Sensory games
From the first months of age the baby progressively develops its senses. However, parents can devise sensory games to make this learning experience more enjoyable and fun. In addition, these activities will allow the infant to increase her curiosity, enhance her abilities and learn about the world around her.
The baby, in its first months of life, has little mobility and dexterity. Although, this does not prevent him from interacting with his surroundings; well, he enjoys the water while being bathed, he likes to feel the wind and listen to music as well as the loving words of his parents, to mention a few examples.
All that information you receive through your senses will increase and improve over time, as sensory development occurs. This development is so important that it generates important changes in the neural connections of the brain and can be stimulated through sensory games for children.
Is it necessary to stimulate the baby sensorily?
All parents must recognize the importance of imparting sensory education from the time the baby is in the cradle, given that taste, sight, smell, hearing and touch are a kind of means that will allow the child, in the future, acquire more complex learning.
In addition, with the help of parents, children will be able to easily interact with their environment and at the same time stimulate their mental, physical and psychomotor development . The fundamental thing is that the little ones feel motivated to carry out the activities freely, so that they observe, manipulate, listen, try and experiment so that in this way they optimize their sensory capacity.
Materials to implement
To prepare these sensory activities, only simple materials are required, which are generally available at home and can even be recycled and reused. The only requirement is to obtain sensory materials that are safe, although it is also convenient that they be varied, with a stimulating purpose, that lend themselves to addressing one or several senses, that capture the attention of children and, therefore, their curiosity.
Games that activate the senses of the child
As each child advances at their own pace , various activities must be applied, whether they are focused on a single sense or in a multisensory way and although we will only present some games, online you will be able to find many proposals that are easy to prepare.
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With the implementation of these sensory stimulation activities, the child learns to explore the world and conquer the unknown.
- Artistic paint
Painting is a classic and practical alternative, not only to help develop the sense of sight, but also imagination and creativity. Support the child to use the brush or, better yet, to paint with their hands or feet. Also, you can use unusual materials, such as: straws to spread the paint while blowing or cut vegetables as a stamp.
- Games with flashlights and shadows
With the help of a flashlight, illuminate the walls and play with the child to find or follow the light. Even with their hands they can play at making “Chinese shadows” while the lantern projects the light and they tell stories.
Touch
Among the sensory activities for babies you can find countless games that stimulate touch and, therefore, allow the child to learn about his environment and even develop socially and emotionally .
- box of sensations
Look for a box in which you manage to place several objects with different textures. To get the things in these sensory boxes the child can only use their hands and must predict which one is correct based on touch.
- bumpy road
Design a sensory path in which the little one can walk and feel different textures with their feet: soft, smooth, hard, rough, viscous and others.
Hearing
By stimulating the sense of hearing, the little one is encouraged to increase their attention span and concentration .
- homemade instruments
Use materials such as cans, bottles, seeds, cardboard, boxes, straws, plates and plates to make drums, maracas, guitars, flutes, castanets and other instruments that allow you to recite a song.
Taste
Offer healthy foods to the little one, so that he can fully explore his sense of taste.
- Guess what it is
Use a blindfold to cover the child’s eyes, give him a taste of various foods and expect him to guess, through his taste perception, what food it is. Try to prepare dishes of various sweet, salty, acid and other flavors.
Smell
Smell allows the child’s mind to be stimulated and, thanks to its intervention, new memories are created.
- aromatic bags
Among the games of the senses for children, aromatic bags are effective for developing smell. Use aromatic herbs, coffee beans, onions, fruits and other products that contain a strong aroma.
Multiple senses at once
- discover the traces
In modeling clay or modeling dough supports objects with various textures such as tactile balls and creates footprints. The child must associate the object to which it belongs. Hence, he will put the senses of sight and touch to work.
- sandbox at home
Whether in the patio, the terrace, or inside the house, build a sandbox for the little one to experiment and build everything that their imagination and their senses allow.
- sensory book
With felt and other textiles, create a quiet book; that is, a book that contains different colors, textures and shapes to stimulate their senses in children.
Finally, you could also devise a massage ritual that helps stimulate awareness of his own body in the little one. On the other hand, do not rule out the idea of acquiring a toy that stimulates the 5 senses for children, since it can be part of the sensory material in the aforementioned activities. In this case, Montessori toys are a good alternative, since they encourage the child to develop each of her senses depending on her age.
