Why is Baby Sensory Important?

Throughout their childhood, kids explore new and different experiences using their five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch.

As they grow from birth through to early childhood, it is important for them to actively use their senses, as they play a huge part in young brain development.

The many benefits of this form of playtime continue to be seen throughout your little one’s life, even from a young age and right into their young teens. So, why is baby sensory so important? Take a look below to find out.

What is sensory play?

Before we take a look at why baby sensory is essential to development, we must understand what it even is.

Sensory play can be defined as an activity that stimulates a young child’s senses as well as engaging moving and balance. An example of an activity like this may be something as simple as introducing them to new sounds such as pouring water from one container into another or crinkling up tin foil in your hands.

These activities are fun for your little one while also encouraging them to explore, observe and experiment with their different senses.

It encourages exploration

Sensory toys and playtime offer so much more than just fun activities for children. These activities and games can also naturally and organically inspire children to explore their new world, while also encouraging them to use scientific processes during their playtime.

During this process, kids can also help their brain create stronger connections to process and respond to material, as they refine their understanding of different information.

A common example of this may be a child who finds it difficult to interact with their peers in a busy environment. By encouraging sensory play and exploring different sounds, children can learn to adapt to the different noises and noise levels, helping them learn to focus on playing with their friend rather than on the non-important noises.

It has a range of benefits

Sensory play has gained a strong following for good reason. There are many benefits that can come from incorporating this kind of learning from a young age, and they even continue to be seen into young adulthood.

Experiences like this allow children to engage with more complex learning tasks, as these activities can help build nerve connections in the brain’s pathways. It can also help to support language development, cognitive growth, fine and gross motor skills and problem-solving skills, all of which will help your little one throughout their childhood and into young adulthood.

These activities can even work towards calming an anxious or frustrated child, while also helping to develop and enhance memory from a young age.

It plays a huge part in your baby’s development

Did you know that during the first three months of your little one’s life, one million neural connections are created in their brain every second? This is why it’s so important to encourage stimulation as soon as possible.

Encouraging these experiences means you are opening your baby up to new moments of learning and opportunity, all of which assist the way they think and play throughout their childhood.