Why is sensory play important for children

It supports their language development and encourages them to communicate effectively with others whilst playing. Our Sensory Wooden Pack encourages children to talk about the new textures and shapes they feel and is a great aid for developing language! Children identify objects by touch during tactile sensory play, which helps them develop their fine and gross motor skills — such as squeezing, pulling, pushing and throwing.

Add our Multi-Sensory Ball Pack to your early years setting to help them develop their motor skills, stimulate their senses and enhance their physical ability. By experimenting with different objects during sensory play, children develop problem-solving skills and decision-making skills. They begin to share their ideas and build new relationships. A Sand or Water Table is a popular way of encouraging social interaction! Active sensory play helps children become more self-aware and body-aware, which helps them develop a better sense of space around them.

Hi there! Need help? Speak to our friendly support team. Login Signup. Exploring the benefits of sensory play. Posted by Goodstart 12 March Monster Sensory Bottle.

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Children become more creative simply by playing. Creating time for your child, of any age, to engage in sensory play is imperative for their long-time learning and health.

By taking objects that you already have in the house you can create many fun experiences for you and your child. For example, take a colander and spaghetti noodles or pipe cleaner and challenge your child to put the noodles in the holes.

They will be drawn to this experience and will start to develop basic motor skills as well as problem solving skills when they break the spaghetti noodles. For older children play-doh and fondant are great ways to teach sensory play, as well as skills that your child can use in the future such as baking a cake. Fondant can be used to make beautiful designs, but it takes time and patience to get the results wanted, both are needed skills in everyday decision-making and life. This is also a great time to bond with your child and create fun memories that will last a lifetime.

Now give out the bottles to your child and let her marvel at the magic of glitter settling and forming uniformly every time they shake the bottles. For a preschooler or elementary level child, invoke their curiosity for science with an evergreen science bin. You draw a tree outline on a piece of paper and then challenge your child to color it with fresh or dried leaves and attach them to the tree outline using glue.

Gather different types of objects around the house that can stimulate the senses and make sure they are safe to use.

Smooth, slimy, cold, beautiful — these are a few fun adjectives your child can learn through playing with a sensory board. So, the next time you see your child play with random items like paper towel rolls, pots, straws, and toys; encourage them.