I will begin this blog by explaining a bit more about it:
What Is Sensory Play?
Sensory play in a nut shell is play which stimulates one or more of our senses.
There are 5 senses in total -
* Hearing * Sight * Taste * Touch * Smell
Why is Sensory Play so valuable?
What I love so much about sensory play is that opportunities can be provided and every single child/adult can succeed. There is no right or wrong way to do things, individuals can be left to explore, experiment, create and learn at their own pace and there isn't a planned or expected outcome.
It allows children/adults to work alongside one another - sharing, imitating, relationship building. Its fun, calming, therapeutic even. It encourages social interaction, imagination, creativity, language development, cognitive growth. There are opportunities for problem solving, decision making and can boost confidence and self esteem.
What age can we start taking part in sensory play?
Sensory play is great for children and adults of all ages.
Before babies are even born they are learning about their environment via their senses and of course this continues after they are born. They begin to learn about their new world around them by what they see, hear, touch, taste and smell.
Some materials used during sensory play may not be suitable for all ages however so it's important to take that into consideration when planning and preparing.
Make sure items are age appropriate, safe and supervised as and when required.
Also check for any allergies. Ensure that the task you are providing is suitable for the individual which leads me on to my next Q+A....
Is Sensory Play for everybody?
Some individuals will enjoy sensory experiences a lot more than others. Some people will gravitate towards them at every opportunity they get and love nothing more than getting 'stuck in'. This will not be the case for everybody although opportunities can be adapted to be more suited to them.
It's paramount that sensory play is not forced upon anyone!
Some Great Medias For Sensory Play
Rice - dye it, add scents and glitter to it
Water - dye it, freeze it, add bubbles, toys, containers
Glitter - can be added to almost anything and glistens lovely
Water Beads - mash them, colour sort them, feel and freeze them
Lentils - mix, pour
Pasta - sort, mix, cook, dye it add scents to it
Sand - add water, draw with it, filter through toys, build
Ice - feel, make an artic scene, make ice blocks hiding sensory items
Shaving Foam - add glitter, colour it, fantastic for mark making
Mirrors - funny mirrors, dance in them, dress up and look at yourself
Fabrics - ribbons, scarves, ties, silk, wool - list is endless
Playdough - dyed, scented, add glitter/oats/beads etc
Lights - torches, bubble machines, projectors, disco lights/balls
Bubbles - hand held, push along bubble machines, touchable bubbles, water play
Scents - The lists of scents you can use is endless
Sweet Wrappers - great to collect over Christmas - sparkly, crunchy, see-through
Painting - edible paints, indoor/outdoor, finger painting, colour mixing etc
Nature - sticks, conkers, pine cones, grass, flowers, leaves
Pipe Cleaners - colourful, sorting, bending, making, big long short, small
Ribbons - feel, explore, long, short, sparkly, smooth, rough, stiff
Shells - bumpy, smooth, big, small, rough
Twigs - rough, bumpy,
Some Useful Apparatus For Sensory Play
Spoons
Scoops
Bowls
Plastic Bottles
Trays
Containers
Brushes
Paint Combs
Tweezers
Some materials used during sensory play may not be suitable for all ages however so it's important to take that into consideration when planning and preparing.
Make sure items are age appropriate, safe and supervised as and when required.
Also check for any allergies. Ensure that the task you are providing is suitable for the individual which leads me on to my next Q+A....
Is Sensory Play for everybody?
Some individuals will enjoy sensory experiences a lot more than others. Some people will gravitate towards them at every opportunity they get and love nothing more than getting 'stuck in'. This will not be the case for everybody although opportunities can be adapted to be more suited to them.
It's paramount that sensory play is not forced upon anyone!
Some Great Medias For Sensory Play
Rice - dye it, add scents and glitter to it
Water - dye it, freeze it, add bubbles, toys, containers
Glitter - can be added to almost anything and glistens lovely
Water Beads - mash them, colour sort them, feel and freeze them
Lentils - mix, pour
Pasta - sort, mix, cook, dye it add scents to it
Sand - add water, draw with it, filter through toys, build
Ice - feel, make an artic scene, make ice blocks hiding sensory items
Shaving Foam - add glitter, colour it, fantastic for mark making
Mirrors - funny mirrors, dance in them, dress up and look at yourself
Fabrics - ribbons, scarves, ties, silk, wool - list is endless
Playdough - dyed, scented, add glitter/oats/beads etc
Lights - torches, bubble machines, projectors, disco lights/balls
Bubbles - hand held, push along bubble machines, touchable bubbles, water play
Scents - The lists of scents you can use is endless
Sweet Wrappers - great to collect over Christmas - sparkly, crunchy, see-through
Painting - edible paints, indoor/outdoor, finger painting, colour mixing etc
Nature - sticks, conkers, pine cones, grass, flowers, leaves
Pipe Cleaners - colourful, sorting, bending, making, big long short, small
Ribbons - feel, explore, long, short, sparkly, smooth, rough, stiff
Shells - bumpy, smooth, big, small, rough
Twigs - rough, bumpy,
Some Useful Apparatus For Sensory Play
Spoons
Scoops
Bowls
Plastic Bottles
Trays
Containers
Brushes
Paint Combs
Tweezers
So there we have it Sensory Play explained - The What's and the Why's touched upon.
If you have anything you would like to add please get in touch! I would love to hear from you!
If you have anything you would like to add please get in touch! I would love to hear from you!
Why not check out some of our sensory play ideas featured in the right hand side column.
(The five senses poster used on this blog post was featured on google and was created by Bev Evans who created fantastic resources for the SEN community. I love all her work!)
(The five senses poster used on this blog post was featured on google and was created by Bev Evans who created fantastic resources for the SEN community. I love all her work!)
Thats brillient thankyou so much
ReplyDeleteThank you Rara, glad you have enjoyed reading this post x
ReplyDelete