Childcare
Fun And Engaging: Sensory Play Ideas For Babies 6-12 Months
10 min | Updated on 22-03-2023 by HappyPreggie
(Image credits to Tinybeans)
What is Sensory Play?
Sensory play engages your child's senses, like sight, sound, taste, touch and smell. Not only that, it also includes movement, balance and spatial awareness. This helps them develop language and motor skills and helps with cognitive growth, fostering social interactions and encouraging experimentation.
When a child is born, their senses aren’t fully developed and will mature over time as they explore the sensory world around them. Each new experience they have with different senses builds nerve connections that grow the architecture of their brain.
Sensory play can also address two sensory systems that are often overlooked: our proprioceptive and vestibular systems.
Our proprioception sense refers to awareness of one's body. It helps us identify which body parts are relative to one another and informs us how much force we should be exerting when holding, pushing, pulling or lifting objects.
Meanwhile, our vestibular sense, also known as our movement or balance sense, allows us to maintain balance while engaging in activities.
Benefits of sensory play
Helps with language skills
- Participating in sensory plays allows your child to learn through experiences and improve their ability to communicate emotions and needs using descriptive words.
Helps with fine motor skills
- Playing with small objects and doing activities like building, pouring, and mixing can help your child develop their coordination and small muscle groups.
Helps with gross motor skills
- Gross motor skills involve using big muscles for activities like sitting, crawling, jumping, and running. Encouraging free practice time for these skills is essential, regardless of whether they are just learning to walk or trying to throw a ball.
Helps with cognitive growth
- Sensory play fosters problem-solving skills by prompting your child to ask questions, experiment, and analyse results. This encourages them to explore new ways of play and overcome challenges they may encounter.
Fosters social interaction
- Sensory play with siblings or peers can help your child develop social skills, such as communication, problem-solving, and adapting to others' play styles.
Looking for sensory play ideas to do with your child at home? Check out the list below for some exciting DIY sensory play ideas.
Sensory Play Ideas
#1 Sensory Bottles
(Image credits to Lovevery)
The concept behind sensory bottles is simple: as your baby shakes, rolls and manipulates the bottle, they can explore the different textures, colours and sounds from the materials inside it. Sensory bottles can be customised to suit your baby's interests and developmental needs and can be adapted as they grow and develop new skills.
Also, sensory bottles are a great way to keep your baby entertained and engaged at home or on the go.
How To Do It:
- Fill plastic bottles with materials such as glitter, beads or small toys. Then, secure the cap and let your baby shake and observe the different movements and sounds.
#2 Texture Exploration
(Image credits to Educatall)
Babies are naturally curious and love to explore new textures, which help stimulate their senses and promote cognitive and physical development.
By providing your baby with various textures to explore, you support their natural curiosity and fuel a love for learning.
How To Do It:
- Provide your little one with textured items such as fur, feathers, velvet and cotton balls to touch and explore.
- Texture exploration can also be incorporated into everyday activities, such as during bath time. Use different types of washcloths and towels to provide a fun and engaging way for your baby to explore new sensations.
#3 Edible Sensory Play
(Image credits to Romper)
Edible sensory play is a great option if your baby is still putting things in their mouths, as you can choose non-toxic and safe materials.
This can also be a great way to introduce new tastes and textures while also allowing your baby to develop their fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination and cognitive abilities.
It's crucial to always watch your baby during edible sensory play activities to ensure their safety and prevent choking hazards.
How To Do It:
- Offer your baby safe and edible materials to explore, such as cooked noodles, mashed potatoes or fruits and vegetables.
#4 Water Play
(Image credits to The Everymom)
Water play is a popular and fun sensory play activity for babies as it provides a stimulating sensory experience that can help babies develop their cognitive, physical and emotional skills.
Water play helps babies develop fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination and problem-solving abilities. It also provides a fun and engaging way for babies to explore new textures and colours.
Always supervise your baby during water play to ensure their safety and prevent drowning hazards.
How To Do It:
- Fill a shallow container with water and offer your baby different toys, such as cups, spoons and floating objects, to splash and explore. Or you can also include water play during bath time by adding bath toys.
#5 Musical Instruments
(Image credits to Kokomo Home)
Music can help stimulate your baby's auditory senses while promoting cognitive and physical development.
Playing musical instruments and participating in musical activities can help babies develop their language skills, memory and emotional regulation.
Be sure to choose age-appropriate instruments that are safe and non-toxic. Always keep an eye on your baby during play to prevent choking hazards.
How To Do It:
- Offer your baby musical instruments like shakers, bells and drums for them to learn and make different sounds.
#6 Mirror Play
(Image credits to the Kavanaugh Report)
Mirror play allows babies to explore their reflections, which helps stimulate their visual senses and promote their cognitive and emotional development. Your baby also gets to observe their different facial expressions and movements.
Keep an eye out for your baby during mirror play activities, and use baby-safe mirrors with no sharp edges or other potential hazards.
How To Do It:
- Place a mirror in front of your baby during tummy time to encourage them to lift their head. This also promotes their neck and back strength.
#7 Sensory Bags
(Image credits to Baby Play Hacks)
Sensory bags are a fun and easy way to incorporate sensory play into your baby's routine.
Sensory bags are a great way to promote your baby's fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. They can also provide a calming and soothing effect for babies who are teething or experiencing other forms of discomfort.
It's important to always supervise your baby during sensory bag play activities and use baby-safe materials free from choking hazards.
How To Do It:
- Use a clear plastic bag and fill it with different materials that provide different textures, colours and shapes for your baby to explore, such as paint and sand. Secure the bag tightly and let your baby touch and observe the different textures.
#8 Light Exploration
(Image credits to WonderBaby)
Light exploration is a unique and engaging way to incorporate sensory play into your baby's routine. Light can provide babies with a visual and stimulating experience that can help promote their cognitive, physical, and emotional development.
Always supervise your baby during light exploration activities and use age-appropriate and safe light sources. Avoid shining lights directly into your baby's eyes, and take breaks to prevent over-stimulation.
How To Do It:
- Provide your baby with different types of lights, such as string lights or glow sticks, to observe the different colours and movements.
#9 Sensory Bins
(Image credits to Kid Activities With Alexa)
Sensory bins can help promote your baby's cognitive, physical, and emotional development as well as their fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and problem-solving abilities. They can also calm and soothe stressed or anxious babies.
Always supervise your baby during sensory bin play activities and use age-appropriate materials to prevent choking hazards.
How To Do It:
- Fill the plastic or metal container with materials such as rice, beans, or shredded paper and provide babies with different toys and objects to explore and dig through. You can also create sensory bins for different developmental stages or interests, such as using different colours or materials to create a visual or tactile experience.
#10 Nature Exploration
(Image credits to iStock)
Nature exploration is a wonderful way to incorporate sensory play into your baby's routine while exposing them to the natural world.
Babies can benefit greatly from spending time outdoors and exploring nature, as it can help promote their cognitive, physical, and emotional development. It can also provide a calming and soothing effect for babies experiencing stress or anxiety.
Always watch your baby during nature exploration activities and be mindful of hazards such as sharp or poisonous objects. You can also use this opportunity to teach your baby the importance of respecting and caring for the natural world.
How To Do It:
- Take your little one out on a nature walk and let them touch and observe different natural materials such as leaves, flowers, and rocks.
Sensory play has an important role in your child's development from birth to early childhood. It helps build nerve connections in their brain's pathways, which in return helps them accomplish complex tasks. When your child engages in sensory play, they're actually helping their brain develop and learn from certain aspects of their environment.
Keep the play going with our other fun-filled blogs - check them out here: https://www.happypreggie.com/blogs/best-toys-for-1-year-old and https://www.happypreggie.com/blogs/best-baby-playmat-you-can-find-in-malaysia.
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