As a parent, you are constantly looking for ways to help your child grow and develop. One crucial aspect of your child’s development is their sensory development. Sensory activities can be a fun and effective way to stimulate your 1-year-old’s senses, entertain them and help them reach important developmental milestones.
Sensory development is what happens while your child’s nervous system receives and processes information from the world around them. It is essential for your child’s cognitive, physical, and emotional development.
At 1 year old, your child is in a critical period of development. During this stage, their brain is rapidly developing and making important connections. By providing your child with sensory experiences, you can help support their development and set them up for success in the future.
Sensory activities are also a great way to keep them occupied and out of all the trouble they could find otherwise. So if you are looking for ways to engage your toddler and fun games to play with them, read on.
The Benefits of Sensory Activities for Toddlers
Sensory activities provide a range of benefits for toddlers, including:
- Cognitive development: Sensory activities can help your child develop their problem-solving and critical thinking skills. These activities can also improve their memory and attention span.
- Physical development: Sensory play can help your child develop their fine and gross motor skills. For example, playing with playdough can improve hand-eye coordination, while crawling through a tunnel can help with balance and coordination.
- Emotional development: Sensory activities can help your child regulate their emotions and develop self-awareness. These activities can also provide a calming effect, which can be helpful for children who experience anxiety or sensory overload.
- Social development: Sensory activities can provide opportunities for your child to engage with others and develop their social skills. For example, playing with a sensory bin with a friend can help your child learn to share and take turns.
Understanding Sensory Play
Sensory play is an essential component of a child’s development, especially during the first few years of life. It is a way for children to engage their senses and explore their environment through play. Sensory play involves activities that engage one or more of the five senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell.
Play is essential for a child’s development as it provides opportunities for them to explore, discover and learn about the world around them. Sensory play activities help also to develop their sensory skills, cognitive skills, and language development.
There are many different types of sensory play activities your little one can get into. To find ideas just concentrate on your senses and take your child on an adventure of taste, sound, or texture.
Stimulating Sensory Development in 1 Year Olds
By engaging their senses, kids can learn more about the world around them and develop important skills such as fine motor skills, language development, and cognitive skills. Here are some ways to stimulate your 1-year-old’s sensory development:
A. Ways to Engage the Five Senses in Play Activities
- 1. Sight – Use bright and contrasting colors in toys and play areas, and also black and white, to stimulate their visual development. Sorting by color, laying out patterns, building towers or searching for a different color, or looking at picture books are all fun things to do at home.
- 2. Hearing – Play music or sing to your child to encourage their hearing development. You can also use toys that make sounds, such as rattles or musical instruments. Dancing to music is a great way to burn excess energy.
- 3. Touch – Provide a variety of textures for your child to touch, such as soft blankets, textured balls, sand, seeds, or fabrics. Now with summer coming up, there are also many things to discover there, like playing with water walking over grass with bare feet, or playing with mud.
- 4. Taste – Offer a variety of tastes and textures in food to stimulate their taste buds. Cool yogurt, refreshing grapefruit, chia seeds in juice, or sweet strawberries there is a lot to try and taste.
- 5. Smell – Use scented materials, such as flowers or herbs, during playtime to stimulate their sense of smell. Let them smell your herbs while you are cooking or the flowers you encounter outside, in spring and summer you’ll find plenty to smell on.
How to Create a Sensory-Rich Environment at Home
Creating a sensory-rich environment at home doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive. You can use household items such as cardboard boxes, cotton balls, or kitchen utensils to create sensory play activities.
It’s important to ensure that the materials are safe and age-appropriate for your child. You can also set up a designated play area for your child to explore and discover their senses.
Fun Activities Appropriate for 1 Year Olds
Here are some age-appropriate sensory activities for 1-year-olds that you can try:
- Treasure Basket: A treasure basket is a great way to encourage exploration and curiosity in your little one. Fill a basket with a variety of objects with different textures, colors, and shapes. Allow your child to touch and explore each object, and describe them as they do so.
- Older kids can describe what they feel and try to guess what it is without looking or they have to find out which item is missing (which one you took out) after they had time to explore beforehand. A game even my 7-year-old still likes to play.
- Messy Play: Messy play is an excellent way to engage your child’s senses, creativity, and imagination. You can fill a shallow container with rice, sand, or water and let your child explore the different textures and sensations. You can also add toys or objects like spoons, cups, and funnels to make it more fun. As soon as it is warm outside playing with water is something that can entertain children of any age for hours.
- Sensory Bottles: Sensory bottles are easy to make and can provide hours of entertainment for your child. Fill a plastic bottle with water and add glitter, beads, or small toys. Secure the lid and let your child shake it up and watch the different shapes and colors move around.
- Molding and Sculpting: Playdough is a versatile material that can be used to develop fine motor skills and encourage creativity. You can create homemade playdough with flour, salt, water, and food coloring or purchase it from a store. The homemade kind has the advantage that little kids can taste it too, normally they won’t eat it because it is too salty. You can also add different scents like lavender or mint to enhance the sensory experience.
- Bubble Wrap Stomp: Cover a section of your floor with bubble wrap and let your child stomp on it. The popping sound and texture can provide a sensory experience that your child will enjoy.
- Sensory Walk: Create a sensory walk by laying down different textures like a rug, foam, bubble wrap, or even grass outside. Encourage your child to walk on each texture barefoot and older kids can also describe how it feels or do it blindfolded and guess what it is.
- Taste Test: Use different food items with different tastes and textures like applesauce, yogurt, and mashed sweet potatoes. Encourage your child to taste each one and again older kids can describe the flavor and texture or guess what it is.
Sensory Materials for 1 Year Olds
When choosing sensory materials for your little one always consider their safety and what is appropriate for your child’s development stage. Here is a list of some safe materials you can use for sensory play:
- Textured balls: Soft, textured balls are perfect for sensory play as they are easy to hold, and their texture provides tactile stimulation.
- Fabric scraps: Soft fabric scraps can be used for sensory play, and babies can explore different textures, colors, and patterns.
- Edible materials: Sensory play doesn’t always have to be done separately, your child can enjoy different textures while eating. You can use edible materials like cooked pasta, rice, or cereal to provide a safe and enjoyable sensory experience.
- Water: Water play is a great way to stimulate a child’s senses. You can also use food-colored water, or water in different containers to provide a fun and educational experience.
- Play dough: Homemade play dough made with food-grade ingredients is a safe and fun material for sensory play.
- Sand: Sand is a popular sensory material that is easy to find and safe to use. Make sure to choose sand that is free from debris and pollutants.
- Paint: Non-toxic, washable paint is a great material for sensory play as it provides a fun and colorful experience.
- Natural materials: Natural materials like pine cones, seashells, and rocks can provide a tactile and sensory experience for children.
Where to Buy Sensory Materials
There are many places where you can buy sensory materials for 1-year-olds, both online and in-store. Here are some options:
- Educational supply stores: These stores specialize in educational toys and materials, including sensory materials.
- Baby stores: Many baby stores carry a range of sensory toys and materials specifically designed for babies and young children.
- Online retailers: Online retailers like Amazon and Etsy offer a wide variety of sensory materials and toys for children of all ages.
Using safe and non-toxic materials can create a sensory-rich environment at home and provide a fun and educational experience for your child.
Conclusion
Engaging in sensory play activities can help to enhance your child’s cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development.
It is crucial to incorporate sensory activities in a 1-year-old’s playtime as it provides them with a fun and engaging way to learn and explore the world around them. It also helps to develop their gross and fine motor skills, problem-solving abilities, and language skills. Additionally, sensory activities can help to improve their attention span and promote relaxation.
Also, incorporating sensory play activities into your 1-year-old’s daily routine doesn’t have to be complicated. Simple activities like playing with textured materials, exploring new scents, and engaging in messy play can significantly benefit their development. You can also create a sensory-rich environment at home by incorporating items such as soft blankets, colorful toys, and textured balls.
Overall, sensory play activities are an essential aspect of a child’s playtime, and parents should strive to incorporate them into their daily routines. With the tips and suggestions provided in this article, parents can create a fun and engaging environment for their children to learn and grow.
