #fun #boys #tuesdaymotivation #autismawareness #autism #learning #sensoryplay #tags #followus #likesforlikes #love #joy #allthefeels #volunteer

A post shared by TNY FOUNDATION (@tnyfoundation1) on

The basics

Essentially, sensory play is ‘play’ centred around the five sensessight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste. It kickstarts your child’s curiosity and cognitive development while keeping him calm and mindful.

View this post on Instagram

Rice & pasta sensory boxes #sensoryplay

A post shared by Allysse (@allysse.johnson) on

Why is it good?

All children need to develop their senses, and this is a simple and accessible way to teach them how to do exactly that!

It’s educational

Remember that sensory play isn’t just about ‘touch’. Experiencing other senses like smell and taste is not only fun but educational. For example, notice the smell of lavender or vanilla when creating something from scratch. Try mixing and matching colours together in a bowl or learning how to differentiate sweet and sour by tasting different types of food.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsYzgBCnI9G/

It’s calming

Using all of the senses forces children to slow down and be mindful. It encourages a mind and body connection and ultimately helps boost creativity and happiness levels.

View this post on Instagram

Our Christmas Collection of Playdough was so popular!They have all sold out now… But don’t worry your geeky little heads. We have so many fun new products in the next restock, you won’t shed a tear about having to wait for Christmas for them to be back. . . Geeky Kids Products are live on the website. They are Perfect for your little geeks sensory play and ready to play straight away. No messy making, we take the hard work part out of it for you and you get all the play?And.. .they smell amazing, organic ingredients and natural colouring?? . #geekykidsau #sensorylearning #sensoryplay #playbasedlearning #earlyeducation #handmaderesources #handmade #handmadewithlove #foryourlittlegeek #teachermade #madebyanexperiencedteacher #earlychildhoodeducation #qualitylearningresources #rainbowrice #finemotorskills #brandlaunched #wildflowersplaydough #smallworkdplay #playdough ? by @misszetarose Also featuring Playdough stamps, dough board and rolling pin from @our.earthlife ?

A post shared by Geeky Kids (@geekykids_au) on

It encourages cognitive growth

By asking your child questions as they play you are stimulating their curiosity. You could try saying things like:

How does it feel?
What does it look like?
What sound does it make?

What do you need to get started?

Toys, household items and bits and pieces from nature are all terrific tools for sensory play. The trick is not to overthink it: as long as you can smell, touch, see or taste it, you’re onto a good thing.

Check out some of these great examples:

View this post on Instagram

Our Christmas Collection of Playdough was so popular!They have all sold out now… But don’t worry your geeky little heads. We have so many fun new products in the next restock, you won’t shed a tear about having to wait for Christmas for them to be back. . . Geeky Kids Products are live on the website. They are Perfect for your little geeks sensory play and ready to play straight away. No messy making, we take the hard work part out of it for you and you get all the play?And.. .they smell amazing, organic ingredients and natural colouring?? . #geekykidsau #sensorylearning #sensoryplay #playbasedlearning #earlyeducation #handmaderesources #handmade #handmadewithlove #foryourlittlegeek #teachermade #madebyanexperiencedteacher #earlychildhoodeducation #qualitylearningresources #rainbowrice #finemotorskills #brandlaunched #wildflowersplaydough #smallworkdplay #playdough ? by @misszetarose Also featuring Playdough stamps, dough board and rolling pin from @our.earthlife ?

A post shared by Geeky Kids (@geekykids_au) on

View this post on Instagram

Less toys = more room for bubble dance parties. ??

A post shared by Cristie Gabuzda (@growingupgabuzda) on

Share

Get more babyology straight to your inbox