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Sensory Scenes
By Lisa Lane
Why is sensory play so important?
What is the first thing every parent would say if they took a child in to a glassware shop? Do not touch! We know that children love to touch, play and explore and these are the key ingredients that allow their imagination and learning to flourish. Anything is possible - a box can become a rocket ship, a stick a sword and a brush a microphone!
Research has shown that sensory play, using smell, taste, touch, sight and hearing, are all key facilitators to building the nerve connections in the brain. A baby’s first instinct when manipulating objects is to look, touch, mouth and shake; all of these things help them co-ordinate and classify objects.
It is believed that every time a child has sensory rich experiences their thinking and learning capabilities are enhanced. This may seem like a bold statement but how would a child describe snow if their experience of it was just from a picture? Would they get beyond, it is white? If they experience the real stuff – cold, fluffy, wet, melting, glistening, crunchy and of course, white. They would scoop it, build with it, throw it, make patterns in it, look for prints, bury things, shake it off trees and develop a memory, association and feelings about simple white snow.