Yes, sensory play can get messy! But is all that mess worth it? Let’s find out…
Sensory experiences makeup the foundation of young children’s cognitive, emotional, and physical development. Every touch, smell, taste, sound, and sight during the early years plays an important part in building children’s understanding of their world. What might seem like simple explorations hold extensive early literacy opportunities. Let’s dig deeper into the connection between sensory activities and developing young children’s early literacy skills.
Sensory stimulating activities not only stimulate the senses, but also lay the groundwork for crucial cognitive processing. Research suggests that sensory-rich environments enhance neural connections which supports the development of language, cognition, and literacy skills. As young children touch, taste, smell, and listen to the world around them, they are simultaneously processing a host of linguistic cues. Even simple activities like exploring the textures in touch and feel books or listening to nursery rhymes introduce children to sounds, words, and meanings that form the building blocks of language.
Sensory experiences can also enrich children’s vocabulary and comprehension skills. Whether it’s identifying a smell or describing a sensation such as squeezing shaving cream between their fingers, sensory activities offer endless opportunities for expanding language. When children hear and use words to describe sensory experiences, they deepen their understanding of abstract concepts and build a foundation for learning the language skills necessary for effective communication and comprehension.
Sensory play is a springboard for enhancing children’s imagination and creativity. It provides opportunities for children to imagine, explore and create narratives beyond the limits of their real world. Molding shapes with playdough, painting, and listening to stories can inspire children’s imagination, and thus, support storytelling and creative expression which are essential to literacy development. Offering engaging sensory-rich experiences that involve grasping, pinching, and manipulating objects helps children refine their fine motor skills and develop the hand and finger muscles and dexterity needed for drawing and writing.
Whether it’s snuggling up with a tactile picture book or going on a nature walk, sensory experiences support children’s sense of wonder and curiosity which fosters a lifelong love of reading and writing by creating positive associations with books, language, and literacy from the start.
Lynne Hall is a research associate at the Indiana Institute on Disability & Community’s Early Childhood Center. She holds a Master of Science in Education and an Indiana instructional teaching license (Early Childhood Education and Services; Elementary/Primary Generalist; Elementary/Intermediate Generalist). She formerly taught preschool in a variety of settings for over 15 years. Her expertise includes early literacy instruction, equity in early childhood education and inclusive classroom practices.
Email her at hallma@iu.edu
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