Exploring the Senses: The Power of Sensory Play!
March 2025
As parents and educators, we know that children experience the world around them through their senses—touch, sight, smell, sound, and even taste! Sensorial play is all about helping children tap into these senses in a hands-on, engaging way.
From the feel of soft playdough to the sight of colorful paints, the sound of water splashing, and the smell of freshly baked cookies, sensory play helps children explore their environment in a deeply personal way. It can be a calming, soothing experience or an exciting, energizing one—whatever suits the moment. Through sensory play, children discover how to process information, express themselves, and develop physically and emotionally.
Every child is unique, and they learn differently. By observing how children interact with their senses, we can begin to understand their preferred learning styles. Some may respond best to touch, while others may be more attuned to sound or sight. This doesn’t mean they are limited to one way of learning, but rather that they each have preferences that can help guide their exploration and growth.
Kinesthetic Learner – This is the child who thrives on hands-on experiences! They learn best when they can touch, smell, and even taste the world around them. Their learning comes to life through movement and physical interaction, making the world their playground of discovery.
Auditory Learner – These learners are in tune with the sounds of the world! They absorb knowledge through music, call-and-response activities, and any form of hearing. For them, rhythm, melody, and verbal cues are the key to unlocking learning.
Visual Learner – For these learners, the world is a canvas of patterns and shapes. They process information through sight, identifying and making connections with what they see. Whether it’s colors, images, or visual cues, their minds thrive when their eyes lead the way.
What are children learning?
Creativity, confidence, curiosity, critical thinking, cause and effect, problem solving, language skills, experimentation, patterns, manipulation, dexterity, nurtures emotional development, gross and fine motor skills, and social interactions.
These activities engage multiple senses, offering a holistic learning experience that combines touch, sound, sight, and sometimes even smell and taste and appeals to different learning styles.
.jpg)
Playdough – Manipulate, mold, and shape while observing the texture, vibrant colours and the sound of squishing. How does it feel if you squeeze it in your hands? Find a recipe for Playdough here
Slime – Stretch, squish, and explore the texture of the slime and listen to the soft sounds as it moves. Is it shiny or dull?
Moon Sand – Feel the soft texture, observe how it flows, and listen to the soft sounds as it shifts and molds into new shapes.
Kinetic Sand – Watch the sand flow through your fingers, feel its unique texture, and listen to the subtle sounds it makes as it shifts.
Foam Dough – Squish and mold the airy foam, exploring the tactile feel, and its visual texture
Finger Paint – Use hands to mix, smudge, and create vibrant art while exploring the colour and texture changes. Is there sound while your smear and spread the paint on the surfaces? How does it feel?
Fabric Textures – Feel the different textures of fabrics, observe their colors and patterns, and listen to the rustling sounds they make when moved.
Sand – Build, mold, and shape sand, feel its texture, observe how it moves, and listen to the sound it makes as it’s sifted and poured.
Water Play – Splash, pour, and feel the water’s coolness, watch the reflections of light on the surface, and hear the sounds of water splashing, flowing, and trickling.
Mud – Touch and mold the wet, squishy mud, observe the color changes, and experience the earthy smell while hearing the soft splashes as you play. Does it hold it's shape if you mold it? Does it move and flow? How does it sound if you drop it on the table? The ground? Does it sound different if you throw it instead?
Smelling Jars – Open jars and explore the scents inside, while observing the different shapes and colors of the items. Can you guess what is in there before you take it out? Is the scent sweet/spicy/sharp/floral? Do you like the smell?
Bells – Shake or tap the bells, engaging the sense of hearing with the clear sounds while observing the visual shimmer of the bells and feeling the vibrations in your hands.
Musical Instruments - listen to the sounds and watch the movements of the instrument. Do the guitar strings move? How does the drum feel when you hit it? Does the sound change if you play it in a different way ie touch instead of strum the guitar?
Cornstarch Dough – Molding and manipulating with your hands, exploring the changing textures and the sound of the dough as it moves, while watching the visual patterns created. What happens as it hardens? Does it change colour as well?
Clapping – Engage in rhythmic clapping, feeling the movement, listening to the sound, and visually observing the rhythm and coordination of your hands.
Gloop (aka Oobleck) - feel it flowing or resisting as you use different amounts of pressure, watch it's movements and hear it's sounds as it falls or as it hardens when hit. What happens when we hit it? What happens when we hold it in our hands? Is it wet or dry? Can you make a pile of gloop? Find a recipe for Gloop here
Sensory Stories - read stories that engage the senses like the Very Hungry Caterpillar, We're Going on a Bear Hunt, The Three Little Pigs, & A Squash and a Squeeze for example. Make the sounds. Set up a resource with items that reflect the story. Use puppets or pictures attached to a stick to act out the story.
Each of these activities combines sensory exploration that taps into touch, sight, sound, and more, offering children a multi-sensory experience that supports learning through various channels. This approach encourages a deeper connection with the world around them, fostering creativity, cognitive development, and emotional growth.
.jpg)
Shadow Play: Encourage children to use their hands, toys, or objects to create different shapes and shadows on the wall. In the dark, a flashlight or lamp can cast intriguing shadows that stimulate both visual and kinesthetic exploration.
.jpg)
Glow-in-the-Dark Play: Incorporating glow-in-the-dark items (such as toys, paint, or slime) encourages visual learners to engage with shapes and patterns in the dark, creating a dynamic environment where both light and darkness interact.
Light and Dark Exploration: Allow children to experience the contrast between light and darkness through play by using dim lighting, flashlights, or lamps to highlight specific objects or areas. Exploring the way light changes how things look and feel can create an exciting learning environment.
By adding light and darkness as an interactive element, children’s sensory experiences are deepened, helping them explore the world from new angles, both physically and mentally. It fosters creativity and discovery, giving them a full range of sensory engagement!
.jpg)