12 Benefits of sensory play for babies and toddlers (Courtesy: www.petitjourney.com.au ) 

1. Sensory experiences support cognitive development. 

Sensory play for babies helps developing brains bridge nerve connections. But it isn’t just good for the little ones as brain development continues into adulthood. New and frequent experiences create connections that improve a child’s ability to do more complex learning activities. 

2. Sensory activities allow children to develop their knowledge. 

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. 

3. Sensory-rich play is inclusive. 

Because there’s no right or wrong way to engage in sensory-rich play, it encourages inclusion. Sensory activities particularly benefit children with special needs, a second language and children who enjoy a practical approach to learning. 

4. Play using the senses aids in developing and enhancing memory. 

Scientists have identified the sense of smell as one of our strongest sense and memory links. Other research linking memory recall and senses suggests our memories are scattered across the brain sensory centers. 

5. Sensory play encourages the development of fine and gross motor skills. 

Motor skills are predetermined actions that involve your babies’ movement. Sensory play encourages babies and toddlers to move and participate in play, often using repetitive movements. 

6.  Problem-solving, exploration and creativity are all benefits of sensory activities. 

Children love to squish, pull, pour, stir, tap, rub, push, sniff, listen, transport, combine, make patterns and engage in role play – all things different stages of sensory play encourage including play with loose parts. 

7. Children who are agitated calm when doing sensory play. 

Children engaged in sensory play often become absorbed in their activities. Playing outdoors or with sand, using scented candles to create a serene scent scape (with supervision), and the sights and sounds of bubbles and water help distract upset children and promote mindfulness. 

8.  Sensory play supports language development. 

Seeing, hearing, touching, tasting and smelling are all ways children learn to think, feel and compare their environment and the objects within it. Using multiple senses at the same time stimulates learning and language development, especially descriptive words. 

9. New and varied sensory experiences are fun. 

Different sensory activities stir different senses. By creating countless experiences and giving children with a host of new and varied challenges, children can discover new things about themselves and their world every day. 

10.  Sensory activities assist children in learning differences and attributes. 

When it comes to color, sensory play provides the conditions for learning where children first discover the differences of each color. Children learn about the attributes of an object or concept using their senses. 

11.  Sensory play can suit any environment, outdoors or inside. 

The outdoor environment provides a vast wealth of freely available experiences to promote a child’s senses. It’s also more suited to messy play. But it’s possible to explore messy play indoors and keep your home safe or tidy. 

When your child engages in messy play, protect floor areas or table surfaces with an old plastic table cover. The bathtub or kitchen sink is also an excellent location for messy play, especially if you’re using paints or water. Sensory bins and tubs help with putting loose parts away. 

12. Scientific thinking is supported through play with the senses. 

Sensory play supports scientific thinking which involves inquiry, experimentation, hypothesizing, researching and investigating encourages a child to use their senses to discover new aspects.