The world of a toddler is full of wonder, joy and adventure. It’s also full of new sights, sounds and experiences for them to explore.
Sensory play is an activity that encourages toddlers to do just that: explore the world through their senses, which can enhance learning and development in many ways!
| Key Points |
|---|
| Sensory play engages multiple senses |
| It helps develop cognitive, motor, and social skills |
| Sensory play can reduce stress and anxiety in children |
| Parents can create sensory play experiences at home |
Explore The World
Let your toddler explore the world around them. Exploration is a key element of development, as it helps toddlers learn about their environment and their own abilities, as well as emotions and the world around them.
Give your toddler a chance to explore with you by setting up a safe play area in which they can use their senses to learn about objects (such as textures) and other people (such as facial expressions).
Sensory play is an essential part of a toddler’s development, and choosing the right toys can make all the difference. Learn how sensory toys can enhance learning and development in our comprehensive guide.
Types of Sensory Play for Toddlers
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Water Play | Playing with water and objects in it |
| Sand Play | Playing with sand and using tools to manipulate it |
| Playdough | Molding and shaping playdough |
| Sensory Bins | Exploring objects in a bin filled with different materials |
| Painting | Using different textures and tools to create art |
Promote Healthy Brain Development
Toddlers are little sponges. They’re constantly absorbing information and trying to make sense of their world. Sensory play helps develop the brain’s capacity to take in and process information, as well as give your toddler the opportunity to explore and discover.
It also helps with language development, because toddlers learn through imitation (when they see you doing something, they want to do it too!), so sensory play is a great way for them to practice talking and listening skills.
And when they use those language skills in creative ways like when you ask them what color or texture something is it gives them an opportunity for self-expression!
Sensory play can help develop decision-making skills too; toddlers will often pick up a different toy instead of the one you gave them if it feels better or looks more interesting (and let’s face it: sometimes all that matters is how cool something is!).
These sorts of choices help build confidence later on in life when kids have more decisions being made at school or work!
Another benefit? All these new experiences will help support your child socially as well by talking about what she sees with her friends during playtime, she’ll be building relationships faster than ever before while developing empathy skills…which are key components behind healthy social development!
If you’re new to sensory toys and unsure of where to begin, our beginner’s guide to sensory toys for toddlers is a great place to start. Discover the benefits of sensory play and how to choose the best toys for your child.
Enhance Language Development
Language skills are important in early childhood, as they allow children to communicate and express themselves. Language development helps children learn about the world around them, form relationships with other people, and build a sense of identity.
The ability to speak is also critical for social development it helps kids learn how to play and interact with others in ways that promote healthy relationships.
Language skills are essential for cognitive development as well: understanding words allows kids to acquire knowledge through conversations or reading books; understanding grammar lets them put together ideas into coherent sentences; spelling helps store these ideas in long-term memory so they can be retrieved later on (e.g., when writing an essay).
Encourage Decision-Making Skills
You may have noticed that toddlers make a lot of decisions. They choose which toys to play with, which snacks they want to eat, and what clothes they want to wear. This is because decision making is a skill that develops slowly with age.
Toddlers are getting ready to master it, but don’t worry if your little one isn’t quite there yet. You can teach them how to make good decisions and enhance their decision-making skills through play!
Introduce choices: Give your toddler two similarly colored blocks or two similar books and encourage them to choose one by pointing or saying something like “This one?” Make sure you’re giving proper direction by only offering two options at a time—you don’t want them overwhelmed by too many choices!
Encourage thinking about why their choice matters: Let’s say your child chooses one toy over another for no apparent reason (as toddlers often do). Ask questions like “Why did you choose this one?” or “Is there anything special about this toy? If so, why do you think so?” This will help teach them how important thoughtfulness is when making decisions in life.
Looking for ways to encourage your child’s development through play? Our guide on introducing sensory play with toys covers everything you need to know to get started, including tips for selecting the right toys and creating sensory-rich environments.
Develops Social And Emotional Skills.
Sensory play is an amazing tool for helping kids develop social and emotional skills. Let’s take a look at some of the ways it can be used to help your toddler learn:
It helps children learn to share and take turns. This is an important social skill, as it teaches your child how to deal with frustration when another child says “no,” or takes something that he wanted first. Sensory bins are great because they allow multiple children (or adults) to play with the same sensory materials at once, which encourages cooperation and sharing.
It promotes cooperation. One of the most important benefits of sensory play is that it teaches toddlers how to work together in small groups toward a common goal in this case, having fun!
When two or more kids are working together on their own sensory bin activity, they will often come up with new ideas for how best use the materials provided by mommy/daddy/auntie-sue–and those ideas might even become part of mommy’s next project
Sensory Play Activities for Toddlers
| Activity | Description |
|---|---|
| Bubble Wrap Painting | Painting on bubble wrap for a unique texture |
| Sensory Bottles | Creating a bottle filled with materials to shake and observe |
| Edible Sensory Play | Using food items for sensory exploration |
| Sensory Scavenger Hunt | Searching for objects with different textures |
| Sensory Bath | Adding materials to bath time for sensory exploration |
Helps Develop Fine And Gross Motor Skills
- Fine motor skills are the movements of the small muscles in the hand, such as grasping and holding. They’re essential for many activities, including sports and other physical activities.
- Gross motor skills are movements of the large muscles in the arms and legs, such as running and jumping. They’re also important for many activities, like sports and other physical activities.
Builds The Foundation For Math And Science Learning
Sensory play is an excellent way for toddlers to explore and learn about math and science. For example, when you put a few drops of food coloring into a bowl of water, your child can watch the colors mix together and create new shades.
This can inspire questions about how different colors look when they’re combined together, which may open up the door for you to start talking about mixing different colors to make brown or black.
You can also talk about how some things don’t mix well together like oil and water. Other times it might be fun just to let them experiment with what happens when they put their hands in the colored water!
Every toddler deserves a well-stocked toy box, and including a variety of sensory toys is essential for their development. Check out our list of 15 must-have sensory toys for toddlers to ensure your child has all the tools they need for sensory-rich play
Enhances Early Literacy
Reading to your child is one of the most important literacy skills they will learn. Once your child begins to identify letters and words, reading with them can be a fun way for them to practice their new skills and develop their own sense of what makes up a word or letter.
Reading with your toddler will also help them develop a love of reading from an early age, which is an excellent foundation for later success in school.
Builds Confidence
If a child has sensory issues, this type of play can help them feel more confident about their ability to do things. Sensory play is also great for building self-esteem in kids, because it allows them to be creative and imaginative with their toys.
If you have a child who is afraid of new situations and new experiences, sensory play can help build up confidence by encouraging the child to try new things without feeling overwhelmed or frightened by them.
Strengthens Family Bonds
Play is, by its nature, something that children do as part of their exploration and development. It’s a way for kids to express themselves and learn about the world around them. But play can also be a great way for parents and caregivers to connect with their children.
When you’re playing with your child, you’re learning about them their interests, their personality traits, their likes and dislikes. You’re showing them that they are important enough for you to spend time interacting with them in this way.
That kind of interaction helps strengthen family bonds (and if you have siblings or other relatives who play together often enough, it can fortify those bonds too).
As an added bonus: playing together can also be fun! In fact at times it may seem like more fun than anything else in life; this type of play doesn’t require much effort on either party’s part you won’t even need any supplies besides yourselves!
Builds Creativity, Imagination And Curiosity
When you think about the importance of creativity in early childhood development, it’s easy to understand why this type of play is so important for children. Creativity is one of the key skills that helps kids be ready for school and build a foundation for future success.
Creative play allows children to express themselves and explore their surroundings through their own unique ideas and solutions, which will help them develop into confident individuals. This is where sensory bins come in!
As we’ve discussed before on this blog, sensory bins are great ways to introduce your child to various types of play that will enhance his or her development across multiple areas including motor skills and language development.
They’re also fantastic tools for fostering curiosity and imagination because they invite kids to use their senses together with tactile materials like beans or rice or even just water!
When you think about how long it took humans as a species (and even more specifically as individuals) our brains have been developing over thousands upon thousands of years…the fact that we can do anything at all seems pretty amazing when you really think about it!
Choosing the right sensory toys for your child can be overwhelming, but our guide on selecting sensory toys for toddlers breaks down everything you need to know to make informed decisions. From textures and colors to age-appropriate toys, we’ve got you covered.
Conclusion
There are so many benefits to sensory play, but the most important one is that it’s fun! If you have a child who struggles with learning or has some kind of special need, this type of play can be especially helpful.
It can help them develop their social skills, which will make them feel more confident in themselves as they get older.
It also promotes creativity by encouraging them to use their imagination and invent new things out of ordinary objects (such as turning a box into a spaceship).
Plus, since toddlers love touching everything around them (and parents usually don’t let them), this activity gives them an opportunity to explore safely without being afraid of getting hurt!
Further Reading
Action for Children: A blog post that explains what sensory play is and why it is important for child development.
Cleveland Clinic: An article that discusses the benefits of sensory play for children and provides some ideas for sensory play activities.
One Above Creative: A blog post that provides an overview of sensory play and its benefits, as well as some examples of sensory play activities.
FAQs
What is sensory play?
Sensory play is any activity that stimulates a child’s senses, such as touch, smell, taste, sight, and hearing. It is an important part of early childhood development and can help children develop their cognitive, social, and emotional skills.
What are the benefits of sensory play?
Sensory play can have many benefits for children, including improving their cognitive, social, and emotional development, as well as their language and communication skills. It can also help with physical development, such as hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.
What are some examples of sensory play activities?
Some examples of sensory play activities include playing with water, sand, playdough, or other sensory materials, exploring textures and shapes, and participating in messy play activities like finger painting.
How can I incorporate sensory play into my child’s routine?
You can incorporate sensory play into your child’s routine by providing them with opportunities to explore different textures, materials, and objects. This can include creating a sensory bin, participating in messy play activities, and playing with sensory toys.
Is sensory play safe for children?
Sensory play can be safe for children as long as appropriate safety measures are taken, such as adult supervision and ensuring that any materials used are non-toxic and appropriate for the child’s age and development level. It is important to always monitor children during sensory play activities to ensure their safety.
Meet Hellen James, the multi-talented writer and nurturing mother who takes young readers on a thrilling journey through her sensory-infused blog. Drawing inspiration from her own experiences as a parent.
