The holiday season is the perfect time to engage in sensory play with your children to help them cultivate skills and create meaningful memories. Sensory play can be a great way to bond with your children, learn about their interests, and provide them with an opportunity to explore their environment. Here are some tips for parents on how to facilitate and enjoy sensory play with their children during the holiday season:
1. Establish a Safe Environment – Before engaging in sensory play with your child, it’s important to make sure that the environment is safe and free from potential hazards. Make sure there is plenty of space for them to move around in and ensure that all materials used are non-toxic and age-appropriate. Also consider whether any allergies could be triggered by objects or materials used during the activity.
2. Be Open Minded – Sensory play can take many forms, so try to remain open minded when exploring different activities with your child. Allowing them the freedom to choose what type of sensory experience they want will help build trust between you, as well as encourage creative thinking and problem solving skills in your child.
3. Keep It Fun – The aim of sensory play should always be fun! Set up an inviting atmosphere where your child feels relaxed and secure; one way of doing this is by setting a positive expectation before starting an activity together - “Let’s have fun exploring these textures together!”
4. Provide Appropriate Supervision – While you want your child to feel comfortable while they explore, it’s also important that you stay nearby in order to supervise appropriately. This means being aware of potential risks without hovering too closely over your child; rather than taking over an activity yourself, try prompting questions which allow them to think for themselves about what they can do next.
5. Use Meaningful Materials – Think about items which have personal relevance or special significance for both you and your child when putting together materials for the activity e.g., pine cones collected from a local wood or shells found on a beach outing together earlier in the year etc.. Not only will you spark fond memories but also create new ones by playing together around topics that mean something special for both of you!
6. Take Time To Talk – Talking through each part of an activity can help deepen understanding of concepts such as texture, temperature etc., while also giving insight into how each senses reacts differently according to its immediate environment e.g., how cold water feels compared warm water etc.. Give descriptions wherever possible so children can familiarize themselves more easily with different sensations e.g., “this is smooth like silk” or “this is rough like sandpaper” etc..
7. Extend The Experience – Finally, after each session spent exploring different sounds, smells, tastes etc., think about ways you can extend this experience further by creating other related activities e.g., combining colors into shapes using paint or mixing ingredients into dough figures etc.. There are endless possibilities when it comes to fun activities so don't be afraid try something new!
Your childs interests in Sensory Play will differ depending on their sensory preferences. Some children prefer to engage their senses through movement, others through tactile or messy play. Sensory play comes in many forms and and their is not right or wrong way to do it.
By engaging in meaningful interactions during these shared moments of play, parents will help reinforce positive relationships between parent and child while simultaneously encouraging creativity and self-expression within their children - paving the way toward memorable events well beyond just a single holiday season!
