The Importance of Sensory Play The Importance of Sensory Play From the day they are born, children use their five senses to explore the world around them. Learning through sensory play comes naturally to babies. They rely on their senses to understand their surroundings as they grow. As the children become older, we may need to initiate sensory play.
At Parkfield Nursery we understand the importance of sensory play and how it assists Early Years development. This month’s blog focuses on how it can help contribute to your child’s development. For more information, call us on 01228 543034 .
What Is Sensory Play? Sensory play is any activity that stimulates a young child’s senses; touch, smell, taste, sight and hearing. A sensory activity contributes to a child’s brain development by rousing neurons to make connections, helping with development in all aspects of learning. These experiences are very important. They can be very therapeutic for babies and young children and it can help them work through their emotions.
Why Is Sensory Play Important? Sensory play enhances the children’s thought process, reasoning and understanding. In addition to this, it also enhances memory functions and the ability to retain information. Sensory play strengthens the brain and encourages your child to complete complex learning tasks.
Social & Emotional Development Sensory play supports a child’s social and emotional development. It encourages them to talk to their friend and co-operate with their peers during play time. As children work together, they begin to understand each other and build a relationship. It can also boost confidence in decision making and sharing ideas with others.
Language Development Sensory play can help develop children’s language. They can talk about what they are playing with and how it feels. They learn new words and build up their vocabulary, learn new ways of describing and talking about the world and developing the language skills that helps them to communicate with others.
Eventually, your child will be able to describe what they are experiencing through their senses and expand their vocabulary.
Sparks Learning Interest By introducing sensory elements into teaching, you can spark a child’s interest in learning. Children learn best though play and enjoy it more. Sensory play can encourage children to adapt in different situations. They learn that their resources can be used in a number of ways to distinguish different scenarios.
What Does Sensory Play Look Like? Sensory play is an everyday occurrence at nursery which is achieved through activities such as messy play, baking, crafts and outside play. However, there are many aspects of sensory play which can be done by parents at home using everyday items such as:
Sand/water play - use jugs to pour water, spoons to dig in the sand. Colour the water and blow bubbles with straws. Shaving gel will give you a lovely aromatic foam mixture to play with. Use Jelly. Use different fruits and vegetables. Go for a walk and collect leaves, sticks, and stones. Make pictures with them at home and talk about the different colour’s textures. Make a stick man and read the story Stickman by Julia Donaldson. Use dried pasta, rice or lentils to make pictures. Make playdough (recipe available). Not forgetting the old favourite of a wooden spoon and a saucepan.
Contact Us For more advice about sensory play for Early Years development and more ideas to initiate sensory play at home, contact the team at Parkfield Nursery. Call us on 01228 543034 or fill out our online contact form .
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