Look. Listen. Touch. Smell. Taste.
These are the senses that we're born with and quickly learn to adapt with as we journey through our initial development phases.
Each of us will experience them in slightly differing ways, and some will of course suffer additional challenges or certain limitations to one or more senses, but we will all go through life engaging with the world in large part through our senses.
In this day and age, there are a plethora of activities used to engage young children, many aimed at helping them experiment with the key attributes associated with the five predominant senses as they grow, both in home and educational environments.
These methods tend to recruit a variety of textures, substances, ingredients and props in general which come together to create an overall awareness and stimulation of the core senses.
Everything from play dough, water/sand play, sensory bags, finger painting and interaction with animals, music, light and even trampolining; there's an almost inexhaustible selection to choose from today!
The benefits which academics have discovered to be most clear when toddlers embrace sensory play are varied but include the following truths now commonly acknowledged by those tailoring early years learning packages.
It's long been established that young children are oriented toward sensory experiences, with toddlers given carte blanche to discover the world around them courtesy of seeing, hearing, touching, tasting and smelling.
They rarely get as excited and engaged as when they get to dabble with hyper-sensory materials to determine if they're warm or cool, wet or dry, rough or smooth. These experiences lay the foundations for learning other skills, along with fine-tuning motor muscles to boot.
The discovery of such essential characteristics is a natural starting point for a myriad of life's journeys.
It's also worth noting that sensory play can go that step further when involving children who suffer from medical conditions. Whether they are born with the medical condition, or develop it at a later stage, (including deafness, blindness and a variety of other abilities), the positive and enjoyable challenges in sensory play can challenge their ability to learn and develop certain skills.
ENDS.
