Sensory Play has become widely popular with families of young children in recent years. Even educators are bringing more sensory play activities into their classrooms these days. It’s all with good reason, but many people still don’t fully understand the “why” behind it. Why is this type of play so beneficial to young children? Does it support early development? Is there more going on under the surface? In short, the answer is YES! Children receive many amazing benefits during this type of play and we’re here to share our expertise (and make sensory play easier for you in the process!) Continue reading to learn about our top 5 benefits of sensory play and learn more about how Creative Play KC helps make sensory play easy for families and educators everywhere!

#1: Quality Connection

We believe one of the best things we can give our children is our time. Quality connection is so important, and sensory play is a great way to set aside that special time each day. While sensory play can be a great independent activity for your child, we encourage you to participate too! Create with them, listen to their ideas, join in role play. The opportunities are endless with sensory play, and we think you’ll be amazed at how you and your child feel after a play session together. This is one of the biggest reasons we started Creative Play KC. We make sensory play easy with all our fun kits and products, so you can focus on what matters most – quality time with your littles.

#2 Problem Solving, Creativity, and Mindfulness

Children love to squish, pour, touch, smell, listen, transport, combine, make patterns, and engage in role play. Sensory play encourages children to use their senses to explore materials and solve small challenges - like sorting items by shape or color, matching objects, organizing by size, filling a cup or bucket, building a tower, and more. Open-ended sensory play allows children to express their creativity by making it their own. Even a simple bin of rice with some scoops can become an ice cream shop for one child, or a construction site for another. Sensory play also encourages mindfulness and can be a helpful resource for emotional regulation.

#3 Provides a “YES” Space

Sensory play is unique in that it gives children the green light to be hands-on and messy within a controlled environment. When we invite children to do sensory play, we are saying YES to things they may not normally get to experience. Squishing slime, playing with shaving cream, making oobleck, scooping and pouring, playing in the sink, and using playdough are great examples of sensory play that really let your child be hands-on with their play! Just be sure to prep your environment ahead of time to make clean-up quick and easy! We recommend using a HOYO Explore Play Mat for all your sensory play activities! They are truly a game changer when it comes to messy play. (Link and coupon code below).

#4 Language Growth

One thing that surprised me when I began sensory play with my own kids was the amount of language skills we were using during play. We talked about what they were experiencing (this feels soft, cold, squishy, rough, etc.) and my oldest even learned his colors through sensory play. Seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling are all ways children learn to think, feel, and compare their environment and the objects within it. During sensory play, children are using multiple senses at the same time, which stimulates learning and language development, especially descriptive words.

#5 Confidence and Skill Building

There is nothing better than watching your child’s face light up when they learn something new or accomplish a difficult task. Sensory play helps children develop dexterity and fine motor skills. This promotes confidence in completing many important tasks as they grow up such as feeding themselves, grasping objects, handwriting, tying shoelaces, cooking, and more. Hands-on play gives children a tangible and tactile experience through which to learn.

Now that you’ve looked at some of the benefits of sensory play, the next step is getting started! Whether sensory play is a regular thing for your kids, or you’ve never tried it, Creative Play KC is here to make it easier than ever to include sensory play into your child’s day. As a mom of 2 young kids, I started this business with busy families and teachers in mind. We take the guess work out and save you valuable time by offering all kinds of ready-to-play sensory kits, playdough kits, sensory bin fillers, sensory boards, and other unique, hands-on play items. Our products are creatively and carefully crafted with high quality materials to provide a fun and unique play experience the whole family will enjoy time and time again. We’d love for you to join our Creative Play community on Instagram to check out our latest products and fun sensory play ideas. Visit our website to check out and shop our current products, and enjoy FREE shipping on every order!

Valerie is a local Kansas City mom and has two boys (ages 2 and 5) Her background is in early childhood development, and she has a passion for all kinds of creative play. As a previous preschool teacher and learning center director, she has many years of experience working closely with children and families. She began Creative Play KC during the 2020 pandemic after her second son was born to make learning through play easier for families at home. Her sensory play products help reduce screen time and encourage more hands-on play and exploration for children of all ages. Read her full bio and learn more about Creative Play KC at www.creativeplaykc.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/creativeplay_kc
Contact me: valerie@creativeplaykc.com
HOYO play mats: www.hoyoexplore.com (use our code PLAYHOYO10 to save!)

Why Sensory Play? by Valerie Fenton, Owner of Creative Play KC