The Importance of Sensory Play: Unlocking Your Child's Development

Sensory skills form the foundation of all other abilities – motor skills, speech, cognitive activities, and even social interaction. Sensory skills encompass a broad concept that includes the ability to recognize sounds, smells, colors, shapes, textures, tastes, and the temperature of objects. This ability helps everyone gather information about the surrounding world. Apart from the cognitive function, the senses are part of the body's built-in system of protection against dangers and threats. Additionally, sensory stimulation helps regulate emotions and cope with different types of experiences. Sensory play promotes the development of all senses, enabling these benefits to be realized.

Sensory Development by Age

The development of the senses begins from the first days of life. During early childhood, there is an intense development of sensory skills that lays the groundwork for exploring, learning, and understanding various phenomena around them.

Between 0 and 12 months

Children start recognizing basic colors, perceive objects "up close," focus on contrast and bright features, and recognize faces. Infants also try to explore the world through touch and taste, often grabbing whatever catches their attention and putting it in their mouths. From the first days, children respond to voices, music, and surrounding sounds. They show distinct reactions to auditory stimuli they find pleasant or unpleasant. For instance, they may smile when they hear their parents' voices or frown or even cry when hearing unpleasant sounds.

Toddlers

They continue to develop their sensory skills daily and have significantly more opportunities to do so. They improve their grasping skills, including holding small objects. Children aged 1-4 years are much more confident in exploring textures and shapes. Their fine motor skills are more developed—skills closely tied to tactile sensations. Additionally, at this age, children start recognizing emotions on faces and understanding the tone of voice, making social cues part of sensory learning.

With the help of sensory play, kids continue to refine their ability to recognize tastes, colors, sounds, and textures. At preschool age, they can even mimic facial expressions, gestures, and speech patterns, and interpret nonverbal cues. Well-developed sensory skills allow them to move on to complex tasks like drawing, writing and confidently manipulating small objects. By the age of 7-9, they are better at processing information by hearing, making them ready for structured academic learning rather than just play.

Why is it important to develop sensory skills from the first days of life?

Why is sensory play important? Because sensory skills form the foundation upon which all other knowledge, skills, and abilities are built. It is not only about a child’s future academic success but also about practical and everyday tasks, such as self-care skills. Sensory play becomes the main activity for developing all senses. As the kid grows, the games can be made more complex and varied.

Sensory play helps children learn and explore the world in various ways. Parent's task is to create as many opportunities as possible for children to engage in such activities:

• Dedicate at least 15 minutes a day to sensory play.
• Offer different types of activities in a simple and playful form.
• Encourage children to experiment and be creative during play.
• Create a safe space for sensory exploration. For example, set up a sensory table with removable containers in the child’s room, so the toddler has a designated place for engaging activities.

You don’t need a lot of time for sensory play. Many activities are accessible anywhere: while you’re in the kitchen, give your child containers with pasta to sort. During outdoor walks, play in the sandbox, collect leaves, smell flowers, listen to birds singing, or play with stones, sticks, acorns, and chestnuts. Everything around can make sensory exploration a part of your daily routine.

So, sensory play includes various activities that help children use their senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. It can be simple, like playing with different textured materials, or more complex, like searching for items with specific textures, shapes, sizes, or smells. Why is sensory play important? It’s an activity that supports cognitive and physical development, improves attention, and motor skills, and helps kids better control their bodies.

What are the benefits of sensory play?

Sensory exercises provide numerous benefits, including:

• Stimulating the child's brain
• Enhancing neural connections
• Improving body control
• Increasing tolerance to external stimuli and reducing irritability
• Promoting independence

This is especially important for children who may have heightened or reduced sensitivity to sensory stimuli, as such activities help regulate perception and better adapt to new environments.

When to Start Sensory Play?

Sensory activities are suitable for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Most of these activities are simple, age-appropriate, and can be done at home, during walks, or on the playground.

Activities for Infants:

1. A mobile with interesting pictures is a great toy for visual engagement, attention, and touch development.
2. Games with bells and rattles help with auditory stimulation.
3. During bath time, babies can play with soft sponges, rubber bath toys, and bath foam.

Activities for Toddlers: 

For children aged 1-3, who are more agile and skilled, sensory activities can be more varied and complex:

1. Sensory boxes for exploring different textures
2. Molding with clay, dough, sand, or playdough to develop tactile perception and finger motor skills
3. Blowing and catching soap bubbles for visual stimulation
4. Sorting stones, buttons, pasta, and playing with shape sorters
5. Finger painting on sand or paper to enhance tactile sensations and creativity
6. Building with large blocks or foam shapes to develop color, size perception, and spatial thinking

Each of these activities can be turned into a fun game with added rules. For example, organizing a race to see who can pack toys into a box the fastest or building the tallest tower of foam blocks without it falling. Sensory play should not be boring; otherwise, it won’t be enjoyable for either children or parents. Don’t be afraid to use your imagination and create your own rules — it will only be beneficial.

Best Toys for Sensory Play 

Sensory toys are excellent tools for child development as they stimulate different senses through play. They help develop fine and gross motor skills, improve focus, and support cognitive and emotional growth.

• For touch: textured balls, soft toys, or kinetic sand help children experience different textures and materials.
• For sight: brightly colored toys, shiny objects, or LED blocks stimulate observation and color recognition.
• For hearing: musical instruments, bells, or interactive sound toys help train hearing and rhythm.
• For smell: scented items, such as fragrant crayons or scented figures, help develop the ability to distinguish aromas.

How are WoodandHearts Furniture and Toys Connected to Sensory Play?

WoodandHearts furniture and toys support sensory development by integrating sensory play into everyday life. For example, the Foldable Kitchen Tower allows children to participate in cooking activities, playing with different textures and shapes (flour, pasta, vegetables) commonly found in the kitchen. 

In the child's room, you can create a sensory exploration and experiment zone using the Sensory Table with removable containers. In the play corner, children can get acquainted with different surface textures using the Sensory Balance Beam, and climbing furniture encourages them to touch wooden and rope elements while performing various exercises.

Our range also includes large, soft foam blocks that can be used for building or as protective elements during active play. Their bright colors and pleasant texture stimulate both touch and sight. For the youngest users, we have created contrasting and engaging wooden mobiles, which infants can play with from the first days of life.

Even outdoors, our products aid children in sensory exploration. For example, a sandbox is an excellent space for playing with sand and natural materials, supporting children's natural curiosity to explore through touch.

All our products are made from eco-friendly and safe materials, ensuring that sensory play is not only fun and enjoyable but also safe!