As soon as our babies are born, we’re always trying to come up with fun and educational activities for them. But what activities are beneficial for our babies when they’re still little? And how can we facilitate development through those activities?

What Are Sensory Activities?

Sensory activities are games or play that involve your little one’s five senses: touch, taste, hearing, smell, and sight. These activities are designed to help your child form connections and take part in experiences with their senses while having fun in a safe environment. 

What Makes Infant Sensory Activities Important?

Sensory activities are important for our littles for several different reasons, the most significant of which is their cognitive and physical development. Sensory play encourages your child to interact with different things they’ll experience in the world around them as they grow (different textures, sounds, smells, etc.). 

A baby’s five senses are some of the most important tools they are born with. These tools aid their brain development during the earliest portion of their life, allowing them to form vital neural connections. In fact, sensory stimulation is linked to emotional, cognitive, and physical development in early life. 

Infants start to absorb and interact with sensory stimulation around them as soon as they’re born (in fact, some senses, like hearing, begin development while the baby is still in the womb). Providing safe and appropriate sensory stimulation can occur as soon as your little one enters the world. 

Key Aspects of Sensory Activities

The main goal of sensory activities is to allow your child to learn and experience play utilizing their five senses. Key aspects of sensory play revolve around those senses, including:

• Tactile stimulation: Sensory activities involving touch typically center around texture. During tactile activities, you’ll want to provide your child with items to explore that have different textures: soft blankets, towels, and different fabrics, which are a great place to start.
• Auditory stimulation: For infants, creating auditory stimulation is simple and can involve parents talking using different voices, singing songs, and playing with toys that make noises, like rattles. 
  
• Olfactory stimulation: When introducing your baby to different smells, you want to ensure scents are baby-friendly. Consider using items you’ll use with your little one regularly, like baby lotion or wipes and soothing scents like lavender. 
  
• Taste stimulation: This type of sensory play is more applicable to babies who are a little older and are in the phase where they relentlessly put items in their mouths. This stage is actually your little one learning how to explore the world around them on their own, and it is 100% typical, so providing taste stimulation during this stage is a good idea. Supervise your little one during this type of sensory play, and ensure you’re providing baby-friendly tastes and textures. 
  
• Visual Stimulation: One of the earliest sensory activities you can take part in with your little one is visual play. You’ll want to provide high-contrast colors and patterns for your little one as their sight is still developing. As babies are able to focus their sight more, you can introduce moving items and items at different depths for your little one to focus on. 

Things to Keep in Mind

There are some things that parents will want to keep in mind when thinking about sensory development activities for their children. Make sure the activities you’re doing with your little one are age-appropriate. All newborn development activities need to be tailored to your child’s developmental stage. For instance, babies are known for putting items in their mouths, so make sure you’re not working with any substances that are toxic or otherwise harmful to your little one. Also, ensure that you’re always supervising your child during sensory play activities to ensure your baby's safety. 

Infant Sensory Development Activities 

• Tummy time: one of the most important activities for infants to strengthen neck and back muscles in addition to promoting head control, tummy time can also encourage visual development when parents hold or place different objects near their babies for them to focus on. 
  
• Sensory bottles: Clear bottles filled with liquid and glitter or beads can also stimulate your little one’s sight development. Make sure bottles are capped and sealed with strong tape to prevent leaks. 
  
• Sensory bins: Designed to promote tactile stimulation, sensory bins can be filled with rice, beans, sand, or other textured materials. Always monitor your little one closely when playing with sensory bins. 
  
• Singing/talking/instruments: Rattles, tambourines, and bells all offer non-verbal auditory stimulation while singing and talking in different voices to your child introduces them to rhythm and different speech frequencies. 
  
• Baby massage: Giving your little one a baby massage with baby-safe lotion or oil will introduce them to different scents while promoting relaxation and sensory awareness of different body parts. 
  
• Taste tests: Once your little one is old enough to start trying different foods, consider making taste tests a part of your weekly or monthly routine. Give your child different types of baby foods and foods with different textures (once they are old enough) to see what they like best and get them used to trying different flavors. 

Need More Activity Ideas?

If you’re looking for more ideas when it comes to developmental activities to do with your infant or toddler, check out Curious Baby Activity Cards, which give parents ideas for activities to do with their little ones and explain exactly how they’re fostering your child’s emotional, psychological, and physical development.