The entire world is brand new to young children, with so many things to see, feel, smell, taste, and hear. Children learn by engaging their senses and actively using their senses to make connections as their brains develop. This is why sensory play for babies and toddlers is so crucial during all stages of their young lives.
Here are some sensory play ideas that parents, caregivers, and nannies can do with their children for lots of fun learning opportunities.
Sensory Play for Babies
Even the very youngest babies can benefit from sensory play to improve their motor skills, social interactions, and memory retention. Babies love playing with playdough, and there are non-toxic DIY versions that you can make at home to keep your little one safe. Playdough stimulates the sense of touch and can even be scented to entice the sense of smell too. Slime is also fun to make at home and a favorite activity among little ones.
You can make sensory bags or bottles for your baby to introduce different textures and colors in a mess-free way. Good things to put into these containers are water with oil, paint, and sand. Ordinary and inexpensive objects around the house can easily double as baby toys, such as spoons, bowls, and straws.
Here are some more ideas for sensory play for babies:
- Let baby play with a bowl of water filled with ice cubes
- Fill a container with uncooked rice and small cups to dig hands into and scoop the rice
- Mix cornstarch and water in a bowl and notice how the texture changes
Sensory Play for Toddlers
Some of the benefits of sensory play for toddlers include helping them to learn more complex tasks, supporting language development, and being able to express themselves when frustrated. You can also take your toddler on a sensory walk to experience sand, water, and other textures with their feet instead of their hands.
Spending time in nature and going for walks together to explore the grass, leaves, and flowers is enriching for people of all ages. As you go out exploring, ask your child to describe what things look, sound, smell, taste, and feel like.
Need more ideas? These are some additional sensory play for toddlers ideas:
- Let the toddler play with fruits and vegetables to learn about and eat them
- Make a sound tube out of an empty paper towel roll filled with different materials
- Create art with taste-safe finger paints on paper or canvas
Get Help with Sensory Play Ideas
If you could use a more expert guidance with sensory play or more time fitting sensory play activities into your child’s day, Household Staffing International can help. We can connect you with a nanny who specializes in doing themed activities at home with children around the holidays and keeping them entertained all throughout the year. Nannies are skilled at organizing and supervising many different activities for babies and toddlers – even making chores fun to do around the house!
Household Staffing International has been the name to know for domestic professionals, especially nannies, since 1974, and we would love to introduce you to your child’s new sensory play expert. Contact us to learn more about our nanny services and find the right nanny for your family today!