Sensory Play: When, How & Why
Sensory is the foundation that skills are built on.
Adventures that include multiple layers of senses help children learn about the world around them. They can then assess whether they feel safe around that particular noise, taste, texture, smell and more. Emotional maturity starts in infancy when they are establishing what and who they can trust through sensory exploration.
When
Anytime is a good time for sensory play. The sooner sensory exposure is initiated, the more time the child has to learn about the environment. During routine diaper changes, meals, bonding and play time is ideal for simple sensory learning. This process is preparing them to be able to have a feeling of peace at this level of learning so they can build upon this foundation for higher level skills.
HOW
In a calm and safe environment. A gentle introduction to textures in the open palms of a newborn’s hand or foot is a good place to start. This helps build base line memories for the next developmental skill. Learning to read the child's body language when exploring the senses lets you know where they are ready to go next. Start with soft textures of material, lotions and maybe even the family pet. Options are endless. HAVE FUN!!
WHY
How does it help development? Establishing feelings of safety to utilize these experiences and build emotional regulation and coping skills. The most sensory feelings (nerve endings) are in the palms of our hands, the top of our head, and the bottom of our feet. Life skills like hygiene (brushing hair), eating (finger food), and grounding (tolerating sand or grass or wearing socks/shoes on their feet) are more challenging when they are not given the adventures that develop the foundation of sensory coping skills.
