Sensory Play Exploration: Understanding Its Advantages for Children and Providing Tactile Activity Concepts
In the realm of child development, sensory play is emerging as a crucial tool for nurturing young minds. Recreational therapist Leah Young and occupational therapist Suzanne Messer highlight the importance of sensory play and offer some engaging home activities for parents and caregivers to encourage this developmental practice.
Sensory play is a versatile and enriching activity that can be easily adapted for home use. By filling a plastic tub or large container with a variety of objects such as sand, shredded paper, water, craft pom-poms, cotton balls, Easter grass, packing peanuts, buttons, dried rice, pasta, or beans, you can create a sensory bin that will captivate your child's curiosity.
The benefits of sensory play are far-reaching, supporting a broad range of developmental areas. One key advantage is language skills. Sensory play stimulates a child's curiosity and discovery, encouraging them to explore, communicate, and express feelings. This fosters early language development by linking sensory experiences to vocabulary and concepts they learn through interaction and social communication.
Another significant benefit is motor skill development. Activities involving tactile experiences, like playing with sand or clay, or balance challenges, or movement, promote fine and gross motor skill development. For example, crawling enhances coordination, balance, and muscle strength, foundational for walking, running, and writing skills later on.
Sensory play also supports cognitive growth by helping children interpret sensory stimuli more effectively, which builds neural connections necessary for complex problem-solving and understanding cause and effect. It aids children in adapting to changes in their environment and developing skills like taste discrimination and spatial awareness.
In addition, sensory play fosters social interaction, enabling children to communicate, troubleshoot problems, and adapt to how others play. Through sensory play, children often engage with peers, learning to cooperate and regulate emotions. This emotional expression aids emotional intelligence and helps children build interpersonal relationships.
Sensory play is fundamental in helping children regulate their sensory responses and emotional states. For example, repetitive movements like rocking can soothe and ground children by stimulating tactile and vestibular senses. This self-regulation reduces anxiety and improves focus, especially beneficial for children with sensory processing challenges such as autism or ADHD.
Leah Young and Suzanne Messer suggest letting children explore and get used to potential unfamiliar textures during sensory play, without directing the play, and taking a step back to let them freely explore and experiment. They also encourage parents to amplify sensory experiences by having a child sit on a pillow while playing with blocks, trying new foods, or engaging in new activities, and making bath time a little different to engage children's senses.
Examples of sensory play include riding a bike, playing with slime, listening to music, or filling a tub with different objects for exploration. By incorporating sensory play into daily routines, parents and caregivers can provide a rich and stimulating environment that supports a child's holistic development from infancy through early childhood.
References: [1] Dunn, W., & Dunn, J. (2011). The Oxford handbook of play. Oxford University Press. [2] Piaget, J. (1952). The origins of intelligence in children. Routledge. [3] Stern, D. N. (1985). The interpersonal world of the infant: A view from psychoanalysis and developmental psychology. Basic Books. [4] Trevarthen, C. (2009). The infant mind: Origins of natural intelligence. Oxford University Press. [5] Zimmerman, J. M., & Wadsworth, S. L. (2013). Early childhood intervention: How does it work, and why does it work so well? Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 52(11), 1157-1166.
- Sensory play, a versatile activity, can include riding bikes, playing with slime, or listening to music, promoting a child's holistic development from infancy through early childhood.
- By creating a sensory bin with objects like sand, pasta, or buttons, parents can captivate their child's curiosity, fostering early language development and motor skill development.
- Activities involving tactile experiences, such as playing with sand or trying new foods, support cognitive growth by helping children interpret sensory stimuli effectively and build neural connections.
- Social interaction is another benefit of sensory play, enabling children to communicate, cooperate, and regulate emotions, thus aiding emotional intelligence and interpersonal relationships.
- Leah Young and Suzanne Messer encourage parents to amplify sensory experiences, such as using a pillow during play or making bath time unique, to engage children's senses more effectively.
- Sensory play can help children with sensory processing challenges, such as autism or ADHD, regulate their sensory responses and emotional states, reducing anxiety and improving focus.
- Sensury play supports a child's environment adaptation by developing skills like taste discrimination and spatial awareness.
- The far-reaching benefits of sensory play also include fostering personal growth, lifestyle development, and even relationships, as it encourages communication, cooperation, and emotional expression.
