We may not realise but our little baby starts to use their sense of touch to explore their world around them even from inside the womb. They do this by touching Moms womb, sucking their fingers and playing with their toes. Don’t forget the sound your voices were their first introduction to the sense of hearing.
We use our senses every day and all day, children and adults learn best and retain the most information by using touch, taste, seeing and hearing. All our favourite memories are based on our senses like the smell of the sea or the sound of a song.
Providing babies and children with the correct toys that actively use their senses they can explore their world through “sensory play”. Sensory Play is vital for healthy brain development as it helps build nerve connections in the brain’s pathways.
As your baby grows and learns about their senses, they can complete more complex learning tasks and develop healthy language development, gross motor skills and problem-solving skill necessary for an active lifestyle.
What are the fives common senses?
Taste The stimulation that comes when our taste buds in our mouth. This can be a taste or texture of something.
Touch The stimulation that comes from touch receptors in our skin that react to pressure, temperature and vibration.
Smell The stimulation of the smell receptors in the nose.
Sight The stimulation of light receptors in our eyes, which our brains then interpret into visual images.
Hearing The reception of sound.
There are two other senses that we often miss:
Body awareness The feedback our brains receive from our muscles which enable us to gain a sense where our bodies are in space.
Balance The stimulation of the vestibular system of the inner ear to tell us our body position in relation to gravity.
So, what is sensory play and how does Lamaze toys help?
Sensory play includes any activity that stimulates your young child’s senses: touch, smell, taste, movement, balance, sight and hearing.
Lamaze sensory toys help explore and encourage babies and children to use the fun of play to create, investigate and explore the world around them. As the child plays with Lamaze toys they develop understanding of texture, shape and sound; these all help build positive pathways in the brain. Sensory Toys helps shape the choices children make and impact their behaviour.
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