What is Sensory Play?

Squish, splash, shake, scoop! From the moment they’re born, children use their senses
to discover the world around them. Sensory play is one of the most effective ways to
help promote curiosity within a child’s environment, stimulating their five (5) senses:
sight, touch, hearing, smell, and taste. Read more on its types and the benefits of
including sensory play in your child’s daily activities:

Benefits of sensory play

Babies learn and develop through play, which supports language development as they
learn to respond to different stimuli. Simple sensory play, such as touching a variety of
objects and hearing various sounds, will help make these new connections.

Toddlers begin to develop by using their thinking skills when they try to do things
themselves. Activities that teach concepts, such as sorting colors and patterns, will
encourage toddlers during their exploration.

Preschoolers tend to explore their senses independently by playing musical
instruments, creating art, building with various toys, and more.

4 types of sensory play

1. Tactile play: Soft, rough or sharp? Tactile play is the type of sensory play you
   are probably most familiar with and is taking place anytime a child is using their
   hands when exploring an object they are using a form of tactile play. Tactile play
   allows children to learn about pressure, temperature, vibrations, and more. One
   way to incorporate tactile play into your day-to-day life is to let your child get
   messy. Simple activities, like playing with shaving cream, finger painting, and
   playing with water, are great forms of tactile play.
2. Auditory sensory play: Boom! Pow! Crash! Typically not the favorite type of
   sensory play for parents, but to children this helps develop their hearing and
   differentiate sounds. Simple household items, such as a wooden spoon and
   saucepan, will allow your child to explore sound through play. Another way to
   engage in auditory sensory play is to play a game of hide and seek with sounds.
   The child that is seeking can make a call and each hider responds to their own
   sound. The seeker can follow the sounds to locate each hider.
3. Visual sensory play: Visual play helps develop your child’s sight and assists
   with hand-eye coordination. Identifying different colors and patterns is a great
   way to engage in visual sensory play. Playing “I Spy” is a great way to engage
   children in visual sensory play. This fun and simple activity can be done inside or
   outside. For a fun twist, give your child a category and let them come up with the
   items for you to find.
4. Olfactory and taste sensory play: Olfactory relates to the sense of smell, which
   is directly related to taste. Children develop these senses through activities that
   encourage the exploration of taste and smell. A great way to engage children in
   olfactory and taste sensory play is to cook together! Make something where
   children can take part in the process. Cooking gives children the chance to smell,
   stir, slice, spread, and pour ingredients to make something they will enjoy. When
   the food is ready, taste it together and talk about how it tastes!

All in all, it is extremely important for parents, educators, and caregivers to prioritize
sensory play for kids of all ages by providing them with safe and engaging activities that encourage growth, curiosity and creativity.

Need some activity inspiration? Try this No-Mess Sensory Play Activity.

No-Mess Sensory Play: Stained Glass

This painting activity allows toddlers to create without the mess or worry of trying to eat the
paint!

Here’s what you’ll need:
● Wax paper
● Non-toxic finger paint
● Ziplock bag
● Sharpie
● Scissors

Here’s how to play:

1. Cut your wax paper to fit inside the ziplock bag
2. Draw a fun design with the sharpie
3. Put a dollop of each of the paint colors on the wax paper
4. Carefully put the wax paper into the ziplock bag
5. Let your child create and have fun playing, feeling, and seeing what happens!
6. When they’re finished, carefully remove the painted wax paper from the ziplock bag.
7. Let dry and tape to a window.

• Bonus activity: See what happens when the light hits the “stained glass.” Describe or have your child describe what they see!

For more ideas of how to teach kids about kindness, compassion and curiosity, follow Curious B.E.I.N.G.s on Facebook and Instagram and subscribe to the Curious B.E.I.N.G.s newsletter.