Kiddipedia
It’s not the norm out there right now. With a corona virus epidemic at our feet and social distancing well and truly put in place I’m not surprised if your feeling a little on edge about being confined to your four walls at home. Luckily for our tiny tots, they are none the wiser, and are full steam ahead in making a mess on our living room floor. Despite the scary noise and head lines on our TV screens, lets take a minute to zoom in on our babies and just watch ….
There is nothing better than watching your baby learn about the world as they play. The little smile and excitement as they grasp something out of their reach, their amazement at feeling new textures, the squeal of delight when squeezing, oozing and splashing at a dish filled with jelly. These are all part of a powerful learning system called sensory play.
If your anywhere the imminent lock down lurking in our midst, then these activities are the perfect solution to a frazzled moment of “what should I do with the baby!”.
Put simply; sensory play is an activity that stimulates a child’s five senses (touch, sound, sight, smell, taste) as well as the lesser-known two; balance and movement. Behind the scenes your baby’s brain is building new nerve connections that develop its ability to complete more complex tasks. Pretty cool!
Although that sounds a little complicated, the sensory activity doesn’t have to be. Using what you already have in your kitchen cupboard is a great place to start.
Here are five activities to engage your baby with sensory play.
- Water Play
It’s not fancy, but it works a treat. You need a heavy dish/tub/tray, some water and some plastic balls (or whatever you have, rubber ducky?). The benefits of using a shallow tray instead of placing your baby in a shallow pool are – being able to manoeuvre around the edge without slipping and the act of reaching in and out of the tray develops coordination and motor skills. Hot tip for this one; it’s best done outside or on a waterproof mat as your baby will likely splash all the water out of the tray!
- Trapped Pasta
If you can spare some pasta, place a couple of cups in a plastic tub and stretch rubber bands around it. The more rubber bands, the trickier the puzzle becomes. Pasta is a great size and shape for little hands to grasp. A lot of hand eye coordination is called upon in this activity as your baby reaches between rubber bands, wiggles their fingers to grasp the pasta and “un-trap” each piece.
- Cloud Dough sensory bin
Does your little one love to eat sand?? Well cloud dough is the taste safe equivalent! It is made using 2 cups of flour and 1/4 C oil. The texture created is smooth and gorgeous, little clumps form with every squeezed handful. To accompany our taste safe sand add some of your baby’s favourite toys, a carrot to munch and some scoops. Other great objects to include are bright popsicle sticks and silver beet leaves.
- Mirror Boxes
This is for the babies that love their reflection. Don’t we all?! Silver cellophane and some empty boxes will engage your little one with the shiny texture. To add a sound element, place some chickpeas in each box to create a rattle effect. This activity can encourage your baby to develop fine and gross motor skills by shaking the boxes to hear sounds, holding and transferring from hand to hand, knocking over a block tower.
- Chia Seed Goo
Not only is this sensory tray taste safe, it is also very healthy! Chia seeds are packed with protein and when left overnight to soak create the most wonderful slimey texture for baby play. It’s great for this activity to be done outside and with a good amount of time to just enjoy getting messy! Make sure you use a heavy baking dish so that your baby doesn’t tip it on its lid! To make this recipe use 2-3 tablespoons of chia seeds with 2 cups of water. You can add some food colouring too and leave to set over night.
Georgie Doherty is a qualified art teacher, educator and mum based on the Mornington Peninsula. She is the founder of Mini Monet Art School, a brand-new sensory program designed to help mums engage with their babies through art and play. Mini Monet Art School also offers children’s art classes and creative activities for birthday parties. Georgie is also mum to Eve, a one in a million baby who was born with a rare genetic condition called Interstitial Lung Disease and severe Pulmonary Hypertension. She is an advocate for lung research and awareness, hoping to inspire others with her story and journey into motherhood.
I: minimonet_with_georgie
F: @minimonetartschool
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