Sensory play engages multiple senses—touch, sight, sound, smell, and taste—while also stimulating the vestibular (balance) and proprioceptive (body awareness) systems. From infancy through preschool, children use sensory exploration to understand their environment, build cognitive connections, and develop essential life skills.
Occupational therapists, speech therapists, early childhood educators, and preschool teachers highlight that sensory play strengthens fine motor skills (e.g., grasping, squeezing, manipulating objects) and gross motor skills (e.g., crawling, balancing, climbing). These activities also enhance hand-eye coordination, dexterity, and spatial awareness, all of which are essential for later academic and physical development.
Through sensory bins, playdough, water tables, textured materials, and interactive tools like tactile flashcards and scented markers, children explore, experiment, sort, classify, and recognize patterns, laying the groundwork for problem-solving, critical thinking, and scientific thinking. These experiences also expand vocabulary, support language development, and strengthen communication skills, as children learn new words, express thoughts and feelings, and engage in cooperative play.
Did you know? Research suggests that sensory-rich environments improve memory, problem-solving skills, and emotional resilience in young learners. Neuroscientific studies highlight that multisensory stimulation activates key areas of the brain—the parietal lobe (touch), occipital lobe (vision), and cerebellum (balance and movement)—helping children develop essential cognitive and social-emotional skills.
Early Childhood Development Foundation
Here is how sensory learning help in develiopmemt of different skills:
Role in Cognitive Development
Sensory play fuels early cognitive development by strengthening neural pathways in key brain areas, including the parietal lobe (touch processing), occipital lobe (vision), and cerebellum (movement and coordination).
Through activities like sorting objects, classifying textures, recognizing patterns, and exploring cause-and-effect relationships, children enhance their problem-solving skills, scientific thinking, and memory retention. Hands-on engagement with materials such as sensory bins, building blocks, and textured materials fosters critical thinking and observation skills.
Mathematical concepts such as counting, size comparison, and spatial awareness grow naturally as children manipulate different objects and test outcomes—like determining which materials sink or float in water.
Try This: Let children mix sand and water to observe texture changes and discuss why it happens—reinforcing early scientific exploration.
Role in Language and Communication Development
Sensory play naturally supports language development and communication skills by introducing descriptive vocabulary and encouraging expressive storytelling. Activities like finger painting, playing with scented markers, and using tactile flashcards expose children to words like rough, smooth, sticky, squishy, bumpy, and fluffy.
Speech therapists emphasize that multisensory input helps children:
Learn new words through hands-on experiences.
Enhance storytelling skills by recalling sensory interactions.
Develop non-verbal communication through gestures, expressions, and role-playing.
Children who participate in sensory-based storytelling show improved memory retention, sentence formation, and reading comprehension later in life.
Did You Know? Sensory integration therapy is widely used by occupational therapists to help children with speech delays and sensory sensitivities..
Role in Fine Motor Skill Development
Sensory experiences refine both fine motor skills (e.g., grasping, pinching, manipulating objects) and gross motor skills (e.g., climbing, balancing, jumping, and running).
Fine motor skills develop through activities like clay molding, stacking blocks, using tweezers to pick up small objects, and buttoning clothes.
Gross motor skills improve through nature walks, obstacle courses, and movement-based play.
Hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness grow when children engage with balance boards, textured paths, and climbing structures.
Try This: Set up an indoor sensory path with different textures for children to walk on—such as grass mats, foam tiles, sandpaper, and fabric swatches—to enhance tactile processing and balance.
Role in Social and Emotional Development
Sensory play supports social-emotional learning, helping children build self-regulation skills, practice cooperation, and develop confidence.
Cooperative play strengthens teamwork, patience, and communication, as seen in group activities like sandcastle building, pretend kitchen play, and collaborative art projects.
Self-regulation skills improve through calming sensory activities such as water play, deep-pressure tools (weighted blankets, stress balls), and fidget items—helping children manage anxiety and sensory sensitivities.
Confidence and independence grow when children successfully explore new textures, problem-solve, and engage in creative play.
Try This: Create a calming sensory jar filled with water, glitter, and beads. Watching the particles settle helps children develop emotional regulation and focus.
Role in Sensory Integration
Sensory processing skills develop when children are exposed to varied sensory experiences, allowing them to:
Adapt to new textures, sounds, and movements.
Process sensory input more efficiently, improving their ability to focus and concentrate.
Develop resilience by engaging in structured sensory activities that help with sensory sensitivities.
By incorporating sensory play into daily routines, parents, early childhood educators, and therapists can provide rich, play-based learning environments that foster early childhood development, cognitive growth, and lifelong learning.
Linking Senses to Learning
Children learn best through hands-on learning and interactive education, making sensory input a vital part of early childhood learning environments. Exploring textures, sounds, and movement helps them recognize patterns, process information, and create connections between experiences.
For example, engaging in cooking activities—like identifying the difference between sweet, sour, and bitter tastes—builds critical thinking and language skills. Similarly, playing with sandboxes and water tables introduces concepts of cause and effect, while obstacle courses strengthen balance, coordination, and spatial awareness.
By integrating multisensory learning into everyday activities, parents, preschool teachers, and early childhood educators can foster curiosity and scientific exploration. Whether through observing and predicting outcomes in sensory bins, testing different materials in building structures, or expressing thoughts through tactile art, children gain invaluable skills for lifelong learning.
Role of Educator/Caregiver
Educators and caregivers play a vital role in facilitating sensory play by providing opportunities for exploration and responding to children’s cues. Asking open-ended questions, such as “What does this feel like?” or “How does this change when you mix it?” encourages deeper engagement.
Observing children’s reactions helps identify preferences and sensory sensitivities, allowing for adjustments in activities. Some children may gravitate toward certain textures or movements, while others may need additional encouragement to engage with sensory materials.
Questions to Foster Engagement:
- What do you notice about this material?
- What would you like to try next?
- How can we use this in a different way?
- What was your favorite part of this activity?
Open-ended play should be supported by providing diverse materials without strict guidelines. When children lead their own sensory experiences, they develop problem-solving skills, creativity, and confidence in their learning.
Sensory play strengthens cognitive, language, motor, social, and emotional skills. It builds neural pathways in the parietal lobe, occipital lobe, and cerebellum. Children develop problem-solving, communication, and self-regulation. Activities like water play, textured paths, and storytelling enhance learning. Educators, caregivers, and parents create rich environments for exploration, creativity, and lifelong development.
