Educator in Profile: Becky Borg

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.

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. “

Nature also offers an abundance of risky play opportunities, further developing children’s abilities and limitations. From climbing a tree to jumping in puddles, the outdoors graciously holds children in their natural state of curiosity and learning.

Nature Pedagogy is an understanding of our sense of belonging to land, our sense of working with nature. There is a pedagogical shift when you move outside into nature...it’s learning with nature, not just teaching about it.

- Claire Warden

Sharing stories within nature through generations is also a powerful way to connect children to their land, to family ritual and to their own sense of wonder. Richard Louv’s intergenerational storytelling in Our Wild Calling is the perfect example of this where he writes of Oceanographer Paul Dayton often telling his grandchildren about the time he had a close (and almost fatal) encounter with an octopus. The connection in relationship and the sensory absorption of information can also be a precious developmental process for children. The book is a profound exploration into the awe of animals and how they can transform our lives - another way to develop a deep nature connection with children, through interaction and observation of animals. Sensory play ideas don’t have to be grand. It can be as simple as exploring the garden or an outdoor sensory walk - noticing colours, spotting bugs, touching leaves or smelling flowers. We are not always blessed with good weather, but we do have great clothing to prepare us. Getting children outside is paramount, especially in the rain where our senses are awakened. This can lead to splashing in puddles or making mud pies – not to mention the learning opportunities of raindrops. In our busy world where many of us, especially our children are struggling to find calm and self-regulation, nature offers us our deepest connection – the one we have with ourselves. Once we start identifying as part of nature, our understanding of ourselves and our place in the world strengthens. By encouraging more sensory play in children during their early years of development, we are nurturing an empathetic and limitless growth in the people who will one day be looking after this world that showed us who we are and where we belong.

Cherish the natural world, because you’re a part of it and you depend on it.

- Sir David Attenborough

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