It’s an important part of early childhood development for children to actively use their senses as they explore their world through ‘sensory play’ as it is crucial to their brain development.

Learning through sensory exploration comes naturally to babies and young children, which makes sense when you consider that the skills they will come to rely on to build an understanding of objects, spaces, people and interactions are yet to be fully developed.

The use of sensory play can assist the child with touching, smelling and playing with the texture in an environment with little expectation. As the child develops trust and understanding of this texture it helps build positive pathways in the brain to say it is safe to engage with this food.

Other reasons sensory play is beneficial for children include:

1. It helps to build nerve connections in the brain.
2. It encourages the development of motor skills.
3. It supports language development.
4. It encourages ‘scientific thinking’ and problem solving.
5. It increases attention span, focus and mindfulness in children.

The desire to engage with sensory play comes naturally for children and should be encouraged and supported both at home and in early learning environments.

Choose an appropriate sensory bin as to your child’s liking and age guideline and explore the journey together.