Sensory development involves stimulation of all the senses an infant uses. Our understanding of sensory development in infants comes from the cognitive theorist Jean Piaget, who identified the sensorimotor stage as the first stage of development. Piaget believed that infants and toddlers learn through their actions and sensory experiences to construct their knowledge of the world.
Sensory stimulation is linked to all the developmental domains: emotional, social, cognitive, and physical. Remember, however, that infants are vulnerable to over stimulation. Always take the infant's lead in an activity. Not paying attention to the infant's verbal and non-verbal cues will result in a lost opportunity for learning.
Homemade Rattles
Collect empty medicine bottles, small plastic juice/water bottles (sized to fit an infant's hand).
Warm up hot glue gun (adults only; do not use when children are around).
Gather dry cereal, uncooked rice, dried beans, or other noisy materials.
* Place a variety of materials into small bottles.
* Hot-glue the lids to the bottles.
* Create rattles that vary in the sound they produce.
* Give the bottles to young infants to hold and shake.
* Talk about the sounds you hear and the movements the child makes.
Variation: Fill bottles 1/3 full with clear syrup, add drops of food coloring and mix together.
No comments:
Post a Comment