Sensory Development and Play
As human beings we experience the world through our 5 senses. Sensory experiences begin at birth and help us to learn and begin to understand our environment. Sensory development refers to the maturing of the five familiar senses: to hear, smell, taste, touch and see. It also involves the way your child's nervous system receives input from these senses and then forms an appropriate motor or behavioral response.
When a child is young and developing, it is important to activate each of the sensory systems so that they can integrate and grow into one cohesive sensory system. When a child enters the classroom all 5 of the senses are needed. All of us use our senses each and every day to process the world around us and respond to it. As parents and teachers strive to provide increasingly organized learning experiences for children, the opportunities for sensory play are becoming less of a priority. Ironically, it is through sensory play where children start to build many of the foundational life skills they need in order to be successful in the years to come.
It is before the age of 7 when children need to have a multitude of whole-body sensory experiences on a daily basis in order to develop strong bodies and minds. The Preschool years are a critical developmental period. If children are not given enough sensory experiences, natural movement opportunities and play experiences, they start their academic careers with a disadvantage. Research shows that children are more likely to be clumsy, have difficulty paying attention, trouble controlling their emotions, utilize poor problem-solving methods, and demonstrate difficulties with social interactions if their senses are poorly integrated. We are consistently seeing sensory, motor, and cognitive issues arise in later childhood, partly because of inadequate opportunities to turn ‘on’ the senses and integrate them into one functioning system.
As educators we need to give children opportunities to experience and explore, to enhance and develop fine and gross motor skills and explore the world through their senses.