by Alix Tonsgard
Childhood is often loud and messy, and while it may seem that this is the case merely to test our patience, noisy, messy play has developmental significance. Children learn best and retain the most information when they are actively exploring their environments as well as the materials in them in ways that engage their senses. Sensory play includes any activity that engages any of your child’s senses: touch, smell, taste, sight, and hearing. By providing children with open-ended sensory play activities, you are helping to develop and refine their cognitive, physical, social/emotional, language and creative expression skills.
At DCM we are intentional in providing sensory experiences both in our exhibits and in our programming. For example, we sometimes work with shaving cream and give children tools such as assorted paint brushes with the intention of supporting the development of eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills that are important precursors to writing. Activities are designed with children’s natural curiosity in mind. As all things DCM, there are many ways to do each activity, and there is no right or wrong way. This approach builds a child’s confidence and self-esteem, which in turn supports their ability to concentrate, plan, and problem solve.
Here’s something you can try at home virtually mess-free —explore new foods and recipes with your child by creating your own healthful treat. The process of measuring the ingredients is an excellent opportunity to include math language, and while mixing the ingredients you can build scientific inquiry skills by talking about the ways the ingredients are changing! Watch your child’s reaction to the new food (facial expression or movements). Don’t forget to ask your child, “How does it taste?” Cooking experiences give children the opportunity to explore their world using all of their senses.
Alix Tonsgard is an early learning specialist at the DuPage Children’s Museum.
