As spring arrives, it’s the perfect time to get kids outside and moving in ways that engage their senses! I don’t know about you but my family definitely enjoyed the spring weather this past weekend! We spent hours outdoors going to soccer practice, walking the dogs, and doing yard work!
Use this Spring to engage your child in sensory play! It is more than just fun—when children activate multiple sensory systems at once, it has a profound impact on their development. Research continues to show that multi-sensory engagement helps our working memory, attention, and other cognitive processes! When we process new sensory information (especially when it is more than one at a time) it is helping our brains create new neural pathways! Not only do these new neural pathways help with our cognitive processing skills, as mentioned, but they are also related to increased processing speed as well as increased motor coordination!
We all know the five senses but did you know there are three other sensory systems? It is
important to include ALL the sensory systems into our playtime!
Famous 5 Senses:
*Taste
*See
*Hear
*Smell
*Feel
Hidden Senses:
*Vestibular- knowing where your head is in space (i.e swinging, cartwheels, log-rolling)
*Proprioception- knowing where your body is in relation to itself (ie. jumping, pushing, pulling)
*Interoception- knowing the internal signals of your body (hungry/thirsty etc)
This Spring, find some fun outdoor activities to do outside with your child and see how many senses you can incorporate into each activity. Multi-sensory play is the best kind!
PRO-TIPS
Swing: Incorporating a sensory swing into playtime can have a calming effect on children because of the vestibular input it provides. Swinging back and forth or spinning gently helps regulate the sensory system and can improve focus and attention. For children who crave deep pressure, a compression swing offers a hug-like sensation combined with movement, addressing both tactile and vestibular needs simultaneously.
Gardening: Gardening is a wonderful way to engage multiple senses! Spotting weeds, digging them up, adding new soil, planting seeds and flowers you are using your visual, tactile, olfactory, and proprioceptive sensory systems.
Sidewalk Chalk Obstacle Course: Let your child design their own chalk obstacle course—think hopscotch, zig-zag lines, spirals, or animal tracks. Crawling, jumping, and balancing as they follow the path engages gross motor muscles and provides vestibular and proprioceptive input. The act of drawing itself works the tactile system and
encourages fine motor control as well.
Bubble Play: Blowing bubbles challenges oral motor control and breath regulation. Chasing bubbles stimulates the vestibular system with dynamic movement while popping bubbles with hands or feet offering tactile input.
References:
Harkla. (2022). What is Multisensory Processing. Retrieved from https://harkla.co/blogs/specialneeds/multisensory-processing