Sensory toys are toys that are specifically designed to encourage a child’s learning through their five senses: touch, hearing, taste, smell, and sight. Senses are part of their wonderful way of exploring the world and continuously learning about their environment.
Not only is sensory play the most fun kind of play, but it’s also the most educational. Feeling different textures, looking at and naming different colors, sounding out new words…it’s all part of the fun, but it’s also part of the learning process.
Besides, children love to make a friendly mess every now and again! And here’s why you, as a parent, teacher, or caregiver, should love it too
Sensory toys are responsible for the development of essential skills
Ever wonder why the most common children’s toys include gooey play dough, cubes that go “rattle, ding, dong”, and books full of shapes and colors? Because they’re crucial for amazing sensory experiences.
The role of sensory toys in the physical and cognitive development of children makes them essential during the early years. Sensory play promotes progress in the following skills:
- Communication skills and social interaction: Sensory toys work best when shared. During group sensory play, children are better able to talk to and have fun with their parents, caregivers, and peers.
- Fine motor skills: These skills encourage the coordination of a child’s smaller muscles of the hands and fingers. That’s why most sensory toys are designed to be grasped, touched, and pinched. That’s also why kids love to touch messy stuff, like wet sand and slime.
- Cognitive skills: The more a child learns, the more nerve connections are created in the brain’s pathways. And the more those connections happen, the more complex the tasks they’re able to complete.
- Problem-solving and creativity: Allowing children to be creative through drawing, coloring, and building activates their imagination. This, in turn, helps them to become better problem solvers by thinking outside of the box.
Sensory toys can also benefit children on the autism spectrum. According to Autism Speaks, these toys are helpful in getting kids in touch with their senses, keeping them focused, and bringing them a sense of calm.
What are some examples of sensory toys? And which ones does my child need?
The sensory toys you pick for your child will depend on which areas of development you want to focus on.
For language development, for instance, you may want to select busy books. Ideally, the play should happen between two or more children for communication effectiveness.
As for the improvement of fine motor skills, you’ll want to focus on activities like painting, gardening, and solving puzzles. If your goal is to increase your child’s cognitive abilities, both books and puzzles are great options to strengthen that area, as well.
Sometimes, you just won’t know which areas are the most important – and most of the time, you’ll want your child to develop them all. And that’s fine! Still, you’ll need to pay attention to which toys are the most appropriate to your child’s age.
Can bigger children play with sensory toys?
Although many parents may think that sensory toys are only fitting for babies, that’s untrue. In fact, sensory toys can be used for play and skill development up until a child’s preschool years.
That said, the toys should “grow with” the child – meaning children should adapt to different sensory toys as they reach a certain age. As an example, a five-year-old child may find a busy cube to be a “baby’s toy”, and rightfully so. Five year olds would adapt a lot better to toys like play dough and age-appropriate puzzles, for instance.
The important thing to do is to avoid shelving sensory toys at all costs. Be them babies, toddlers, or preschoolers, their little brains have a lot of connections yet to be made. The more those connections are encouraged through sensory play, the more your children will grow up to be creative, smart, and innovative adults.
Sources:
https://www.autismspeaks.org/blog/what-sensory-toy-and-how-do-they-help
