#tuesdaytips | Sensory Play

This week’s #tuesdaytips from Speech and Language Pathologist Sarah Buti is all about incorporating sensory play into our participant’s everyday life.

Teaching Sensory Play

What is ‘sensory play’? Sensory play, which can also be referred to as “messy play,” is simply play that encourages children to use one or more of their senses, including sight, sound, smell, touch, taste, balance and movement.  Sensory play appeals to children of all ages and is full of opportunities for language enrichment.

Some of our favorite sensory play activities include playing in tubs of colored rice, pasta or pinto beans with kitchen utensils for dumping, filling, pouring, mixing and transferring.  Also, making your own sensory bag with different textured items and instruments with different objects inside  are excellent ways to stimulate different senses while facilitating language development. You can talk about the way the bag feels, looks and smells and how loud the instrument is, while shaking it fast or slow, up, down and all around. There are so many different ways to incorporate sensory play into programs for all ages! Make it messy, make it crazy, but always make it FUN!!!

Thank you Sarah for another great tip!

If you are looking for more fun ways to incorporate Sensory Play at home check out these great ideas on Pinterest. Be sure to visit us on Facebook and share pictures and videos of your messy, purposful fun!

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