Nursery World - Special Report – Discovering new approaches to sensory play

There is a lot more to messy play than wet and sticky gloop, discovers Nicole Weinstein as she looks at the importance of sensory experiences in children’s play and learning

SEND to Learn defines sensory play as using all five senses

Sensory development occurs naturally in childhood. As children go about their daily lives, they seek out opportunities to use their five senses – touch, sight, hearing, smell and taste. They receive, sort and make use of a constant stream of stimulus – from the calming feeling of sand running through their fingertips to the excitement of skidding down a mud bank, or watching the clouds float past as the wind touches their cheek.

Every encounter in a child’s life is a sensory experience, it could be argued, which is why nurseries are laden with texture-rich materials, engaging exploratory resources, opportunities for spontaneous and planned messy play and large-scale equipment that stimulates children’s motor skills and ‘hidden’ senses.

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