Collections: Sensory Toys

Sensory is a word that's thrown around in marketing a lot these days. that is why it is important to understand what sensory play is all about and not just a marketing buzzword. 

Firstly, and most importantly sensory toys are designed to stimulate one or more senses (sight, sound, touch, taste or smell), these are used as an aid in physical and mental development in children and/or adults.

Sensory toys are amazing and help improve mental and physical abilities in Autistic children.

Sensory toys are an important element of play, learning, discovery & rehabilitation.

Sensory play is a play that engages the senses and encourages learning through curiosity, exploration, creativity & problem-solving. It's through touch, taste, sound, smell & sight that we build nerve connections in the brain that encourage the development of motor skills (fine and gross) as well as language.

Observe infants and how they learn, they touch everything, whether it be with their hands, feet or mouths, and they engage their senses to identify, familiarise & learn about these things. It is these basic yet in-depth ways of learning that awaken the senses and improve your sensory systems and perceptions.

When looking for sensory toys consider the following:

• Textures: a variety of textures create more interesting surfaces, and encourage curiosity through touch
• Colours: Bright different colours awaken curiosity through sight, they are more interesting for young minds and keep infants amused for longer
• Shapes: the more variety the better. The different shapes create curiosity, problem-solving and creativity, plus they engage with gross motor skills
• Complexity: overcoming a simple challenge encourages problem-solving, exploration and curiosity
• Sounds: different sounds encourage language, and curiosity and engage the hearing sense, which assists with speech and sounding out words.