Sensory Activities 101: What They Are and Why They Matter

Hi everyone! Today I want to talk to you about sensory activities. You may have seen this word a lot on social media or parenting blogs, but what does it really mean? And why is it important for your child's development? In this post, I will explain what sensory activities are, how to do them, and when to start with your child.

Sensory activities are any activities that stimulate one or more of the five senses: sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste. They help children explore and learn about their environment, develop their motor skills, and enhance their creativity and imagination. Sensory activities can also support children's emotional regulation, communication, and problem-solving skills.

Some examples of sensory activities are:

- Playing with playdough, slime, or kinetic sand

- Making sensory bins with different materials like rice, beans, pom poms, etc.

- Painting with finger paints, watercolors, or shaving cream§ 1§§

- Exploring different textures like soft, rough, smooth, sticky, etc.

- Listening to different sounds like music, bells, shakers, etc.

- Smelling different scents like spices, herbs, flowers, etc.

- Tasting different flavors like sweet, sour, salty, bitter, etc.

You can do sensory activities with your child at home or outside. You don't need expensive or fancy materials. You can use everyday items that you have around the house or in nature. The most important thing is to have fun and let your child lead the way.

You can start doing sensory activities with your child as early as possible. Babies are naturally curious and love to explore their senses. You can offer them simple sensory experiences like rattles, soft toys, mirrors, etc. As your child grows older, you can introduce more complex and challenging sensory activities that match their interests and abilities.

Sensory activities are a great way to bond with your child and support their learning and development. I hope this post has given you some ideas and inspiration to try some sensory activities with your child. Let me know in the comments what sensory activities you have done or plan to do with your child. Happy playing!