Sensory Play and Your Toddler

   We often read about the sensory system in five parts.  We talk about our five senses. Sight, smell, touch, sound, and taste.  In fact, our sensory system is also made up of movement called the vestibular system and our ability to feel where our body is in space called the proprioceptive system. Movement and proprioception help us with our balance, body awareness and our ability to understand the information getting through to us from our other senses. It is movement and vision combined for example that gives us a sense of three dimensional space. Our experience with movement and sight teach us early on what objects look like from different angles and positions. We rely on our movement system and the feedback we get from our moving muscles and limbs through the proprioceptive system to help us make sense of what we see, hear, and feel.  In other words, providing an environment that is rich with movement experiences as well as rich in experiences through our other senses will help our babies learn, develop and grow. So, rough housing with your toddler, swinging your toddler through the air and providing him with a lot of movement opportunities is a great way to stimulate your toddler through his sensory system.

   When choosing games and activities for your toddler consider activities with multi sensory components.  Multi sensory input will aid your toddler in learning through play as well as promoting attention for activities.

Great multi sensory experiences:

The Beach

Back yard pools with varied toys

Baking and making doughs

Movement play like rocking horses, slides, swings, and sit and spins.

Play dough

Helping with the "Dishes"

The possibilities and fun are endless!!!! Enjoy!!!!