Importance of 5 Senses in Early Childhood

What is Sensory Development? 

Sensory development refers to our five senses which allows us to explore the world around us - sight, sound, touch, taste and smell. During their early childhood years, children are most attracted to activities that engage their senses, such as sensory play and texture crates. Children crave sensory inputs to make sense of the new world around them as they learn and create! All 5 senses should be incorporated into different activities that are crucial for your child's brain development and cognitive growth. 

Sensory Play Ideas in Early Years

Your child starts using their 5 senses as soon as they born! Sensory development differs at each stage of early childhood as your child's brain develops. As they adapt, sensory play activities that they are introduced to should also be modified to meet their needs. Here are some ideas for you to explore: 

• Babies: Watch bubbles be blown through the air as it makes contact with their skin. You can also play different sounds, such as a toy drum, a xylophone, a triangle, clapping your hands, or stomping your feet to introduce audio stimulation.
• Toddlers: Create a texture crate! You can fill it up with different types of items, such as bouncy balls, shiny objects, velcro, and more. Toddlers can also explore lights and shadows created on a wall with a torch. 
• Pre-school: Sand play is always exciting for preschoolers! Bury different objects in a box of sand for your child to have a treasure hunt! Introduce different digging tools, such as shovels, for your child to explore with. Play-doughs and slime are also attractive to them. 

Help Your Child Understand Their Senses

As your child is exploring and learning about the world around them, it is important for them to learn about how they are able to do so with their five senses. Learning about the five senses also helps children know more about their body and explore how they are able to control their body parts, while acquiring vocabulary to describe how things look, hear, taste, feel or sound. 

Squizzel Box has a Five Senses thematic learning box with 10 activities for your child to explore their five senses! The activities include science experiments, DIY crafts and hands-on activities. It is the perfect starter kit to introduce the 5 senses to your child. To make it more exciting, materials and step-by-step instructions are included in the box. That means fuss-free learning for busy working parents!