What is sensory information and sensory play?
Sensory play is any play that involves the senses. This would be hearing, vision, touch, smell, taste and the inside senses that include movement (proprioception and vestibular). When we use our senses to amplify play we are building neural pathways that assists with self-regulation, attention and engagement in all areas of development. This type of interaction with the world enhances our development. Piaget refers to the sensorimotor function as foundational to all other areas of development. Throughout the day we experience sensory information. We can focus that information and intentionally use sensory information in play. We are providing specific opportunities for structured or unstructured use of sensory materials in play.
Sensory information and its impact on early developing attention
Attention starts when an infant is born. It is thought to be reflexive at first as is most development. Slowly it moves to a more active or conscious state - purposeful if you will. This is occurring at the same time a child has begun to have active non reflexive movements. As a child starts to learn to move their body on their own they are also making some choices about what they look at and what they will listen to. They make decisions regarding what they will reach for or if they will roll to get an object. This is how sensory information initially encourages a child to take the next step and explore that object. This in turn provides more sensory information to that child. With the positive or negative feedback the child receives from the interaction a choice will be made - I like this or I don’t. This will either encourage or discourage a child from further exploration. When those positive experiences are felt they become an interest which can be used as a motivator to build an extended period of exploration which is building attention.
Sensory play is an important tool in our work. Babies learn through experiences. As parents we are in charge of those experiences. We need to make purposeful choices to include a range of experiences that include a variety of sensory rich opportunities because sensory information plays an important role in experiential learning. As babies are slowly exposed to the world, they are building their capacity for all the typical sensory information within the environment. As they slowly build that capacity they are able to delineate important and unimportant information. They can attend in spite of that information that is whirling around them. As they grow and mature they are more masterful about how they interact with sensory information around them. They become purposeful about their sensory interactions. As their attention grows they are able to shift attention, attend longer to complete more complex tasks and refine their ability to filter out unimportant information and important information in the context of completing an activity.
How do I implement sensory play within my child's day?
This is where all the fun starts! As we discussed, sensory information is all around us. To determine what opportunities you want to present first we need to remember to present things that are “just right”. You will vary the complexity of the play based on the age and development of your child. Outside exploration is one of the most sensory rich play experiences we can provide to our children. There are lots of sights, sounds and smells to be had. Depending on development your child may climb, swing or dig. With a baby you might place them in a swing, lay them on the ground to feel the grass. In the winter when it's too cold to go out, bring the snow in. You can put it in a small container with shovels and have at it. These are just a couple of ideas for outside. All children benefit from the outdoors no matter the age. The opportunities are boundless! Inside we can explore messy textures to increase what we feel, add some scents or color to bump up the sensory value. We can play in water or help “do” the dishes. When we gather for outside outings the kids love when we clean the animals in water. Sensory bins are also a ton of fun.
Whatever you choose, know that when you intentionally add sensory rich play opportunities you are building your child’s capacity for attention, interaction and engagement! The only limit is your creativeness! Where will you start with sensory play?
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