The Role of Sensory Play in Early Development (and Why We Use It Daily)

The Role & Importance of Sensory Play in Early Development

Sensory play is defined as a category of activities that engage a child’s senses, including touch, taste, smell, sight, and sound. This type of play engages the proprioceptive and vestibular sensory systems, which help us be aware of our body and its movements, as well as our ability to maintain balance. Engaging these systems early in development provides multiple benefits later in life. For these reasons, sensory play is vital in a child’s development as it helps to establish the pathways in their brains that are responsible for completing complex tasks. Other benefits include:

1. Encourages Cognitive Development: In addition to encouraging engagement with their environment, sensory play helps to promote problem-solving and critical thinking skills. It also helps them learn more about cause-and-effect in a safe way. Other cognitive skills include memory, attention span, and reasoning.

2. Helps Develop Language Skills: Sensory play can include solo and group activities, encouraging children to explore how to express themselves to teachers, parents, and other children. As they learn more, they also explore more ways to communicate through discussing their sensory experiences.  

3. Encourages Emotional Regulation: The acts of running, squishing, scribbling, splashing, and more encourage expressing emotions in new ways. These are safe outlets for their emotions, which are essential in developing healthy emotional regulation mechanisms.

4. Promotes Physical Development: Sitting, crawling, and jumping are just a few ways that children develop gross motor skills. Sensory play also helps children to develop their fine motor skills early on by playing with playdough, picking up blocks and other small objects, and other activities that focus on building strength, hand-eye coordination, and balance.

5. Develops Creative Thinking: Sensory play is a perfect time to step back and let children explore. They have the chance to experiment without the lens or fear of failure, and are able to expand their sensory library while learning how to utilize the toys and tools accessible to them. 

Contact Us to Learn More About Early Childhood Education

Bright Beginnings Early Childhood Program serves the Fairfield, Norwalk, Orange, Stamford, and Westport, CT areas, providing our communities with infant care and toddler care programs. Our teachers emphasize personal goals for each child, fostering independence, emotional security, and hands-on exploration. To learn more about our early childhood programs, contact us today!