Sensory play is so good for babies. It allows them to learn, explore, and develop their senses through imagination-based play and new experiences.
Research has shown that sensory play for babies actually plays an important role in the development of babies’ brains and bodies, building nerve connections in the brain’s pathways, which lead to the child’s ability to complete more complex learning tasks. For more on sensory play benefits check out >> this post <<
Water play is probably the easiest thing to put together, and yet it’s G’s favorite thing to play with. This can be as simple as just grabbing a bucket or tray of water and letting them splash around in it, or you can add bubbles, floating toys, colors, cups, etc. The options are endless.
Water Play:
Age: 5 months-12+ months
This was probably the simplest one to put together, and it was my son’s favorite. The first time we did it was when he was only 5 months and we put him in the high chair.
Senses Used:
tactile system (touch) – feeling the wet water, different temperatures
visual system (sight)- the floating toys, bubbles, colors
auditory system (hearing) – splashing sound the water makes
What you need:
Tub or Baking Pan (I found that the heavier the better so they can’t tip it over as easily).
Things that float- balls, toys, corks
Towels to put around the floor
What to do:
You can do this in a highchair, or on the floor. I suggest you put a towel down to catch all the water that will get splashed out. Put the water and floating items into the pan/bucket/tub and watch your baby enjoy the fun of bath time with out the actual bath.
Variations:
Bubbles: these were fun for about 2 minutes then all the bubbles disappeared. May need to get some sudsier soap 😉
Water temperature: try having two buckets with two different temperatures for your baby to explore. One with colder water, and one with room temp water.
Colored water: I added a few drops of natural food coloring to the bucket of corks for added visual fun.
Colored Ice Cubes: Put a drop of food coloring and water in each ice cube try and freeze them. Once frozen put a thin layer of water on a baking sheet and let your baby push around the ice cubs and explore the cold temperature.
