31Jul
What Are the Benefits of Sensory Play for Babies?
Babies start to learn things not too long after they are born. In fact, it’s said that one of the very first things a baby learns is to connect by their sense of touch. They also respond to sounds and start to recognise faces. Very early on, it’s these senses that the baby relates to getting their needs met, such as feeding and comforting. Even newborns are ready to start learning things about the world around them. They may not yet understand much, but babies are already learning.
One thing that’s important at a very young age is sensory play for babies. What is this all about exactly? That’s what we’re going to be taking a look at in this article.
What Is Sensory Play for Babies?
Sensory play for babies is a general term that involves any type of playtime for babies that stimulates the senses of the baby, whether that be taste, touch, smell, sound or sight. Babies, because of their young age and a lack of knowledge and understanding of the world around them, are probably more in tune with their senses than at any other age throughout a person’s life.
By encouraging babies to make use of their keen senses to play and explore, the more rapidly they start to learn things and begin to gain an understanding of the environment around them.
It’s a very early step in a baby’s development, but it’s also an extremely important one.
The Sensory Play for Babies Benefits
What are the benefits of encouraging your young baby to indulge in regular sensory play?
For one thing, it can be a great way for both parents and siblings to bond with the new addition to the family. Whether the baby is touching, smelling, listening to or looking at another family member, or someone in the family is indulging in playtime with the baby with a toy, it creates a strong sense of familiarity between baby and family members.
Sensory play accelerates the baby’s learning and ability to begin comprehending everything that’s around them. It helps their young and fertile minds become more aware.
According to research, sensory play helps to create nerve connections in the brain’s pathways. These new connections improve and increase brain power, enabling the child to understand and complete more complex tasks.
Things like fine motor skills are quickly improved, along with problem solving abilities and language development. Babies become more and more sociable, especially when they develop familiarity with others and feel more confident and at ease with the presence of another person. Sensory play is good for emotional development and encourages a child to explore and discover new things.
Sensory play also works well as a distraction and often has a calming effect on babies. For example, if a baby continues to cry due to feeling stressed, indulging in sensory play puts their mind and focus on something else, something fun or something they find intriguing.
Some Examples of Sensory Play
Let’s now look at just a few examples of sensory play for babies.
The cool thing about babies is they can be easily amused by just about anything, so your options for sensory play are virtually limitless. Simple sounds and sights are often all it takes to attract their attention.
For example, you could scrunch up some stiff paper or cellophane so they can hear the noise. Blowing bubbles and letting them land and pop on a baby’s bare skin is also something they enjoy. Finger painting is a fun way for babies to improve and experience their sense of touch. They also get to become more familiar with different colours and how the colours blend on the page.
Playing with their tummies, taking them outdoors so they can observe the world and different environments really helps open up a baby’s mind.
There are countless things you can do for sensory play activities. Just search online for some ideas.
Enrol Your Young Child At An Endeavour Early Education Centre
If you have preschool-aged children, consider giving them a head start in life by enrolling them in an Endeavour Early Education Centre. It’s a safe haven for young children, where they will learn new things, receive an early education and have a lot of fun. Get in touch today.
