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The five senses are important when a child is playing because the senses are how we see and explore the world and how young children learn new things. Babies learn by putting things in their mouths and toddlers learn by touching and exploring. Using the senses makes play and learning an immersive experience as well as a fun and memorable one. Creative play helps a child’s sensory development by getting more use out of the senses. Experiencing different tastes and smells that they would not ordinarily come across helps develop those senses. Touching new things and making things with their hands helps develop their motor skills. Sensory play is also great for children with special needs because if one of their senses is missing or not as strong, incorporating their other senses will help to strengthen them and help the child learn without feeling left out.

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Play can be used intentionally and effectively to help your child develop and learn. By choosing certain play activities for your child, you can incorporate their senses and emphasize certain domains but still keep the play fun and engaging.
Physical development can happen during many play activities. Fine motor skills are developed when building with blocks, when putting on clothes for dress up, drawing and coloring, pouring and molding in a water and sand table, and many more activities.
Cognitive development happens in play because children have to problem solve, have to ability to create new things, and use their imagination. Children can also explore and learn about the world with activities outside or participate in real-life activities by copying their parents.
Social and emotional skills are developed when playing with other children. The child has to wait their turn, learn patience, learn to share, and interact nicely with other children. Children can also develop emotions on their own when experiencing pride when they build a tower or disappointment when the tower falls.
Language development happens during play when children have to communicate with other students. They may also come up with stories when playing dress up and have their characters or dolls talk to each other.

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10 playful activities for children with disabilities

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Play that Accommodates your Child with Special Needs

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Play that Accommodates your Child with Special Needs

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This article has many different activities that work with all children including children with special needs or accommodations. One activity is a tray activity with suction cups or other sensory toys like paint or sand. This tray can sit on top of a wheelchair or be placed anywhere for your child. This activity is great because it helps your child explore and learn through touch and is a great sensory experience.

10 playful activities for children with disabilities. UNICEF Parenting. (n.d.). Retrieved September 20, 2022, from https://www.unicef.org/parenting/child-care/10-playful-educational-activities-children-disabilities

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Keeping little ones busy can be a full-time job, so it's always useful to have ideas on-hand for fun activities that you can do together. The best way for children to learn, no matter their abilities, is through play. Play is all about discovery - and having fun. Here are 10 stimulating activities that you can do indoors with your child. Be patient, listen and enjoy spending time and learning together!

1. Place a variety of toys on a tray or flat surface to stimulate your child. Try sensory toys or toys with suction cups that will stick on flat surfaces. You could also use sponges or cups.

2. Make up a game using a ball - you can even make one together using cloth. Decide the best way to play with your hands and feet depending on the mobility of your child.

3. Make a video of the things you have recorded your child doing and play it for them. You can also do this with just an audio recorder to play back their singing or laughing.

4. Take your children to the kitchen to help prepare food. Depending on what you're doing and how interested your child is, you can let them help you or just give them their own plastic bowl and spoon to mimic your actions.

5. Take advantage of their artistic talents and let them colour or paint. There are brushes and drawing utensils that have big easy-to-grab shapes so that children who have little mobility can easily grab them! Finger painting is also a fun option.

6. Read books together in a comfortable position sitting or standing (depending on your child's ability). You can also pull out family photo albums and point to familiar faces. Finding the best position, which can be done with a pillow or using an angled tray on a table, will help your child to feel more comfortable and encourage him to keep his head up.

7. Make a tray of water or sand for your child to play with different textures. You can also add toys.

8. Play with dough, either clay or homemade. Use molds and have fun cutting and assembling shapes. Cookie cutters or large cups with large handles may be easier for your child to grasp.

9. Spend some quiet time playing with simple puzzles or making shape, colour, word or number cards. Using a flat, smooth surface such as a table or tray will make the activity easier.

10. Sing, dance and make noise with your child. Your little one can use any cooking pot and homemade instruments to keep rhythm with you.
>> For more ideas, check out Learning together at home

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10 playful activities for children with disabilities

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6 Easy Sensory Play Activities for Kids at Home

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Play with your Toddler using their Senses

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Play with your Toddler using their Senses

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This article features games that involve your child’s senses. The back drawing game features the sense of touch by having them draw letters and numbers with their fingers as well as feeling the letters and numbers on their back. The “I spy” game uses sight by having them search for items around their home. They will also have to learn how to describe the objects with color, look of texture, etc. The flavor test game uses taste and the child will learn to distinguish sour vs sweet vs salty etc. The sniff test game uses smell and your child can distinguish between good smells and bad smells. The diy shakers incorporates hearing and different sounds can be made with different supplies for the shakers.

Team, C. M. (2022, April 22). 6 easy sensory play activities for kids at home. Children's Museum of Sonoma County. Retrieved September 20, 2022, from https://www.cmosc.org/sensory-play-activities/

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Fun Ways Children Can Explore Their Five Senses Through Play

Chances are, you still know the lyrics to certain songs that you haven't heard since you were a toddler. And certain smells probably trigger memories you didn't even realize you still hold on to. Most adults can relate to this and that is because we learn best by engaging our five main senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell!

From a young age, we are all natural explorers and experimenters, learning as much as we can about the world around us. Before we can speak or even crawl, we use our five basic senses to perceive and interact with our surroundings and environment.

With sensory-friendly activities, we can naturally encourage children to try new things, explore, observe, and learn - through play!

What is Sensory Play?

Sensory play is any activity that encourages the use of your child's sense of smell, taste, touch, sound, or sight. By stimulating the natural use of these key senses through fun activities, your child's brain creates strong, positive connections to new and different sensory information.

Why Sensory Play is Important for Children's Development

Through sensory play, children come into contact with new textures, noises, smells, and situations - with no expectations. This allows them to naturally develop positive connections to these new stimulants.

Creating opportunities for children that naturally encourage the use of their senses is essential to young brain development. This results in cognitive growth as children develop their own understanding of their environment through their own problem-solving and motor skills. They will then naturally start to challenge themselves to complete more complex tasks, at their own decided pace.

6 Sensory Friendly Home Play Activities for Kids

1. Touch: Back Drawing

Back drawing is a creative sensory activity that focuses on your child's sense of touch. You simply take turns drawing different shapes with the tip of your finger on each other's backs. You then guess what the other person is drawing based on how it feels. You can experiment with more complex drawings, or even practice your alphabet!
Things to Draw:

Simple shapes: circle, square, triangles, etc.

A sun

A smiley face

Letters of the alphabet

A star

And so much more!

This activity is also very relaxing and a great game to help settle down before nap or bedtime!

2. Sight: "I Spy!"

"I Spy" is a classic game that can be played a number of different ways to help your child further develop their sense of sight.
Different Ways to Play "I Spy"

Use a picture book and have them search for different colors, characters, or objects.

Go in your backyard and search for different things like a small bird, a yellow flower, a faraway bush, or the biggest rock.

Choose different windows in the house and see what different things you can spy from different points of view.

Stand in front of a bookshelf or kitchen pantry and find specific titles, colors, or familiar foods!

"I Spy" books are a great tool to help children develop many different motor skills like holding a book and turn a page, while also using their sense of sight.

3. Sound: DIY Shakers

Explore how different household items make different noses with homemade shakers! You can work together to construct the shakers and get as creative as you want to decorate them.
DIY Shaker Materials:

Paper plates folded in half

Toilet or paper towel rolls

Dried beans

Rice

Small coins

And much more!

Using different items to fill different shakers will allow your child to explore the difference in sound through fun play!

4. Taste: Flavor Test

The flavor taste test is a great way to introduce your child to new foods without the pressure to eat a whole meal. You are also granting them the independence to choose, while also making the act of trying new things a fun game. Choose a number of different foods from across the flavor spectrum for your child to sample and see how many they can name.
Foods to Taste Test:

Sour lemons

Sweet raisins

Savory cheese

Salty crackers

Bitter grapefruit

Give this game a bit of surprise by trying the foods blindfolded!

5. Smell: Blindfold Sniff Test

The blindfold sniff test is a fun guessing game for kids of all ages! Simply gather a number of familiar scents, and a couple challenging ones, and let your child smell each one while blindfolded and guess what they are smelling!
Sniff Test Items:

Sliced lemons

Coffee beans

Onion

Cinnamon

Grass

Pepper

Herbs: cilantro, basil, rosemary, etc

And much more!

For the sniff test, the items don't need to be food-related, but they tend to be the safest items to smell. Items like sunblock, toothpaste, or playdough could be fun and safe substitutes as well.

6. Sensory Bins Stimulate All 5 Senses

Sensory bins are large containers filled with an assortment of carefully selected objects that are great for stimulating all of your child's senses. When children play with a sensory bin, there are no rules or expected outcomes. They are simply exploring the materials inside the box and creating a game all their own. This encourages young minds to be creative while developing sensory understanding and positive connections to new stimulants.
What Goes in a Sensory Bin?
The sandboxes you probably grew up playing in are actually giant sensory bins!

Learn More About the Benefits of Sensory Play with the Children's Museum of Sonoma County

Stay connected with The Children's Museum of Sonoma County Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and join us for our weekly virtual children's events online!

Virtual Wacky Wednesdays: Every Wednesday we're getting WACKY! Come explore programming from liquid nitrogen demos, to building marble roller coasters, to clay play!

Virtual Storytime on Thursdays: Join CMOSC Playologists for Storytime every Thursday!

Virtual Toddler Play Date on Fridays: Join us every Friday morning for virtual Toddler programming. Developed specifically for little ones (up to 2.5 years old), each week will bring an engaging program like a toddler dance party, sensory explorations, art activities, and more!

Virtual Art Adventures every Tuesday: Join Kelly, CMOSC's Art Studio Coordinator ? for guided art projects every week!

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6 Easy Sensory Play Activities for Kids at Home

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Chances are, you still know the lyrics to certain songs that you haven't heard since you were a toddler. And certain smells probably trigger memories you didn't even realize you still hold on to. Most adults can relate to this and that is because we learn best by engaging our five main senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell!

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10 household items you can use for play with toddlers

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This article includes activities to do with your child with supplies that are already in your home. This article covers the physical domain by having your child make lines with tape and drop cotton balls into a jar. They will have to keep the tape straight and make sure that the cotton balls get into the jar which will help develop their fine motor skills. This game covers the language and cognitive domain by playing “ispy”. It helps develop their language by challenging them to describe objects with words like color words and numbers. The social domain is covered in the game “tag” by using flashlights to chase friends. The emotion domain is included by working with your toddler and the joy and disappointment they may feel when playing such as building a tower and watching it fall.

Kendra Moyses, M. S. U. E. (2022, January 21). 10 household items you can use for play with toddlers. MSU Extension. Retrieved September 20, 2022, from https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/10_household_items_you_can_use_for_play_with_toddlers

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Toddlers don't need fancy or expensive toys to have fun. Try these 10 common household items for playing with your toddler.

Toddlers don't need fancy or expensive toys to have fun. The most important thing for toddlers is to have positive interactions with the adults in their lives on a daily basis. Did you know when children are playing, they are learning? Children learn about the world around them through play and exploration. By playing, children are learning math, science, literacy, language, social skills and much more. The great thing is you don't need expensive toys to have a great play time with your toddler.

Check out these 10 common household items recommended by Michigan State University Extension that you can use for playtime with your toddler.

1. Cotton balls. Using a container and cotton balls, have your toddler see if they can drop them into the container while standing over it, or throw them into the container from a short distance. They are working on science skills, hand-eye coordination and fine and large motor skills.

2. Masking tape. Tape a straight line on the floor and have your toddler walk heel to toe on the line. They are working on large motor skills and balance.

3. Laundry baskets. Use them as baskets and have toddlers throw soft balls or rolled up socks into the baskets. Use the laundry baskets as boats or cars and spend some time driving or boating. They are working on imagination and large and small motor skills.

4. Old blankets, sheets or towels. Use these to build an indoor fort or tent. Eat lunch or have a snack in there! Talk about what else you could do in the fort or tent. Take the blankets, sheets or towels outside and use them as a parachute to toss around different sized balls or soft objects. Toddlers are working on imagination and gross motor skills.

5. Paper towel or toilet paper tubes. Take two paper tubes and tape them together to make binoculars. Decorate the binoculars and play "I spy" or ask what they see with their binoculars. You can also create a monocular using only one tube, like a pirate's spyglass, and pretend you are a pirate on a ship at sea and talk about what you see. Toddlers are working on imagination, following directions and creative play.

6. Plastic or paper cups. Use the cups as building blocks. See how tall of a tower you can build by stacking the cups. Use two cups and a piece of string to create a telephone. Put the ends of the string through the bottom of two cups and tie knots to keep them from falling out. Carefully pull the string tight and have one person talk into the cup while the other person listens through the other cup. See what happens when you keep the string loose. Toddlers are working on large motor, science and comparison skills.

7. Plastic or paper plates. Use the plates as musical instruments by taping them to straws, spoons or craft sticks and using them like cymbals. Make up a song you can sing together. Decorate the paper plates and use them as hats. You can use string to help them stay on your head. Make masks out of the paper plates by drawing different faces on them. Toddlers are working on imagination, creativity and fine motor skills.

8. Flashlights. Use the flashlights to make hand puppets on the wall and have a puppet show. Play flashlight tag outside, where you use the beam of light from the flashlight to "tag" people. Explore shadows created by the flashlights. Talk about why shadows are created and see what your own shadow looks like. Toddlers are working on large and small motor skills, imagination and science.

9. Boxes. Big boxes can be props for building big! Use the boxes to build large towers. They can also be used for building forts or other structures. Toddlers are working on large motor skills and imagination.

10. Measuring cups. Use these for scooping and pouring. You can use water, rice, noodles or any other object toddlers can fill and empty easily. Toddlers are working on math, science and fine motor skills.

For more articles on child development, academic success, parenting and life skill development, please visit the Michigan State University Extension website.

To learn about the positive impact children and families are experience due to MSU Extension programs, read our 2016 Impact Reports: " Preparing Young Children for Success" and " Preparing the Future Generation for Success."

Additional impact reports, highlighting even more ways Michigan 4-H and MSU Extension positively impacted individuals and communities in 2016, can be downloaded from the Michigan 4-H website.

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10 household items you can use for play with toddlers

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Toddlers don't need fancy or expensive toys to have fun. Try these 10 common household items for playing with your toddler. Toddlers don't need fancy or expensive toys to have fun. The most important thing for toddlers is to have positive interactions with the adults in their lives on a daily basis.