Sensory play is so important when it comes to development, and here you’ll learn a brief history of the theory and the many, many benefits of sensory play.

What is sensory play?

Sensory play is anything that is playful in nature that involves any of your child’s eight sensory systems — visual, touch, smell, taste, hearing, and body awareness — physically and internally feeling what is happening inside of our bodies says Holly Peretz, a pediatric occupational therapist with more than a decade of experience working with children.

“Each of these contributes to our sense of safety and autonomy of our own body. When all of these senses are being met, we are at our optimal state,” adds Samatha Davis, OTR/L.

This theory first came around when Swiss child development psychologist Jean Piaget introduced Developmental Stage Theory, where he suggested that through play and interacting with the world around them, children develop and learn, she says. “In other words, he placed developmental importance on play which was previously seen as an unimportant preoccupation. His theory also shed light on the importance of a rich sensory learning environment which is now a common principle adopted by many of the world's leading early childhood pedagogies like Montessori, Waldorf, and Reggio,” Peretz says. Which makes sense, since Maria Montessori’s famous quote was, “Play is the work of the child.”

“Jean Ayers, an occupational therapist was the first to research and develop treatment protocols for Sensory Integration Therapy, which supports children and adults who have difficulty interpreting the sensory stimuli around them,” says Peretz.

Clearly, there have been many child development experts and psychologists throughout the years who not only recommend sensory play for childhood development, but claim it’s crucial. So why is sensory play important?

Why is sensory play important?

Peretz says that just as Piaget theorized, “It is through sensory experiences that we not only understand the world but that children are able to develop the brain networking needed to understand and interpret everything around them.” Through sensory play children are able to learn in a developmentally appropriate way, according to Peretz.

With how important sensory play is for your child’s development, is it ever too early to start? Not according to Peretz.

When to start sensory play with your child

Apparently, you can start sensory play with your child while they’re still in the womb. “For example, a baby's hearing is fully developed at 28 weeks in utero, so they are born with roughly 12 weeks of hearing experiences already under their belt,” she says. Then in the early days, Peretz recommends focusing on “soft touch” experiences, seeing different environments, and trying to focus on outside movements from others.

“Parents may want to start offering taste-safe sensory bins from around 12 to 18 months and upwards,” Perets says. “However, the bulk of sensory play will happen in day-to-day living like learning to eat, simply being outdoors, playing in the bath, and more,” she says.

Other sensory play activities could include playing with rainbow rice, running on a grassy field, or playing rough and tumble with dad, according to Peretz. “However, generally, when people talk about the sensory play they are referring to play that involves a lot of tactile (touch) exposure. Peretz says a lot of the sensory play activities that you can do with you r child are already baked into everyday life.

However, Davis adds that sometimes, one or more of the eight sensory systems requires attention and kids have a need to seek out that input. For example, kids constantly feeling the need to jump on things, feeling the need to chew on pencils, etc., she says.

“Sensory toys can help meet the needs through tactile play (playing with their hands in various textures), using chewy toys or straws to meet the oral needs of kids chewing on things, or using calming sensory bottles (a water bottle, water, hair gel and glitter) that can help kids calm down by turning it upside down/right side up. The list of sensory toys is endless but can be tailored to everyone which is one of the things OTs can help with,” Davis says.

Does the need for sensory “play” ever really stop? Peretz says that most sensory systems begin to develop in utero and require constant exposure for our brains to be able to “read” the sensory world around them. “For example, even a fully developed adult may see some fallout in their balance skills (vestibular) if they were bedridden for a year and didn't test their balance at all,” she says.

“Having said this, it is important to mention that sensory exposure in the first two years of life is critical for early childhood development, the stage where the body and brain are most focused on learning about the sensory world around them,” Peretz says.

And this is where sensory toys and activities can really make a difference in your child’s development, beginning at a very young age.

Abi is an Atlanta-based lifestyle and parenting writer reporting on children's books and toys, fertility, pregnancy, labor, breastfeeding, parenting, medical health, mental health, and pop-culture.

Her byline has appeared in Insider, Parade, Romper, Baby Chick, alternative weekly Creative Loafing, and Atomic Family Magazine.

When she isn’t writing or copy editing, Abi loves being a mom to her 4-year-old son Jack, chugging coffee, cooking plant-based meals, working out, and spending time at home with the rest of her family — a husband, two cats, and two beagles.