Sensory play: What is it and why you should do it with your kids
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.
The basics
Essentially, sensory play is ‘play’ centred around the five senses – sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste. It kickstarts your child’s curiosity and cognitive development while keeping him calm and mindful.
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.
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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.
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:
