Senses play a huge role in children and their learning abilities. Jean Piaget (1896-1980)"He was very interested in how children use play to learn about their world. Piaget believed that children learn through actively engaging in their environment. He believed that through play, children are practicing new skills and ideas until they really understand them, or as he put it, 'constructing knowledge." (Office of Head Start, n.d.) Piaget believed that play is the most important way children learn." The children's five senses help them to understand and properly interact with the world. Piaget mentioned how senses can help "construct knowledge." While the children are following Piaget's theory, they can use their senses to learn new skills. Children can build cognitive skills and a sense of their world. Sensory play is very important as well! "Each new experience they have with a different sense builds nerve connections that grow the architecture of their brain" (Only About Children, n.d.). Children use their ears for a majority of their lives to be able to understand information and form meaningful connections. Children who are impaired and cannot listen via their ears can use sign language to fully communicate with others! (West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, 2017)

Play-based learning aligns with the science background to help humans learn. As a teacher, you can incorporate this into your classroom: "Imagine an everyday block corner. The children are immersed in play with each other—some trying to build high towers and others creating a tunnel for the small toy cars on the nearby shelves." (Zosh et al., 2022)

The Pathways website offers valuable information supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics' findings. This website is useful with all of the videos and acitivites given for children with developmental needs. If you tap on the link "Actiivites for Baby" it will give you a list of many resoruces from sensory play acitiivtes to physcial therapy families can do with their baby at home. Using this website will allow you to help your baby meet its developmental milestones. "Structured Play: Requires a child to follow directions or rules, and is guided by an adult. This could include board games, puzzles, and organized classes like dance or art, or team sports like soccer." (Pathways.org, n.d.)

Many children with special needs need play alterations. Most children will not be able to play the same way another child does who does not habe specail neds. After viewing this website, I was able to find many useful ways to help children with special needs and for families as well!

"For a child who does not have the strength to stand for long periods of time, make a simple tabletop easel to let the child sit in a chair while painting. For the child who uses a wheelchair, which places him at a different height than the other children, ask the therapist about using a beanbag chair for floor-time activities. For the child who is not yet speaking or has difficulty making others understand, place photos or picture symbols in the play area so that the child can use them to increase peers understanding." I believe all these are very valuable pieces of information! These can be used in the classroom and the home as well! (Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, 2003, p. 2)

Pathways.org. (n.d.). The importance of play for development. https://pathways.org/topics-of-development/play

Senisi, E. B. (2003). Play modifications for children with disabilities. Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. https://dcf.wisconsin.gov/files/youngstar/pdf/eci/playmodifications-forchildrenwithdisabilities.pdf

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children & Families. (n.d.). Importance of play in early childhood. Head Start. https://headstart.gov/curriculum/article/importance-play-early-childhood

West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. (2017, Winter). RAU7 Winter 2017 Parent Partnership Newsletter. https://www.wvdhhr.org/birth23/raunewsletters/RAU7_Winter2017_PPNewsletter.pdf

Only About Children. (2020, December 12). Exploring the benefits of sensory play for children. https://www.oac.edu.au/news-views/sensory-play/

Zosh, J. M., Gaudreau, C., Golinkoff, R. M.,

& Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2022). The power of playful learning in the early childhood setting. Young Children, 77(2), 6–13. https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/summer2022/power-playful-learning