Sensory Play, The Magic Key to Child Development
Have you ever seen a child playing with bare hands in mud, splashing water, or simply squeezing some dough? It may seem like a mere child’s play to us adults; in reality, all this is part of the child’s learning process. It is called sensory play, meaning play in which the child is learning about the world through his senses.
A human develops through the five major senses: vision, auditory, tactile, olfactory, and gustatory. Besides these, vestibular sense and proprioception to indicate the balance of the body and body parts also come into play. These are herewith considered. The new connections are rapidly formed in the baby’s brain while involved in sensory activity. These connections later form the groundwork for cognitive, linguistic, memory, and emotional development.
Importance of Sensory Play
Nowadays, kids stay glued to their mobiles, TVs, or tablet screens with nothing but their eyes and ears employed. Real development begins when a child engages his or her senses, playing with mud, feeling water, mixing colors, identifying sounds.
Now let’s explore the reasons why sensory play is as important as study for the little ones.
1. Brain development and thinking ability
(a) Formation of new nerve connections
When the child simply touches, presses, or mixes something, new nerve connections will form somewhere in his or her brain. These connections are then used later to perform complex tasks and study.
For example: While sorting ball grains and rice into different containers, the child’s brain learns to recognize patterns and sorts. That skill will be utilized in mathematics and sciences later on.
(b) Problem-solving
Children gain firsthand experience on cause and effect through sensory play.
For example: by mixing two colors you get a third. Or you can leave ice out and it melts. The child learns through self-experimentation and thus is fostering curiosity and problem-solving.
(c) Attention and memory being built
Activities which involve matching, sorting and counting are building the child’s ability to focus and remember.
2. Physical development
(a) Fine motor skills — little muscles are growing
Through working with dough, molding it with play dough, stringing beads, or pouring water, the child is strengthening small muscles in his fingers and wrist.
This will then help in writing, tying shoelaces, buttoning, and drawing pictures.
(b) Gross motor skills — the development of big muscles
It builds up big muscles for the kids while in water play, swinging, throwing a ball, or bike riding thereby promoting standing balance and coordination.
(c) Sensing his or her body and balance
If a child jumps in sand, walks on water, or blindfolded, he will gain knowledge about his body’s positions and balance. It is called proprioception and vestibular sense. These are very important for interaction in day-to-day life.
3. Language and Communication Skills
(a) New vocabulary
Sensory play gives children new things to touch and feel. They also learn to express words regarding sensations such as soft, hard, cold, wet, or rough.
Sentence formation like “This soil is cold” or “This cloth is soft” increases their vocabulary.
(b) Expressing feelings
From sensory play, children learn to express what they like or dislike. Example: a child might say, “It is too loud”; this boy learned to express his experience and feelings.
4. Social and emotional development
(a) Social skills
Socializing with others through sharing and playing helps children learn these important behaviors, which will serve them later in life in functioning well in teams.
(b) Regulation of emotions
Stress release through sensory play teaches kids how to self-regulate their emotions.
For example:
- Squeezing a stress ball calms anxiety.
- Coloring and water play are major de-stressors for children.
- Sensory bottles (filled with glitter particles or water-oil) help calm down the child from anger and anxiety.
(c) Creativity and Imagination
Building a mud house, drawing new pictures with colors, and floating a boat in water nurture a child’s imagination. This will feed into creative and innovative thinking in later life.
Easy sensory activities to do at home
Parents seem to think that sensory play asks for costly toys; everyday things can come just as handy.
- Kneading play dough with flour — kids utterly love to be allowed to play with flour.
- Sorting rice or lentils — sorting different grains allows for attention and coordination of the hand.
- Play with water — pour water into cups, float small toys, or mix color.
- Playing with sand — molding the sand and making different shapes.
- Sensory bottles — Pour colored beads into a transparent bottle filled with water and oil.
- Making figures and shapes with playdough or clay.
- Smell activities — sniff spice aromas such as cardamom, cinnamon, or clove.
- Sound activities — make noise using utensils or identify various sounds.
Conclusion
Sensory play is not mere play to the child. It is extremely important for his/her learning and growth. This is the foundation of our brains. This sharpens intellect, makes one’s body strong, grants language, and stabilizes emotions.
If only for 15-20 minutes a day, if parents participate in any of these activities with their kids, children’s confidence and love for learning could multiply. Remember, children want experiences, not just books. And sensory play gives them that experience.
