Sensory development

Your child makes sense of the world via her five senses. Try these games to sharpen sensory development.

THE HUMAN BODY’S five senses are the tools your child uses to investigate, handle and understand the world and, closer to home, his immediate surroundings. You can help your little one develop his senses to their fullest potential and have fun while doing it.

HEARING

The ability to listen closely is a skill that will make going to school one day a whole lot easier for your child, since much of the information he needs to learn is transmitted verbally, especially in the early years. Because it’s so closely linked with communication, hearing plays an important role in the development of your child’s personality as well as his behaviour.

ACTIVITY 1

Play different sounds, like animal sounds, or noises from around the house. Provide picture cut-outs of the corresponding animals or objects and see if your tot can connect the sound to the image. Ask him to tell you which sound was loud and which wassoft.

ACTIVITY 2

Expose your little one to a wide range of musical styles and practise clapping or dancing along to the beat.

ACTIVITY 3

Read a storybook where some of the characters are animals – now see who can imitate the animals best. Take turns making animal sounds and see if the other person can identify the animal.

ACTIVITY 4

Clap your hands three or four times in a particular rhythm and challenge your little musical genius to imitate you. Once he’s got it, you can add other sounds, such as ringing a bell.