Educators of young children have found that sensory play is a useful and even necessary approach to engaging a child’s interests and cultivating a love for learning. Anything that stimulates a child’s senses of touch, smell, taste, sight, and hearing can be a form of sensory play. With guidance from Noddy by Elizabeth, one of the first international playgroups in Bangkok, let’s find out how you can apply the principles of sensory play in your own home.
What is Sensory Play?
Sensory play can be any activity that encourages children to use one or more of their senses, like squishing playdough or shaking a tambourine. Activities that engage the senses help build nerve connections in the brain’s pathways, preparing children for more complex learning. The activities done during sensory play also help with language and motor skills development as well as social interaction.
Some examples of sensory play include tactile activities like sand and water tables, which allow children to develop motor skills while scooping, pouring, sifting, and digging. In music classes, letting children use rain sticks, bells, and drums helps them distinguish different sounds while developing motor skills.
Benefits of Sensory Play
Sensory play does more than stimulate the senses. Sensory play in early childhood lays the foundation to support various aspects of a child’s development:
Cognitive Development
A study published in the Environment-Behaviour Proceedings Journal has shown that sensory play builds neural pathways that support creative problem-solving and complex learning abilities. It also enhances curiosity and memory, which facilitates learning.
Social Skills
While doing sensory activities with others, children naturally learn important social skills, like sharing and collaborating. They also learn to listen to directions, pay attention, focus on tasks, and solve problems without constant supervision.
Communication Skills
Sensory play allows children to explore the world around them through simple activities that help them build their language and comprehension skills. For instance, by playing with edible dough, they learn new vocabulary for abstract concepts like textures, colours, sounds, and flavours.
Emotional Development
Doing sensory activities allows children to learn how to regulate their emotions and handle challenges, frustration, and anxiety. Play helps children deal with stress, helping them become more relaxed and calm.
Physical Skills
Sensory play activities such as stacking blocks, moulding clay, pouring water into cups, and playing with sand develop both fine and gross motor skills. Sensory-rich activities that allow children to use their hands to grasp, mould, press, and manipulate objects help develop their hand and finger muscles, preparing them for drawing and writing.
Encouraging Sensory Play at Home
Here are some easy and practical ways to incorporate supervised sensory play activities into your daily routine:
Sensory Bin
Fill a large flat container with uncooked dry rice, beans, or pasta and add small toys, spoons, and cups children can use to dig, scoop, and pour. You can also use sand, kinetic sand, or water beads as your base; however, be sure to keep the items age-appropriate and safe.
Household Items
You can use everyday items for sensory play. For example, you can fill a small tub with water and toys or freeze small toys in ice cube trays and place them in a tray for children to play with. You can also create a fort with pillows and blankets and let children crawl and climb to develop physical coordination and spatial awareness.
Arts and Crafts
Have art materials ready for tactile activities that nurture your child’s creativity and motor skills. Let them draw, colour, fingerpaint, cut paper dolls, fold origami, and make clay models—the possibilities to create are endless!
Cook Together
Let your children participate in food preparation with simple tasks like pouring, stirring, and mixing ingredients. They can also peel vegetables, knead dough, beat eggs, use cookie cutters, and set the table. The different textures and aromas provide a rich sensory experience and are a fun way to help them listen to instructions and develop counting skills and logical thinking.
Outdoor Walks
Take your child on outdoor walks and observe your surroundings. Collect natural materials like leaves, stones, and twigs and sort them by size, colour, and texture. Teach them to grow and tend to plants in the garden. These activities can develop your child’s observational skills and an appreciation for the environment.
Sensory Play at Noddy by Elizabeth
Sensory play is an important part of our British Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum, which supports a free-flow play approach to children’s learning and development. Our experienced teachers and staff use various sensory play tools designed to stimulate our students’ senses, nurture their interests, and facilitate learning in an engaging manner. Come and experience the learning environment at Noddy by Elizabeth for yourself. Book a school tour today.
Sources:
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/benefits-of-sensory-play-ideas
https://ebpj.e-iph.co.uk/index.php/EBProceedings/article/download/3760/2016/18546
https://blogs.iu.edu/earlyliteracy/2024/05/01/sensory-play-is-it-worth-the-mess/
Elizabeth Prinyarnussorn founded Noddy by Elizabeth Playgroup in 1978, driven by a passion for creating a nurturing environment for children aged 18 months to 6 years. With her UK nursing background, she introduced the British “learn through play” approach to Bangkok, setting a high standard for early education. Over 40 years of dedication, she continues to inspire the school’s mission.