Do you know what’s sensory play and how important it is for the child’s development? Sensory play is any kind of activity where the child is engaging some, or all of its senses to explore new sounds, textures, tastes, colours or smells. Babies and toddlers absolutely love exploring the world this way, it just comes naturally to them.
This stimulates and builds cognitive skills and encourages brain development. These skills will accumulate and the child will learn about the world around it and how and why everything works the way it works. Children in different stages of their development react to different things. For example, newborn babies react to floating bubbles, colourful paper and changes of contours.
Toddlers react to patterns and shapeshifting, and preschoolers will create shapes with playdough or interact with a musical instrument. All of this helps them develop motor skills, language skills, encourages problem-solving as well as critical thinking. The best place they can do this is probably in nature, with all of the different sounds, colours and shapes. If you don’t have the opportunity to spend time in nature, however, there are always sensory toys and gadgets you can set up in an engaging baby activity station or the kids’ room.
Building Blocks
When you take a look at those symmetrically shaped, wooden or plastic, building blocks they look pretty simple, right? They may look like that to you, but for children, they are objects that have endless building possibilities. Kids have a vast imagination and will try to embody their ideas through the blocks.
They’ll express themselves through their creations and discoveries. When they try to fit the shapes, they work on their problem-solving skills and learn what works and what doesn’t. They’ll also learn symmetry and measurement when comparing shapes and sizes, and start to have a sense for numbers and patterns. They will become aware of their eye-hand coordination when moving and stretching their arms and hands.
During this learning process, kids will try to communicate words and sounds to say what they achieved all by themselves. This will also be a base for their self-esteem and freedom of creating and expressing. It’s amazing how something that simple can cause so many positive changes in your child’s development.
Activity Centres
A good baby centre will develop the baby’s motor skills and understanding. A baby activity station for exploration of textures and sounds can be of help with this because babies are curious by nature. It’s a safe and secure space to get familiar with colours, light, and movement.
When the baby still can’t sit on its own, a rug-based station will be perfect. The baby can reach out, shake and grab all of the toys that are above it and activate the entertainment tools. This solution won’t only keep your baby happy and occupied, but it can also help you when you need to get the door, go to the bathroom or decide to have a cup of coffee.
After around six months, when the baby can sit, you could upgrade and bring in a play mat or play gym. When choosing this baby activity station, make sure the padding and fabric seat are both comfortable. Otherwise, it can put a lot of stress on the baby’s hip joints. In this space, you can add new types of activities that the baby can comprehend and develop its skills even more.
Research shows that 85% of the human brain develops before the person is 5 years old. That’s why engaging the child in many cognitively stimulating activities can lead to a higher IQ and better results in school and later in life. The baby activity table offers even more learning opportunities on a higher intellectual level. It can teach the child language, problem solving, shapes, numbers and general knowledge. The kids will develop their motor skills by grabbing, stacking and writing.
This will also strengthen their muscles, not just their brains. Some people have an issue with these activity centres because they consider it a distraction. They think that parents won’t spend enough time with their kids because of them. If this happens, the kids may display loneliness or fear response. That’s why, leaving them with the activity centre for around 10-15 minutes, 2-3 times a day is ideal.
Play Dough
Play dough allows the kids to squish, mould, roll and sculpt anything they can imagine. That’s why so many kids love to play with it. While doing so, they strengthen their hand muscles. It’s reusable and completely toxic-free, but parents may not like it as much because of the mess it can make.
The main benefit of play dough is the development of motor skills. They will use these skills later in life when they’ll write, draw, hold scissors and pencils. It’s also calming and stress relieving for them. They can release excess energy and improve their focus. It will encourage their creativity and thinking process. By working frequently with it, kids will improve their hand-eye coordination by holding different tools, like bottle caps, combs, feathers, plastic utilities, straws and rolling pins to shape the play dough.
They’ll also learn how to share and cooperate with others in order to create something. If you worry about the ingredients, you can easily find a recipe for homemade play dough online; that way you’ll be sure that it’s completely toxic-free and safe for the kids to play with.
Musical Instruments
We’ve all seen babies and toddlers jump, move and wave their hands to the music, and it’s the cutest thing ever. This proves that humans react to music in a very positive way and that it can be quite stimulating for them. Kids often play with a wooden spoon and a bowl because the sound it makes draws their attention.
Percussion instruments are perfect for toddlers to build up their motor skills and improve their sensory development because it involves a few of their senses. They’ll feel the difference between a light blow on the instrument and a heavy thump. Instruments also teach them patience and perseverance, because in order to learn how to properly play an instrument they need time and focus. The best choices would be:
- Keyboard.
- Drums.
- Maracas.
- Tambourine.
- Triangle.
- Xylophone.
- Cymbals.
Balance Boards
Balance boards seem so simple and boring, but that’s not the case in the children’s eyes. This kind of board is a versatile sensory toy that offers a lot of playing opportunities. Children can use it as a slide or a bridge, a tunnel to crawl under or a boat to row in. They can use it as a bed or a rocker, and make it a ramp or a parking garage for their cars.
Balance boards are perfect for exercise while the child rock-climbs or balances on them. They’ll improve core stability and strengthen the muscles, plus the balance and reflexes will develop faster. From 8 months old to a teenager and even later, this toy will be a kid’s favourite for entertainment and relaxation.
In Summary
Sensory toys are excellent for both babies and toddlers. They offer a great way for them to learn and develop new skills. They get to know the world and everything that surrounds them through these toys.
