What It Means
Sensory play is any play that gets a child using their senses on purpose: running hands through sand, pouring water, squishing playdough, shaking a rattle or drum, feeling feathers and sandpaper. Cleveland Clinic says it can help children build language, fine motor skillsFine motor skillsSmall, precise movements of the wrists, hands and fingers, like picking up small bits of food, scribbling, stringing beads or doing buttons. See more and thinking skills, and early childhood educators use it as a hands-on way to learn. It's an everyday play activity for any child, and it doesn't need special equipment.
Try It: Pick a Material and See What It Builds
Pick a material to see what educators and Cleveland Clinic say it helps with. Stay with young children for all of these.
Poking, rolling and squishing work the small muscles in the fingers and hands (NAEYC).
Hands-on learning through the senses, and for some children a way to calm their bodies (NAEYC).
Hands-on exploring of how things flow and fill, one of the sense activities Penn State Extension lists.
Direct experience of how different things feel, from Penn State Extension's sense activities.
Listening and making sounds, another of Penn State Extension's sense activities.
Dry beans and rice are small. Use them only with a child who no longer puts things in their mouth, and stay right there.
How Parents Say It
- "We set up a sensory bin with dry pasta and scoops."
- "She spent an hour at the water table."
- "He loves anything squishy."
The Breakdown
Materials by stage, from Penn State Extension and NAEYC
| Material | What children practice | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Water play in a tub or table | Pouring and filling | Babies and toddlersToddlerA child from 1 to 3 years old, the stage CDC's parenting guidance places between infancy and the preschool years. See more with an adult right there |
| Playdough and clay | Finger and hand strength from poking, rolling and squishing | Toddlers and preschoolersPreschoolerA child from 3 to 5 years old, the age band the CDC uses for its preschool parenting guidance. See more |
| Sand | Scooping, digging, hands-on learning | Toddlers and up |
| Textures: cotton balls, feathers, sandpaper | Feeling and naming differences | Any age that won't mouth small pieces |
| Drums, chimes, rhythm sticks | Listening, making sound, rhythm | Babies and up |
Penn State Extension says to choose materials by a child's age and development, and the "Good for" column is Buhata's guide to that. Cleveland Clinic counts everyday things too: playing in a sandbox, running around and rolling in the grass are all sensory play.
How to play. ZERO TO THREE suggests stepping back and letting your child explore. There's no need to direct the play or show the right way to use the materials; give your child time to get used to textures that are new to them.
When to talk to the doctor. Some children strongly avoid messy textures and others can't get enough. If reactions to touch, noise or mess keep your child from everyday things like eating, dressing or playing, mention it to the pediatrician.
Good to Know
Stay with young children during water play, and keep small loose items like dried beans, rice or beads for children who no longer put things in their mouths. Cover the floor or take it outside, and plan for cleanup as part of the play. Sensory play is ordinary play for every child and isn't a treatment for any condition.
FAQ
What counts as sensory play?
Anything that gets a child using their senses on purpose: sand, water, playdough, textured materials, musical instruments. Cleveland Clinic includes a sandbox, running around and rolling in the grass.
What are the benefits of sensory play?
Cleveland Clinic says it can help build language, fine motor and thinking skills. NAEYC notes playdough strengthens the small muscles of the fingers and hands, and water and sand play can help some children calm their bodies.
At what age can a baby start sensory play?
Penn State Extension says to pick materials by a child's age and development rather than by a set age, so a baby might start with water in a tub or the sound of a chime. Save small pieces for children who no longer mouth things, and stay close during water play.
Do It in Buhata
Tasks and Shopping
Add "Set up sensory play" as a weekly Task in your Household Space in Buhata, and put playdough ingredients or bin fillers on the Shopping list.
Open BuhataRelated Terms and Categories
- Fine motor skills
Small, precise movements of the wrists, hands and fingers, like picking up small bits of food, scribbling, stringing beads or doing buttons.
- Open-ended play
Play with toys or materials that have no single right way to use them, like blocks, boxes or playdough, so the child decides what they become.
- Unstructured play
Play a child chooses and directs, with no adult-set rules, lesson or goal, like making up a game in the yard or building whatever comes to mind.
- Pretend play
Play in which a child acts out something that isn't real, like feeding a doll, using a block as a phone, or being a superhero.
- Sensory processing
How the brain takes in and responds to what a child hears, sees, touches, tastes and smells.
- Toddler
A child from 1 to 3 years old, the stage CDC's parenting guidance places between infancy and the preschool years.
Sources
Cleveland Clinic, "What Is Sensory Play? The Benefits For Your Child and Sensory Play Ideas"; NAEYC, "The Importance of Sand and Water Play"; NAEYC, "Playdough Power"; Penn State Extension, Better Kid Care, "My five senses"; ZERO TO THREE, "Outdoor Sensory Play for Toddlers: Simple Ideas Using Nature"
- health.clevelandclinic.org/benefits-of-sensory-play-ideas
- www.naeyc.org/resources/blog/importance-sand-and-water-play
- www.naeyc.org/our-work/families/playdough-power
- extension.psu.edu/programs/betterkidcare/content-areas/environment-curriculum/activities/all-activities/my-five-senses
- www.zerotothree.org/resource/outdoor-sensory-play-for-toddlers-simple-ideas-using-nature
Last updated .