Tuesday, 18 February 2014

The Wonders of Sensory Play (post contributed by Fiona Wielhouwer)

One area of learning through play is through sensory experiences within the classroom. Children are far more engaged in learning when we as teachers engage their senses. If we want to teach a group of children about the importance of wearing mitts in the winter or how animals in the polar regions stay warm, filling the sensory tub with ice or snow and letting them touch with different kinds of mitts will help them to understand some of these concepts. Experiencing different activities through their own senses will have a great impact on their learning.

You may be surprised how beneficial sensory play can be, and how much can be learnt by young minds when given the chance to play with a variety of tactile activities. Here are just some of the reasons why we include sensory play in our program planning:
  •       It increases language
  •       It is open-ended - there is no right or wrong way to experience sensory play, subsequently building confidence
  •       Begin to learn the scientific process through questioning, investigating and drawing conclusions
  •       Develops fine motor skills
  •       Engages children in pretend play
  •       Develops social skills
  •       Encourages self-control.
  •       It's fun!

Here are some of our children at Pearson Nursery enjoying some sensory experiences so far this year.








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