WHAT IS SENSORY DEVELOPMENT AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
Humans learn and experience the world with their senses. There are 7 of them: sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing, proprioception (body position) and movement.
We receive different sensory inputs all the time but how will we interpret them depends on the perception - the way brain process the inputs and decides on the proper action. Every time we experience certain input, the brain develops and strengthens neural pathways which help us to understand and react to familiar experiences.
As you can imagine, sensory experiences are especially important in early childhood. The best way adults can help child’s development at this stage is to provide a safe environment for exploration and discovery. A child needs to touch different textures, look at engaging visual stimuli, listen to different sounds, roll over, try to stand up, fall - those are all valuable experiences which promote learning and development.
So next time you see your child licking something, remember he or she just learned something new! :)
MATERIALS NEEDED FOR THE SENSORY PLAY COLORS:
- Cornstarch (2 cups)
- Food coloring
- Water (1 cup cold, 4.5+ cups boiled)
- Pot
- Whisk
- Jars or glasses for the paint
INSTRUCTIONS ON MAKING THE SENSORY PLAY COLORS:
Watch the video at the beginning of the article for step by step instructions or continue reading.
- Put 2 cups of cornstarch into the pot. Add one cup of water and whisk it vigorously
- Now take the boiling water and put 4.5 cups one by one into the mix. After each cup, mix it some more.
- If a mix is not thickening, put it on the fire and continue mixing.
- Add more cornstarch or water to make it more or less thick! We used 2 cups of cornstarch and 4.5 cups of boiled water, and the paint was quite thick, looked great on paper and felt mushy and pliable. When it got cold, it became more rubbery, better for modeling than painting. So if you want to get liquid color, add few more cups of water!
WHAT WILL YOU DEVELOP AND LEARN:
- Exploring different textures
- Creativity and expression
- Fine motor skills
- Oculomotor coordination
If you liked this activity and would like to try something similar, we recommend How to make a homemade playdough and How to teach your child about colors. Or you can try making Rainbow colored rice for learning about colors and sensory play. For more on child development check out our article about Cognitive Development.
