Sensory play is a huge part of
Sean and Olivia’s daily play. Sensory play, also known as messy play, uses your
child’s senses (either one or more) while they explore and naturally use the
scientific process. One concept that profoundly stands out from one of my
college psychology classes is the idea that babies enter this world with a
blank slate and through experiences we begin to create file folders of ideas
and then with more experiences we continue to add files in each folder. Sensory
play helps create and fill these files. When you engage the senses it creates
memorable moments that we can draw upon later. When playing in snow or ice, for
example, you learn that it’s white, cold, and eventually melts when the
temperature rises. These are all areas that children will later encounter in
school (color, temperature, changes of matter). Your child will have these
experiences in their memory that will help them later assimilate this
information faster and with deeper meaning.
I introduced water beads to Sean
when he was 1 year old and recently introduced them to Olivia (9 months) under
supervision. Water beads are tiny beads that expand when soaked in water and
take on a jelly like consistency, think wet contact lenses. They can be
purchased in craft stores or online near the artificial flower section. They
are nontoxic but if you know your child loves to put things in their mouth I
would wait until this phase passes or watch them like a hawk and correct them
so they learn not to eat them (which is what I did with Olivia).
For this invitation I set a bowl
of presoaked water beads, measuring cups, spoons, and plastic containers on a
large sheet on my kitchen floor. Sean compared the amount in each measuring
cup, practiced scooping and pouring (great for helping in the kitchen), and set
up a “picnic” for his little sis. Olivia of course made several attempts to eat
them I just said NO and redirected her by showing her how to put them in the
cup and bounce them. After about 15 minutes she became so engrossed in pouring
and squishing them she stopped trying to eat them.
When you are finished playing you
can store them in a large zip lock bag with water or drain the water and let
them dry (they will shrink to original size) and reuse them later. They are a
great addition to a fun bath experience (just don’t let them go down the drain)
or to a themed sensory bin like the beach bin below. They have become quiet the
craze for sensory lovers just do a quick internet search for more ideas.
*Throwbacks of Sean age 19 months
No comments:
Post a Comment