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Child Development & Early Education vocabulary · Play and Learning

Sensory play

Meaning in child development & early education, with examples

nounCore term

In child development & early education, sensory play means: Play that encourages children to use their senses, especially touch, through materials such as sand, water, playdough, rice or foam.

In Turkish: duyusal oyun, duyu oyunu

How it is used

A standard part of nursery planning, often set up in trays or large tuff trays. Messy play is a similar term for sensory play with wet or sticky materials. Staff check materials for allergy and choking risks.

Example sentences

  1. Today's sensory play is cooked spaghetti with a few drops of food colouring.

  2. Sensory play can be calming for children who find the room too noisy.

Common collocations

  • messy play
  • sensory tray
  • sensory bin
  • sensory experiences
  • heuristic playPlay in which babies and toddlers freely explore everyday objects and natural materials, such as wooden spoons, chains, tins and pine cones, without adult direction.
  • playActivity that children choose freely and enjoy for its own sake, such as building, pretending, running or exploring; it is seen as a key way young children learn.
  • sensory processingThe way the brain takes in, organises and responds to information from the senses, such as sound, touch, light, movement and taste.
  • fine motor skillsSkills that use the small muscles of the hands and fingers, often together with the eyes, such as picking up small objects, using a spoon, holding a pencil or cutting with scissors.

More terms: Play and Learning

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