A Sense of Belonging:
How Sensory Play Sets Children Up for Life Caitlin Murphy > Wearthy
If only we could experience the world for the first time again, with childlike curiosity and affection, with fearless fascination and the absence of judgement, by relearning the truth that our senses so naturally impart on us as children. The instinctual process of a young body and mind making sense of its surroundings is an awkwardly challenging but infinitely enriching time. It’s confusing and joyous, frustrating and magical, heart-breaking, soul-shaking and confidence-making, but there is a quiet knowing in this delicious carelessness of learning; a trust that nature is so imperfectly facilitating a connection to our environment and encouraging an unhurried belonging to the world through our senses. Swiss Psychologist, Jean Piaget, is famously known for his work on child development. He believed that through trial and error, children gain knowledge and a basic understanding of the world around them. He called this stage of life the ‘sensorimotor’ - combining natural-born abilities like sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch, with physical actions that allow children to build awareness of themselves and their surroundings. Once a baby can open their hand from a fist, it begins – as early as four months old, the senses are sparked and exploration emerges. Every type of play has the potential to become a sensory activity as play continuously engages a child’s senses, especially outdoors where senses are heightened. We often think our senses are merely the well-known physical ones, but internal senses exist too; like balance, movement, and position. To understand our sense of space, we call this proprioception – enabling us to know that our feet are on soft grass or hard concrete or climbing stairs without looking. With underdeveloped senses maturing over time, each new experience builds nerve connections that grow the foundation of our brains.
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EARLY EDITION > SPRING 2021
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Children require long, uninterrupted periods of play and exploration. - Jean Piaget
To support optimal sensory development in children, a new wave of early education was born. It began with a more holistic approach with Montessori, Reggio Emilia and Waldorf (Steiner) schools adopting the philosophy of hands-on, self-directed play - giving children back their power by creatively guiding themselves through learning. Then the nature play, forest school and bush kindy movement took more children out into the wilderness, which has gained necessary momentum over recent years due to a rise in time spent on screens. More children today are understanding and respecting nature and the environment, plus the interdependence of humans, animals, plants and lifecycles. Play it Forward podcast guest and Nature Pedagogy expert Claire Warden believes that nature can nurture children and such a connection helps them thrive. She also says that nature allows children to know their place in space and that trees invite children to touch and interact with the environment.
