It’s a general observation that playing with Sensory stimuli is closely related to cognitive development. Cognitive development refers to the capacity of the human brain to process and store knowledge as well as to accomplish activities and solve issues.
From a very young age, sensory play is connected to a child’s cognitive development. In reality, it’s crucial to support and challenge a child’s cognitive development from the start in order to offer their brain the resources it needs to grow problem-solving and critical thinking abilities.
A newborn is tasting, touching, and even hearing the sounds the bricks create as they play with them. The infant is discovering how the blocks stack on top of one another and how they make noise when they collide.
Moreover, the Indoor playgrounds in Singapore are a good way to build your child’s cognitive skills.

Overview of Sensory Play

Basically, sensory play is any play that appeals to your child’s senses. Touch, smell, sight, sound, and taste are all included in this. Movement, balance, and spatial awareness are also included.
A child’s senses aren’t entirely formed when they are born. As infants, toddlers, and preschoolers investigate their surrounding sensory environment, they only get more mature with time. Each new sensory encounter they have expands the architecture of their brain by creating new nerve connections.
One of the pioneers of the sensory play movement, Jean Piaget argued that children require a variety of external experiences and stimuli to help them develop cognitively and help them retain new information.
In his theory of play, he emphasizes how sensory experiences build a child’s brain and develop neural networks crucial for learning, ultimately enhancing a child’s capacity to complete more challenging activities.

Overview of Cognition

Children’s mental processes are expanded by observation, new experiences, and the handling of novel items.
Kids can pick up pre-math abilities including matching, sorting, and size comparison. When kids participate in activities like observing what floats or sinks in water and how gravity affects their bodies or different playground materials, they also learn about science.
Also, kids start to make connections between the many materials they use, such as those that share characteristics like being sticky, odorous, cold, or smooth.
Moreover, the child’s brain is being exercised by all of these encounters, which are also preparing them for the lifelong exploration and discovery process. Even before they are taught it in school, cognitive development exercises can prepare a child’s brain to use the scientific method.
It is impossible to overestimate the importance of sensory play for cognitive development. The experiences that preschool-aged children gain through sensory play are essential to their future capacity to read, write, and solve mathematical and scientific problems.
One of the best things a parent, teacher, or caregiver can do to support a child’s cognitive development and position them for success in the future is to let them play with sand, investigate a bucket of slime, or construct with blocks.

Overall Advantages of Sensory Play

Sensory play enhances learning via exploration, curiosity, problem solving and creativity. It promotes the growth of language and motor skills and aids in the formation of brain connections.
There are several advantages that could go unnoticed when it comes to sensory play and Indoor playgrounds in Singapore, such as the improvement of concentration and distraction-resistance skills.
In general, everything can be used for sensory exercises because they are such a crucial aspect of childhood. For sensory play, nature is frequently your best friend!

Comfort

Playing with your senses has emotional benefits that are occasionally ignored.
Many kids find that engaging in tactile play, such as kneading chilled playdough or passing sand, rice, and water through their fingers in sensory bins, is quite calming.
Children who are anxious, concerned, or unhappy can frequently become more absorbed in an enjoyable sensory activity and then put those negative emotions aside, at least temporarily.

Fixing issues

Children have many opportunities to predict, solve issues, make decisions, and compare the outcomes to their original predictions when they work with a variety of materials and open- ended activities.
Next time, they can experiment with different approaches to see if their outcomes are different.

Best Sensory Play Activities for Kids at Homes

1. Sensory bottles

These are quite easy to make and work well. Just mix warm water and some office glue together, then add to empty bottles with glitter before ensuring the top is on extra tight.

2. Sensory trays or buckets

Pour various dried food items into buckets or trays (bowls and plates can work) for somewhat older kids, and let the games begin!
Try pasta, flour, dried rice, and on and on it goes. Cooked goods also function (such as cold spaghetti), but they will make more of a mess and possibly cause more laughter.

To complete an “advanced” exercise, have your youngster “feed” dry spaghetti strands through a colander’s perforations.

3. Safe household goods

Most of us have probably witnessed the situation where a kid is more interested in the box than the present inside. Support it! To encourage more sensory play, inexpensive “toys” like a paper towel roll or a pot and spoon are excellent options.

The Bottom Line

Include sensory play if you’re looking for more ways to enhance your child’s learning at home. Playing with your senses is a crucial part of learning sophisticated reasoning skills, memorizing new information, gaining useful life skills, and becoming accustomed to new situations.
On Pinterest, there are a lot of creative ideas for sensory bins. Some engaging sensory activities include scavenger hunts and craft projects employing materials with various colors, textures, and odors.
One good way to enhance your child’s cognitive development is bringing him/her to safe indoor playgrounds in Singapore such as Tayo Station.
Kids of all ages can have a good time at Tayo Station, an indoor playground and gathering place! They provide a space for all types of events and a busload of recreational attractions for the enjoyment of the entire family.
Tayo, Rogi, Lani, and Gani are all dedicated to offering a secure and enjoyable place for children to explore, play, and learn.