5 Sensory Activities That Grow Your Child’s Brain

 FEBRUARY 20, 2023 CHILD'S BRAIN DEVELOPMENT

Sensory activities play an important role in helping children to develop their brains and improve their overall learning abilities. Research shows that children who participate in sensory activities experience an improvement in their cognitive, emotional, and social development. Whether it’s playing with play dough, coloring, or playing with water, sensory activities help to stimulate children’s senses and promote learning. In this article, we will explore five sensory activities that can help to grow your child’s brain.

Playdough

Playdough is an excellent tool for sensory play and can help to stimulate a child’s imagination. Playing with play dough can help children to develop their fine motor skills and improve their hand-eye coordination. Additionally, the tactile experience of squishing, rolling, and shaping the play dough helps to activate the brain’s sensory receptors and enhances their sensory awareness.

Playdough is a great sensory tool for the development

To make play dough, you can follow a simple recipe that requires only a few ingredients. Mix together 2 cups of flour, 1 cup of salt, 2 tablespoons of cream of tartar, 1 cup of water, and 2 tablespoons of oil. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring continuously, until it forms a ball. Remove from heat and let it cool for a few minutes before kneading it into a smooth dough. You can also add food coloring to make it more visually appealing.

Playing with play dough can be done in many different ways. You can encourage your child to mold different shapes, create a sculpture, or use cookie cutters to make fun designs. Children can also use play dough to make simple games, such as rolling it into balls and seeing who can roll them the farthest. This is a great way to encourage your child’s creativity and imagination.

Sensory Bottles

Sensory bottles are an excellent way to stimulate a child’s sense of sight, touch, and sound. These bottles are made by filling a clear container with water and adding different materials such as glitter, beads, or colored water to create a unique and visually appealing display. Children can shake the bottle to see the materials swirl and create patterns or observe the materials as they settle back to the bottom. Sensory bottles can be made to focus on a particular color or theme and can be changed as often as desired to keep the activity fresh and engaging.

To make a sensory bottle, you will need a clear plastic bottle with a tight-fitting lid. Fill the bottle about three-quarters of the way with water and add food coloring, glitter, beads, or any other small objects that will float or sink. Secure the lid tightly and shake the bottle to make sure the contents are distributed evenly. You can also add a small amount of glycerin to the water to slow down the movement of the materials and create a calming effect.

Playing with sensory bottles can help children to develop their visual perception and hand-eye coordination. Additionally, it can help to soothe children who have sensory processing difficulties and provide them with a calming and engaging activity. Sensory bottles can be made in different sizes and designs to suit different age groups, making it a versatile activity for all children.

Visual Activities

The sense of sight is critical for developing visual perception, which plays a key role in your child’s ability to understand and interpret the world around them. Visual activities like drawing, painting, and looking at books can help your child develop their sense of sight.

Another great way to encourage visual development is through sensory lights. Sensory lights are special lights that emit different colors and patterns and can be used to create a sensory experience that stimulates the sense of sight. You can use sensory lights in a dark room or while playing with toys or bubbles to create a unique and engaging visual experience.

Hearing and Music

The sense of hearing is important for developing auditory perception and language skills. Listening to music and playing with musical instruments can help your child develop their sense of hearing and their ability to understand and enjoy different sounds and rhythms.

You can encourage your child’s sense of hearing by playing different types of music and singing songs together. You can also encourage them to play with musical instruments like maracas, tambourines, and drums. These activities will help your child develop their sense of hearing and their ability to enjoy and understand different types of music.