Page 66 - South Mississippi Living - April, 2024

story by Lynn Lofton
Engaging the Five Senses
It’s an accepted fact that children learn by doing. But do they learn by playing? Educators say yes and moreover that sensory play has many benefits. Activities that engage the five senses of sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch help children learn and grow.
Recreational therapist Leah Young and occupational therapist Suzanne Messer with the Cleveland Clinic share why sensory play is so important and what sensory activities can easily be done at home. “Sensory play plays an important role in your child’s development from birth to early childhood, Messer says. “It helps build nerve connections in their brain’s pathways, which can help your child complete complex tasks.”
Sensory play can be as simple as playing with Play-Doh, taking a walk in the fall to hear
the leaves crunch under their feet, feeling the wind or sunshine on their faces and tasting different foods. Other examples include riding a bike, playing with slime or even just listening to music. Sensory play focuses on activities that engage your child’s senses, helping them develop language skills and motor skills. It
also helps with cognitive growth, fosters social interactions and encourages experimentation.
At Gulfport’s Gulf Education Solutions where
the LEAPS Sensory Gym is used, a spokeswoman said educators there try to incorporate sensory play into all their therapies, especially with autistic students.
Therapists Young and Messer
stress the many things that can
easily be done at home. “When
child engages in sensory play, they’re helping their brain develop and learn from certain aspects of their environment,” Messer said.
Other suggestions include listening to different types of music as well as natural sounds; touching items with varying textures such as sandpaper, pine cones, shells
and stones; watching movies a
videos; looking at photos of
loved ones; and gardening.
Toys and activities using
different shapes, colors
and textures are an
important part of sensory
play. Experts say the ideal
time to introduce sensory
play is between the ages of
one and three.
66 | April 2024
PLAY TO LEARN
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