You see it appearing on all the toy websites “Sensory toys. You can't look past it anymore. It seems like a new trend, after the “Montessori” or “open-ended play. But what exactly is such a sensory toy? When do you use it and is it applicable for every age?
Jufke Phine
I am Delphine Guiette, a passionate kindergarten teacher. I went in search of answers and am happy to explain more.
What is that, a sensory table?
The word “sensory” means “sensory. Briefly explained, then, a sensory table is a table with materials that stimulate your senses.
But how do you do such a thing, stimulate those senses?
To refresh your memory, I like to go over what senses we have and what materials stimulate those senses:
- Seeing : use materials with bright colors/ contrasts.
- Hearing : use materials you can make sound with.
- Smell : use materials with a scent
- Feeling : use materials with different textures. (hard/soft)
- Tasting : use materials that don't mind something ending up in your child's mouth. (very important when you start introducing a sensory table)
Now do you have to use all these materials together?
No, of course not. Especially not if you're setting up a sensory table for the first time. You'll read how to do that later in this blog.
Often parents see this play as “making a mess,” yet I ask you to look at sensory play through a different lens.
In fact, you can achieve even more goals than just having the senses stimulated.
As you allow the senses to be stimulated, using these sensory materials can cause your child to calm down.
But problem solving thinking is also a great goal that children can work on subconsciously. example: if you take a big spoon and a small jar, it is filled much faster than if you take a small spoon and a big jar.
By adding scoops/ spoons/ jars/... work on your child's motor skills.
You can encourage language by playing together and engaging in conversation during play. Not only you as a parent need to play with your child, having siblings/friends play together ensures that social skills are developed!
So you can understand why so many people are excited about sensory toys.
How do I build a sensory table?
Sensory materials are actually offered as soon as your baby is born. Think of the crinkle books or the typical toys with lots of lights and sounds. You just don't put it in a table or bin.
In principle, your child can start working with sensory materials from a very young age. But what you should definitely pay attention to in the beginning, before the age of 2, is whether your child still puts a lot of material in his/her mouth. Don't panic, this is very normal. Children discover the world with their mouths. For example, someone told me that as an adult you can look at an object and already imagine how you would taste something. Even without actually putting it in your mouth. So that would be because you used to discover (similar) materials with your mouth.
As soon as your child can grasp, I recommend sensory bottles. What do they look like? Again with bright colors/materials that may make sounds. You can make them yourself but if you really want to be sure your child can't open the bottle, you can also buy one. For example, the bottles from Petit boum are a good example. These bottles are already made in different themes. Your child can shake it (and makes sound) and can see different elements in the bottle thanks to the mix of rice/puppets/other material. Petit boum
Around age 1, you can start experimenting with edibles. Think (cooked) pasta/water/flattened cereal/.... in combination with jars. Be careful, especially before the age of 2.5, not to leave the children alone during this game. The chances of them putting something in their mouths anyway are very high!
Is your child not so interested in filling jars? No problem! Throw it another way: provide toys that you can stick on with pieces of paper tape. (Make sure a small sheet is still hanging loose so they can easily pull off the tape.)
Repetition is very important in the beginning. So you are going to start with 1 stuffing* in your container/table and have it come up several times a week. After 2 weeks/a month you can give a different kind of stuffing but with the same jars. This is basically how you build on. Do you notice that your child's actions are smoother? Then it's time for an additional addition! (see senses)
In other words, the older your child gets, the more stimuli/senses you can encourage. Which makes that your table/ bin will contain more different materials.
As a preschool teacher, I also like to give the following tip: the younger your child, the bigger your materials. Think scoops, pots, dolls. In the beginning, make sure your child can hold the material well in his or her hand and not swallow it.
*Filling: uncooked pasta/ chickpeas/ pompoms/ rice/...
Should I provide a table for sensory play?
Not at all! !
The most famous table, I think, is the one from Ikea (flisat table) where you can put the Ikea bins. You can just as well use a tray/box with a low rim. Sometimes they also work with a tuff tray, which you can put on legs after a while so the tray can grow with your child. The only disadvantage is that you need a lot of space to put it down.
It is especially important to find a place where your material stays in. The bin from rijzt is a good example, thanks to the higher rim the stuffing stays in place. And you are less likely to get that familiar “mess” all over your table/floor bak van rijzt
What can also help is a dirt can. Because clean-up time also contains an ideal motor exercise! That way, as a parent, you don't have to clean up everything by yourself, and your child quickly learns that it's nicer to keep all your materials in the bin.
Materials I like to use during sensory play
Materials from Grimms like the dolls that fit into the matching jars. Preferably use the rainbow colors so that young children immediately learn the right color instead of the pastel version. Also has Grimms material to handle such as tweezers.
For children ages 2.5 and up: de figuurtjes van Toob. These are very realistically made. Beware, they are quite small though. Therefore, I would definitely not offer them under the age of 2.5 due to choking hazard.
Are you looking for realistic animals? Then the animals from Schleich are perfect!
I find rice/ uncooked pasta or chickpeas enormously rewarding material for filling. The colored rice from Rijzt is definitely recommended.
This blog was written and imaged by Teacher Delphine AKA Jufke Phine.