Sensory Exploratory Play
By Judith C. Vestal, M.A., O.T.R.
What is sensory exploratory play?
We all learn from our senses. We learn from seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling and touching. We also learn from the sensation of movement. Your play – and your child’s – should include all of these sensations.
When do we begin learning from our senses?
Newborns already prefer some sensations over others. They respond to things that they see. They enjoy the sound of the human voice and prefer a sweet taste to salty or bitter one. They prefer smells that are pleasant to those that are strong and pungent.
Babies also have preferences in the things they feel; they prefer soft silky fabric or human touch to the feel of a rough towel. As babies get older they tell different sights, sounds, smells, and textures apart and learn what various sensations mean. They know that the higher-pitched voice is mom and the lower pitched voice is dad, and that food is coming when they see the bottle.
As physical skills improve, babies explore with fingers and hands. They love to experiment with textures, often smearing things such as pudding, mashed potatoes, or water.
How can I help my child use the sense to explore and learn?
Birth to age 1: Hang mobiles and objects across the crib to provide new sights. Play new sounds on a tape recorder. Give chances to both smell and feel during bath time by using a scented soap and rubbing with fragrant lotion and powder.
Rubbing, cuddling, and stroking are very good if your child feels stiff or floppy. Children who tend to be stiff respond better to slower, relaxing stroking; children who feel floppy enjoy vigorous, rapid movement and massage.
As soon as babies can keep their hands open they can explore different textures.
Your baby also explores smells. When cooking, let the baby smell different spices, such as cinnamon, cloves, mint leaves, and lemon and orange peel. Dip a teething ring into pudding, yogurt, or other sticky substances to provide new tastes.
The older baby can sit without support, so the hands are free to play. Touch and taste can be explored by finger painting with pudding or yogurt. Cooked spaghetti can be squashed between the fingers, pulled apart, and thrown.
Bath time is a wonderful time to explore with the senses. Water can be poured through fingers, and hands can slap water to make it splash. Give extra support if your child can’t sit in the tub without help – a plastic laundry basket with mesh sides gives support and won’t trap water. If your child is visually impaired, give help in locating toys in the bathtub.
Babies enjoy sound games as they approach their first birthdays. Hide musical toys or sound-making objects so your child can locate them. The visually impaired child might need some help. The first time you play the game, place the sound nearby so your child finds it easily.
The 1-year old explores by touching. In a special drawer, keep objects that are safe to touch and play with (such as a wooden spoon, a strainer, a funnel, an old pan, or an old magazine).
A flashlight is another toy for this age. Children love to examine the switch and shine the light in a darkened room.
Noisemakers give practice in telling different sounds apart. Fill salt or oatmeal boxes or film canisters with noisy objects (such as oatmeal, raisins, or old measuring spoons). Make these in pairs so your child can match the sounds.
You can do the same kind of matching with smells. Put herbs, onions, garlic, lemon, etc, in small pimento or baby-food jars. Cover the jars with contact paper. Let the child match the smells.
Different textures can be explored with a “feely” bag. The bag might contain feathers, scraps of burlap or other textured fabric, an object which might be rough or soft.
Sand and water play is fun, too. Your child can feel the dry sand as it runs through the fingers and can make imprints in the wet sand. Macaroni or beans also pour nicely.
Cooked clay dough is another good material for play and sensory stimulation. Here is the recipe:
1 cup cornstarch
2 cups baking soda
1 ¼ cups water
Mix the dry ingredients in a saucepan. Add water. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil about a minute, until mixture is the consistency of moist mashed potatoes. Spoon onto a plate; cover with a damp cloth. Refrigerate in a plastic bag.
The 2-year old touches and tastes everything, so keep electrical outlets protected and electrical cords out of reach. Store breakables on high shelves. Two-year-olds explore anything which provides a new feeling or a new sound (such as sand, mud, bugs, and leaves).
The 2-year-old also enjoys games that require telling the difference between wet and dry – a big help if you’re working on toilet training. Ask if the child is dry, and give praise when he says correctly that the pants are dry. If the pants are wet, comment that the pants are wet. Another way to teach wet and dry is to show how clothes go into the dryer wet and come out dry.
The 3-year-old is learning more about the world. Imitation is how 3-year-olds act- out this understanding; they “bake” mud pies, “drive” a car, and “sweep" the floor.
The 3-year-old also enjoys water play – blowing bubbles, splashing, finding toys hidden in soapy water – and sand play – pouring, filling, and emptying. Hide toys in sand to encourage exploring. Make textured finger paint by mixing the paint with oatmeal, dry beans, etc. Many materials are good for finger painting – try frosting, yogurt, jelly or mashed potatoes. The visually impaired youngster may not enjoy playing with unfamiliar textures; the texture will be more acceptable if you let the child do the mixing.
Summary
Sometimes, the things we see, hear, or feel must be interpreted for us in order to make sense. You can help by providing a variety of experiences and by helping your child understand what the experiences mean.
For more information:
Gordon, I. J., B. Guinagh, and R. R. Jester, 1972. Child learning through child play: learning activities for the two and three year old. New York: St. Martin’s Press.
Levy, J. 1975. The Baby Exercise Book. New York: Pantheon Books
Segal, M. 1985. Your Child at Play: Birth to One Year: New York: Newmarket Press.
Segal, M., and D. Adcock. 1985. Your Child at Play: One to Two Years. New York: Newmarket Press.
Segal, M., and D. Adcock. 1985. Your Child at Play: Two to Three Years. New York: Newmarket Press.
