The Importance of Sensory Play for Preschoolers and Toddlers

The Importance of Sensory Play for Preschoolers and Toddlers

Preschool age children learn through their five senses: touch, sight, smell, taste, and hearing.  These senses are used to explore the world around them and to learn through those experiences.  As educators and parents, it is important to recognize this method and assist them by providing activities involving sensory play. 

The most commonly used sense in children is sight.  Providing a variety of shapes and colors is an excellent way to enhance a child’s learning.  Children often benefit from activities which involve comparing different size shapes and colors.  Craft and art projects are a wonderful way to stimulate a child’s sense of sight.

Hearing is a highly beneficial sense in the classroom as well.  Music and sounds are often included in learning toys and programs because children are able to excel when a concept is set to music or sounds.  Music also encourages coordination and motor skills development while teaching children to dance and keep the beat.

The sense of touch is another frequently useful tool for learning.  Starting from birth, children gather information by touching objects and learning through different textures.  Sensory tables are placed in preschools to assist with this process.  These tables contain items with objects of varied sizes and textures for children to explore.

Taste and smell are vital in the educational setting too.  Although exploration through the sense of taste must be closely monitored, edible doughs or treats during snack time can be used to assist children in trying assorted textures of safe foods.  The sense of smell is very important, linking us to memories and sentimental times in our life.  To stimulate this sense, have conversations with children about what flowers or other items smell like to them.

Sensory play is essential for a child’s growth and development.  We are responsible for encouraging children to use all five senses to explore their world.  Wood Designs provides a variety of sensory furniture that is safe for children and encourages such methods of learning.  Our Deluxe Science table includes magnifiers and mirrors for children to examine objects to better understand them.  The Sensory & Water table is another product from Wood Designs that focuses on tactile learning.  This table can be filled with sand or water to allow for the exploration of textures and objects while having fun.  The table comes with a lid which doubles as a work surface to be used in other creative sensory projects.

To fill your classroom or home with wonderful and safe sensory products, please check out these items and our many others in the Sensory & Physical Activity section on our web site at WoodDesigns.com.


Pictured above: Workbench with 4 Translucent Trays and Wooden Blocks, 2 Shelf Open Divider with Wooden Blocks, Art Center for Four, Sand & Water Table with Lid/Shelf, Build-N-Play Table.>