How Your Child's Sensory System Develops

Sensory development of a child is very important at an early age. This is the basis for the development of his thinking. The word "sensory" comes from the English "sense" - feelings. The development of sensorics means the development of all the senses of the child from the very first years of life. Information that enters the brain of the child from the senses is important for the formation of ideas about the surrounding world.

Sensory development refers to the maturing of the five familiar senses: hearing, smell, taste, touch, and vision. It also involves the way your child’s nervous system receives input from these senses and then forms an appropriate motor or behavioral response. Besides organizing the input from the five basic senses, sensory processing also focuses on the sensation of movement. Your baby explores and discovers the world through her senses. Babies are born with most of these senses nearly fully developed. But some subtle changes occur through the end of a child’s second year.

A problem with just one sensory system can greatly affect your child’s overall health and development.

There are many different exercises and methods for developing sensorics skills of your children. The early age (from 1.5 to 4 years) is the most favorable for the development of sensory perception. At this age the best thing is to to shape the perception of the world around through different games.

The key recommendation is that all lessons on mastering sensory skills need to be translated into a game form. Since in children under the age of 3 years the leading activity is precisely the subject play. You need to pay special attention to replenishment of ideas about the properties of objects in games : color, shape, the size of surrounding objects, their location . How can I do that? How to develop sensorics in young children at home?

In the first year of life this enrichment of the child with impressions. It is necessary to create conditions for the baby so that he can follow the moving bright and colorful toys, grab objects of different shapes and sizes.

In the second or third year of life, children should learn to distinguish color, shape and size as special features of objects, accumulate ideas about the main varieties of color and form, and the relationship between the two objects in size.

Beginning with the fourth year of life, sensory standards are formed in children: persistent, fixed in speech concepts about colors, geometric figures and relationships in magnitude between several objects. Later you should familiarize yourself with the shades of color, with variants of geometric shapes and with the ratio in magnitude arising between the elements of the series consisting of more objects.

There are several exercises for an example of implementation:

"Box with forms"

• 1. Perception: visual, 2-3 years
• 2. Cognitive activity: ratio, 2-3 years
• 3. Coordination of eyes, hands: control, 2-3 years
• 4. Fine motor skills: material handling, 2-3 years
• 5. Learning objective: systematically compare and correlate forms; improved coordination of eyes, hands
• 6.Task: add up 3 different shaped objects in a regular box with shapes
• 7. Material: box, 3 pieces, different in shape and size (for example, a large wooden bead, 2 different cubes)

Prepare a conventional box with molds, transferring the contour lines of 3 items to the box cover and cutting them (you can use a shoe box).

Pay attention to the fact that 3 items can easily be pushed into the holes. Show the child how to take the object , compare with each of the holes until the correct one is found, and then lower through the hole in the box. Then give him the second item. If he does not yet understand what he should do, then direct his hand in the appropriate way. Point his hand to one of the holes so that you can compare. If the object does not pass through the hole, say "no" and go to the next hole. If you hit the right hole, then say "yes" and help him push him through.

"Figures"

• 1.Perception: visual, 2-3 years
• 2.Cognitive activity: ratio, 2-3 years
• 3.Learning objective: Learning the visual ability to distinguish and study the combination
• 4.Task: find the equivalent of a pair of simple figures
• 5.Material: paper, brush for drawing or markers

Cut out the small rectangular cards and draw shapes on them. Make several such figures separately. Put the cards on the table so that the baby can cover them with one glance. Give him a figure in the hand and ask: "Where is the other?". Lead his hand from one card to another to compare them. If the figures are not the same, say: "No, it does not fit!" - and compare it with the next. When you get to the card, say: "Yes, it's suitable!" - and put the two cards aside. Pay attention that the kid precisely saw, how you compare figures. Repeat this process until matching cards are found. First, use only 3 pieces at a time, but gradually increase the number and complexity of the pieces if it does well.

Repeat the process until he can push all the items into the box without help. If this box with shapes for this game is too simple, make it more complicated for a larger number of objects, different in size and shape.

"Sorting Buttons"

Buttons are amazing as there are so many different shapes, sizes, colours, materials and styles.  Kids love to run their hands through buttons, sort through them and explore the differences.  Buttons are a great sensory toy and are also great to assist in learning about colours.

Material:a muffin tray, an assortment of colored buttons.

You can pick up large jars of buttons from some second hand stores or you can alternatively use coloured pompoms for this activity.


This game includes :

• Fine motor development: pinching and picking up small objects
• Concentration and memory: remaining focused on set challenge
• Eye and hand coordination: trial and error through doing and watching
• Becoming familiar with and learning colours
• Social: Practising interactions and discussions with others.
• Cognitive – become familiar and learn about colours.

Autor: Tatiana- Jestem absolwentką Poltava National V.G. Korolenko Pedagogical University in Poltava ze stopniem magistra filologii angielskiej i literatury światowej. Ukończyłam również licencjat na Uniwersytecie Marii Skłodowskiej Curie w Lublinie na kierunku: Stosunki międzynarodowe ; specjalizacja- stosunki międzynarodowe  we wschodnio-centralnej Europie.