The five basic senses—sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell—are very much our main tools when it comes to learning and perception. Do you know why they're so crucial and why they become even more so as kids become older?
Activities involving your child's senses during sensory play help them advance their verbal and motor skills. Additionally, it promotes social connection, cognitive development, and experimentation.
In such a case, our proprioceptive and vestibular systems are two other sensory systems that can be addressed through sensory play but are, sadly, frequently disregarded.
Our sense of proprioception is used to describe body awareness. It enables us to understand how our body parts interact with one another and how much force is required while holding, pushing, tugging, or lifting something.
On the other hand, we use our vestibular sense, also referred to as our movement or balance sense, to stay balanced while performing tasks.
The Main Benefits of Sensory Play to Your Kids
Sensory play is crucial for your child's growth from birth through early childhood. It aids in the formation of nerve connections in their neural networks, which may assist your youngster in accomplishing complex activities.
That said, below are some of their notable advantages for your kid's development.
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It Enables a Certain Calming Effect
You may be able to relax thanks to your sensory system. As kids grow, this becomes increasingly crucial.
Hugs and weighted lap pads can all apply pressure to comfort and can even indicate that it's time to remain seated.
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It Encourages Social Engagement
Your youngster starts learning social skills through sensory play with siblings or other kids. They will pick up communication skills, problem-solving techniques, and how to adjust to different people's playing styles.
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It Advances Their Cognitive Development
A healthy development of the mind includes asking questions, considering how things work, conducting experiments, and assessing the results. It's how we discover new information and resolve issues. We also use it to solve problems.
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It Aids in Developing Their Fine Motor Skills
Your youngster can learn to tie their shoes, write, and zip their coat with the help of sensory play. Your kid also develops their ability to use small muscle groups and coordinate actions via tactile play that emphasizes building, pouring, and mixing.
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It Helps with Their Gross Motor Skills
The big muscles in your child's arms, legs, and core are used during actions like sitting, crawling, jumping, and running.
The most important thing is to give your child lots of opportunities to freely practice their skills, whether they are just learning to walk or have been working on ball throwing.
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It Advances Their Language Skills
Through sensory play, your child's language abilities organically grow.
Your child will develop the ability to express what they are doing and how it feels by using their senses, eventually using more detailed language to communicate.
Some Recommendations for Sensory Play Activities
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Playing Outdoors
Make sure your kids go outside to play as soon as the weather clears up. Toddlers will especially benefit from this. Consider engaging in sensory play activities like rolling in the grass, running around, or even playing in the sandbox.
Playing hopscotch, utilizing the swing set, or riding a bike are all good activities for older children.
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Listening to Music
The mere act of letting your child listen to music can have a positive impact on their growth. It can improve their mood, help them learn new words, and even help them become more coordinated.
In addition to simply listening to music, you may teach your children how to make their own musical instruments out of everyday objects like sticks and biscuit tins.
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Finger Painting
It can be a fantastic pastime for kids and toddlers alike, despite the fact that it may also get a little messy. Make prints on a piece of paper using the baby's hands and feet after helping them paint them with a delicate brush. If you're feeling artistic, create some artwork from their prints as a sweet souvenir. It can be a calming exercise for toddlers and aid with their emotional expression.
Conclusion
Indeed, sensory play is an important and beneficial aspect of early childhood development. It may help children learn about their world, improve their motor skills, and increase their cognitive abilities. It is also a fun and enjoyable way for children to learn and explore, so be sure to encourage them, let them ask questions (no matter how silly it may get), and be active in guiding them throughout the fun process of learning.
If you are looking for a great source of sensory kits for kids, look no further than our amazing selections here at Busy Box Child. We are an online toy store that sells fun and educational toys, sensory bins, and sensory kits with all-natural, non-toxic sensory dough and sensory sand. Check out our online shop today and find all the sensory accessories that your kids will need for their sensory play activities.