What is sensory play or sensory-motor play? Play that engages your sensory system(thing the 5 senses) along with two more senses few people know about that involve movement and balance/body awareness(vestibular and proprioceptive). Stay tuned, and I will explain how you can use these activities to boost speech and language development. As your baby grows into a very busy, curious toddler, it is important to provide them with a variety of “sensory” type activities. You may not even realize how many you are already doing, or how they are exploring and learning how to manage all the sensory input their bodies and brains are craving. For more information, visit www.yourkidstable.com.
Why is it important? Children learn best while engaged and motivated. They are already gaining so many skills so quickly in the first years of their lives. Engaging all systems during daily routines and activities provides optimum learning experiences for development. Providing these activities and engaging with them will help develop motor skills for future athletes or writers, language skills for future public speakers(#teachersareessentialworkers), and social skills for future community leaders. You can find a ton of creative ideas on the internet using everyday household items and daily routines to create these experiences.
Some children need more sensory activities than others. These are great opportunities to teach new sounds and words! Also, it will be more motivating to use that sound/word to request a continuation of the activity😊 Below are some ideas to help get those sounds and words out for the “quiet players”:
Messy play– finger painting(paint or foods like whip cream), play dough, sandbox, bin of rice/noodles/water. Words/sounds to include: wheee!, zoom, dot-dot-dot, smash, roll, push, pull, bounce, ball, snake—ssss, cookie, yum, yucky(ooooo), scoop, dig, dump
Bouncing/rolling on a ball- make sure it’s a large enough ball that they need a little help staying on it. Words/sounds to include: bounce, roll, up, down, more, all done, sing songs while they are on it(Row, Row, Row Your Boat, Wheels on the Bus, ABCs)
Swinging– on the playground, in your arms, or in a blanket(safely with two people holding the blanket). Words/sounds to include: swing, wheee!, up, down, more, all done, Ready-Set-Go, 1, 2, 3, Go
Jumping/Hopping– you can pretty much do this anywhere! Words/sounds to include: jump, hop, boom, up, down, more, all done, Ready-Set-Go, 1, 2, 3, Go
There are so many more activities out there that are examples of sensory play! If you have questions or concerns, feel free to message me. Always remember to speak to your pediatrician about your local Early Intervention program.