Sensory play is any activity that activates one or multiple senses, and all kinds of play have the potential to become a sensory activity. There are many toys available to encourage sensory stimulation and development with your baby. Different colors, textures and sounds that are prevalent in your baby's toys will help them to grow more and more each day.
Sensory toys help bridge nerve connections for developing brains. New and frequent experiences create connections that improve a baby's ability to do more complex learning activities. Moreover, the use of sensory material creates hands-on, self-directed, and self-centered play, and it encourages discovery and development. This approach appeals to children who have different learning and thinking styles.
Babies can often become easily overstimulated, anxious, or frustrated. In that sense, sensory toys are great for calming your little one. After some sensory games, they generally become calmer, and sometimes even sleepy. A great example of this is water play during bathtime! You may have noticed that after a bath, your little one is especially tired and calm. Along with other types of sensory activities for babies, in general, sensory play helps to regulate discomfort, anxiety, restlessness, and agitation. Sensory play is a great pre-bedtime activity as well!
Like most skills, memory is best honed through repeated activities. By interacting with different textures, smells, and even tastes from sensory toys, your little one benefits from sensory play learning outcomes such as building both cognitive and motor memories.
Babies love to squish, pull, pour, stir, tap, rub, push, sniff, listen to, transport things--things one can do with sensory toys. And these are activities they can continue to do as they get older.
Have you tried sensory activities for your baby? What benefits have you noticed?
