Have you ever wondered why your toddler loves playing with water, slime or dough? Right, she would spend her entire day being messy and won’t agree to give up if you try and stop her from doing that.
Because, the idea of free play for a child is very liberating. The way a child involves his sensory skills is an absolute mindful technique of learning. But, why parents can’t afford that mess.
Now imagine, you permit you child to sit in a tub of water and you hand him down a few bottles of edible colours. He opens the bottles, drops a few drops into the water. Imagine now what is happening to your child. He is now discovering his own world, he is consuming his brain and intentions to feel every bit of his actions. He is watching the water turn colourful and being inquisitive to know how all this is happening. He is gradually understanding that he has a powerful role in this play.
Do you understand what just happened? Your child felt the power, the freedom. He created some magic and began to believe in himself. He became the creator and not just a spectator if you did the experiment for him.
But parents do not like mess. And before you are going to hate us for saying so, there are more manageable ways to go the sensory way. We mean, who would ever not want a child to be involved in a longer length of play time.
Believe us every child loves water, bubbles, shaving creams, sand, clay, slime, grains and play-doh because all this fascinates their senses. Sensory play is not only a boost for their fine motor skills but also their hand-eye coordination and for manipulating objects and fingers to create the desired effect. This kind of play supports language development, gross motor skills and builds a great platform for mindfulness skills.
Children who are allowed to indulge in sensory play from the very beginning come up with great ideas in life. They can find solutions when complex situations are thrown at them.
If your child is anxious, angry or upset with something just calm him down by offering him 15 minutes of sensory activity. It’s so therapeutic, you will be amazed to see your child calm down on his own.