If you have a child with special needs, it can be difficult to know how to help them. One of the things that many parents find helpful is sensory toys for motor skill development.
These are toys that stimulate different senses at once, which can help kids with coordination problems or sensory processing issues and they’re often lots of fun! Here are some ideas for sensory toys:
| Takeaways |
|---|
| Sensory play can promote motor skill development in children. |
| Sensory play offers many benefits for children’s cognitive, emotional, and physical development. |
| Sensory play can be incorporated into daily routines to enhance a child’s learning and play experiences. |
| There are many different types of sensory toys and activities that can engage a child’s senses and promote development. |
| Sensory play can be especially beneficial for children with special needs, including those with autism, ADHD, or sensory processing disorders. |
Visual
Visual processing is the ability to process visual information coming into our eyes. Visual processing is essential for accurate motor skill development, language development, and social interaction.
A child with a visual processing disorder may have difficulty seeing clearly or accurately interpreting what they see. This can lead to difficulty following directions or completing daily tasks such as dressing themselves without assistance or remembering how to do something they’ve done before in order to perform it again independently.
Choosing the right sensory toys for your toddler is crucial for their motor skill development. Our article on how to choose the right sensory toys for your child provides helpful tips and recommendations to help you make the best choices
TabRecommended Sensory Toys for Different Developmental Stages
| Developmental Stage | Recommended Sensory Toys |
|---|---|
| Infants (0-12 months) | Soft, textured toys, rattles, mirrors, teething toys |
| Toddlers (1-3 years) | Playdough, water and sand play, sensory bins, building blocks, musical toys |
| Preschoolers (3-5 years) | Arts and crafts materials, pretend play toys, tactile puzzles, dress-up clothes, musical instruments |
Hearing
Hearing is one of the most important senses for motor skill development. It helps us experience the environment and learn about safety, as well as socialize with others. Hearing is a form of touch because sound waves move through the air and land on our eardrums, resulting in a vibration that causes an electrical signal to be sent from our brain to tell us what we are hearing.
In order for babies to develop good hearing, they need an environment where there are sounds around them at birth that help them get used to hearing different kinds of noises.
This can include loud noises like sirens or music playing nearby which may seem unpleasant but are actually helpful! Babies also need some quiet time so they can rest their ears off loud noises; this might mean playing white noise while they sleep at night or having quiet playtime during nap time every day where there isn’t any TV or music playing nearby (but still close enough so they can hear it if needed).
Sensory play is a fun and effective way to build gross motor skills in children. Our article on sensory play for building gross motor skills explores the many benefits of sensory play and provides ideas for activities to try at home
Smell
Smell is one of the most powerful senses. It’s linked to memory and can help children learn about their world, explore new things and identify people and places they know.
Because smell isn’t typically used as much as other senses, it can also be an important part of motor skill development.
To encourage your child’s motor skill development through smell:
Let them smell different foods and flowers or play with scented toys such as a bubble maker, which releases a light spray of water with a particular scent (such as lemongrass) when your child blows through it.
Encourage them to sniff flowers (or even leaves) during walks outside so they can practice smelling different scents in nature.
Taste
Taste is one of the five senses. Taste can be explained as your ability to detect the flavor of substances in foods and liquids. The word “taste” is used for several senses related to food; including taste, smell, texture (the feeling in your mouth), and even sound (such as crunching on chips).
The sense of taste is a chemical sense that allows humans to distinguish between sweet, sour, bitter and salty flavors through receptors on the tongue and throat.
Hand-eye coordination is a critical motor skill that can be developed through the use of sensory toys. Our article on sensory toys for hand-eye coordination provides a list of toys that can help children improve this skill and enhance their overall motor development.
Touch
Touch is the first sense to develop in infants and continues to be an important sense throughout childhood.
Touch is the most important sensory system in early life because it helps babies explore their environment, increases their ability to differentiate between objects, enhances their understanding of objects’ characteristics and functions, and promotes bonding between parents and children.
Developmental milestones include:
- At birth a baby can make eye contact with caregivers within 5 minutes of birth.
- By 2 months old a baby can have large smiles when talked to or played with.
By 3 months old a child will reach for your hand when you hold it near her face; the child may also be able to grip your finger tightly enough so that you cannot easily remove it from his grasp without considerable effort on your part (this behavior is called ‘pincer grasp’).
Proprioception
Proprioception is the sense of knowing where your body is in space. It’s important for motor skills development, balance and coordination, sports performance and athletic movement.
Proprioception involves a complex network of nerves called proprioceptors that send information from muscle fibers, joints and tendons to brain via spinal cord.
Proprioceptors are found deep inside muscles and joints; they’re like miniature antennae that can detect stimuli such as pressure or force applied to your body by external objects or other people.
As you move through physical activities, these receptors transmit information about these movements back to your brain so you can keep track of where you are at all times.
In addition to helping us maintain our balance while standing up straight or walking down stairs without falling over one another time after time again (not an easy feat)
proprioception also plays an important role in athletic performance especially during sports involving quick changes between running fast forward while also throwing yourself sideways across into different directions such as basketball or soccer–where players have often been measured using some type of distance tracking device attached directly onto their bodies before each game starts!
Introducing sensory toys into your toddler’s toy box is an easy way to enhance their motor skill development. Our article on 15 sensory toys every toddler should have in their toy box provides a list of must-have toys that will engage your child’s senses and promote motor skill growth.
Vestibular
The vestibular system has to do with balance and spatial orientation, which is why it’s also called the “vestibular-occular reflex.” It is a sensory system that sends information to the brain via receptors in our inner ear.
The vestibular system is responsible for the maintenance of our posture, coordination, and movement controls. It helps us walk up stairs without falling down them!
Motor Skills Development and Sensory Integration
Motor skills are the physical abilities we use to move our bodies. These include gross motor skills (moving large muscle groups like arms, legs and trunk) and fine motor skills (smaller movements such as pinching or holding). Both types of motor skills are critical to learning and development.
In particular, children with poor motor skills have trouble learning to read, write and do math. They also tend to struggle socially because they can’t participate in group activities.
To make matters worse, these kids may be labeled as “lazy” by their peers or even teachers when they don’t want to participate in physical activities like running laps or playing tag during recess time at school – but really this is just because it’s hard for them!
Sensory toys are a great tool for building stronger muscles in children. Our article on sensory toys for building stronger muscles explores the ways in which sensory toys can promote physical strength and provides suggestions for toys that can help achieve this goal.
Conclusion
Through this article, we hope you have a better understanding of how sensory toys play an important role in motor skill development.
We know that there are many other things to consider when choosing the right toy for your child but these are some of the most important features.
Step 1: Takeaway Table
| Takeaways |
|---|
| Sensory play can promote motor skill development in children. |
| Sensory play offers many benefits for children’s cognitive, emotional, and physical development. |
| Sensory play can be incorporated into daily routines to enhance a child’s learning and play experiences. |
| There are many different types of sensory toys and activities that can engage a child’s senses and promote development. |
| Sensory play can be especially beneficial for children with special needs, including those with autism, ADHD, or sensory processing disorders. |
Step 2:
Table 1: Recommended Sensory Toys for Different Developmental Stages
| Developmental Stage | Recommended Sensory Toys |
|---|---|
| Infants (0-12 months) | Soft, textured toys, rattles, mirrors, teething toys |
| Toddlers (1-3 years) | Playdough, water and sand play, sensory bins, building blocks, musical toys |
| Preschoolers (3-5 years) | Arts and crafts materials, pretend play toys, tactile puzzles, dress-up clothes, musical instruments |
Sensory Play Activities for Different Senses
| Sense | Activity Ideas |
|---|---|
| Touch | Playing with different textured materials, such as playdough, sand, or water beads |
| Sight | Using light-up toys or colored lights, exploring different colors through painting or coloring |
| Sound | Playing musical instruments or exploring different sounds with shakers or bells |
| Smell | Exploring different scents through sensory bottles or scented playdough |
| Taste | Exploring different tastes through safe, edible sensory materials, such as flavored playdough or finger paint |
Further Reading
Here are some additional resources to learn more about the benefits of sensory play:
Sensory Play: The Benefits and How to Get Started – This article provides an overview of sensory play and its benefits for children’s development, as well as tips for incorporating it into daily activities.
The Many Benefits of Sensory Play for Kids – This article explores the many benefits of sensory play, including cognitive, emotional, and physical development.
The Benefits of Sensory Play for Children: Why It’s Important and How to Get Started – This article provides an in-depth look at the benefits of sensory play for children, including tips for creating a sensory-rich environment.
FAQs
What is sensory play?
Sensory play refers to activities that engage a child’s senses, including touch, sight, sound, smell, and taste. These activities can involve exploring different textures, playing with materials that create unique sensations, and experimenting with different sensory inputs.
What are the benefits of sensory play?
Sensory play has numerous benefits for children’s development, including improving their cognitive skills, promoting physical development, enhancing creativity, and providing opportunities for social interaction.
What are some examples of sensory play activities?
Examples of sensory play activities include playing with sand or water, finger painting, exploring different textures with sensory bins, and experimenting with different scents and smells.
How can parents incorporate sensory play into their child’s routine?
Parents can incorporate sensory play into their child’s routine by providing access to different sensory materials, such as sand, water, or playdough, and encouraging exploration and experimentation. Sensory play can also be incorporated into daily activities, such as cooking or outdoor play.
Can sensory play benefit children with special needs?
Yes, sensory play can be especially beneficial for children with special needs, including those with autism, ADHD, or sensory processing disorders. It can help improve their sensory integration skills and promote overall development.
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.
