Sensory Table

“There is not right way to play with mud, sand and water. The sheer pleasure of raw materials entices the child, to explore and invent new ways to use them”

——Dorothy Hills (1977)

Today I want to introduce you one of our most valuable tools and activities in our classroom: the sensory table

Sensory development is a very important process in the life of each person, it contributes in a positive way to the learning of the human being.

From birth to early childhood, children use their five senses to explore and try to make sense of the world around them.

Learning through sensory exploration comes naturally to babies and young children, is the way they interact with their environment (people, objects). So children’s knowledge start to grow though their senses. And according to Jean Piaget’s theory of child development, the sensorimotor stage is the first stage of the human life.

It’s an important part of early childhood development, and providing opportunities for children to actively use their senses as they explore their world through ‘sensory play’ is crucial to brain development. Play is considered a primary element throughout the Early Learning and Child Care New Brunswick Curriculum.

Also, playing with the senses and exploring the world, it’s a nice way to introduce the little ones to Science. It’s not the first time that I use Einstein quote about play: “Play is the highest form of research”, but actually it’s very nice and suits perfectly once again here.

Sensory play includes any activity that stimulates a young child’s senses of touch, smell, taste, sight and hearing, as well as anything which engages movement and balance. Every week we have at least one activity related to this important aspect of human development. Also I like to connect this sensory activity with the Inquiry, so in the next pictures you will see the sensory activity during the week of the “Construction worker”, part of our unit “How we organise ourselves” where we are learning about the jobs in our community.