Yesterday morning was just like any other morning. You got up, got your kids ready, and dropped them off at their child care centre. Just as you were about to say goodbye to your little one, you do a quick scan of the room and notice a strange combination of activities set out on their activity tables in the classroom.
To the left, you see an art table with paint laid out on plates, but no other other art supplies. You think: “Oh, they must be finger painting today. How cute!” Then your eyes shift slightly to the right and you notice a clear tupperware container filled with what looks an awful lot like green jello. You tilt your head to the side and take a closer look--are those plastic letters floating inside of the jello!? You start to wonder what your child’s educator was thinking -- what a strange activity, right? One of our staff, Danielle, then notices how you’re eyeing the table and approaches you with a smile. She reassures you that it’s for “educational purposes” and mentions something about sensory play. But what exactly is sensory play and how is it beneficial to your child’s education?
From an early age, we teach our children to use and explore their 5 senses. Whether it’s through taste, touch, smell, sight, or sound, your children make use of these senses to make sense of the world around them. Sensory play is any activity that stimulates a child’s senses while also encouraging movement and balance.
Examples of Sensory Play include:
At the Y, we believe that play is the primary way in which children learn. That’s why our YGTA Child Care Centres make use of the YMCA Playing to Learn™ curriculum to make learning come alive. Through keen observations & staging of the classroom, this curriculum is designed to ensure that our staff proactively take the best approach to support your child's continued enthusiasm and capacity for life-long learning. Using thought provoking and sense stimulating activities like those highlighted above, our educators are able to promote and support early childhood development in young children like yours.
Intrigued by sensory play? Learn more about some key benefits of sensory play and how it can help your child learn more about themselves and the world via part 2 of our blog series.
To learn more about our YMCA Playing to Learn™ curriculum as well as our Early Learning and Child Care Programs, please visit our website.
To the left, you see an art table with paint laid out on plates, but no other other art supplies. You think: “Oh, they must be finger painting today. How cute!” Then your eyes shift slightly to the right and you notice a clear tupperware container filled with what looks an awful lot like green jello. You tilt your head to the side and take a closer look--are those plastic letters floating inside of the jello!? You start to wonder what your child’s educator was thinking -- what a strange activity, right? One of our staff, Danielle, then notices how you’re eyeing the table and approaches you with a smile. She reassures you that it’s for “educational purposes” and mentions something about sensory play. But what exactly is sensory play and how is it beneficial to your child’s education?
Defining Sensory Play
From an early age, we teach our children to use and explore their 5 senses. Whether it’s through taste, touch, smell, sight, or sound, your children make use of these senses to make sense of the world around them. Sensory play is any activity that stimulates a child’s senses while also encouraging movement and balance.
Examples of Sensory Play include:
- Finger Painting - During this activity, children get to use 4 of their senses right off the bat. From afar, they use their sight to evaluate the different colours of paint on the table and as they get closer, they’ll catch a whiff of the paint. Then, once they begin playing with the paint, they’ll begin to utilize their touching and hearing senses.
- A Jello Dig - By hiding letters or objects in a tupperware box filled with jello (or even water), children are encouraged to use their senses. Based off of sight alone, your child will see something in the container and instinctively want to grab or touch it. Children will then dig through the jello, causing it to make an unfamiliar sound, catch a whiff of the flavoured jello, and quite possibly, if they decide to lick their fingers, use their taste buds, too!
Our Playing to Learn™ Curriculum
At the Y, we believe that play is the primary way in which children learn. That’s why our YGTA Child Care Centres make use of the YMCA Playing to Learn™ curriculum to make learning come alive. Through keen observations & staging of the classroom, this curriculum is designed to ensure that our staff proactively take the best approach to support your child's continued enthusiasm and capacity for life-long learning. Using thought provoking and sense stimulating activities like those highlighted above, our educators are able to promote and support early childhood development in young children like yours.
Intrigued by sensory play? Learn more about some key benefits of sensory play and how it can help your child learn more about themselves and the world via part 2 of our blog series.
To learn more about our YMCA Playing to Learn™ curriculum as well as our Early Learning and Child Care Programs, please visit our website.
