The outside world makes children’s development through experiences that they have, which include using their five senses—‘hearing’, ‘sight’, ‘smell’, ‘taste’, and ‘touch’. Tracing a child’s attention to the five senses and discussing with them increases understanding and communication about the world.

The function of the brain is to arrange the information gained from the senses into meaningful learning. Brain is always working, just as the breathe and do not stop unless there is a major interference.

It is interesting to see how children experience new situations as they play. Children make sense of their world by hearing, touching, seeing, tasting and smelling. When they are offered a new toy they compress it with their hands and rub it on their cheeks. Kids want to feel the toy in a variety of ways. They put the toy in their mouths and around their noses to taste and smell, listen to sounds that the toy makes. Then they notice if there is a relationship between squeezing the toy and the sound it makes.

About Five Senses:

1. Hearing
Children use their ears to take-in information about things around them.  Like other skills that children learn, listening also takes practice. Developing good listening habits helps children get important information from family members, teachers, friends, coaches and others.

2. Sight
When children play games that involve sight. Sight games help children recognize words, patterns, objects and help them develop their memory.

3. Smell
Children will recognize certain smells as comforting, yummy, scary and exciting.  Experiment with the scents and smells that the child recognizes and those that are more unfamiliar.

Sensory activities in school for sense of smell

• sensory
• Exploring the sense of smell game. Learn, play and imagine.
• Fun with smelling bottles
• Tea bag matching game

4. Taste
Children develop taste preferences based on what they are fed when they are in the early years of their lives.  Helping children think about which tastes they do and do not prefer, however will encourage them to try new foods and new combinations of foods.

5. Touch
Children learn about their bodies and how to communicate with others through touch.  Most of the feelings that we experience through our feet and hands. Taking part in activities where children feel with their feet and hands help them to learn how to write, button their shirts, and tie their shoes.

4 Games to develop the sense of touch

• Feather tickle- This game involves simply tickling parts of the body with a feather.
• Finger plays- Common finger plays are fun for little ones but preschoolers and kindergartners enjoy them too.
• Jack in the Box.
• Tickly Rain.

Everyday let your kids enjoy senses!  Pay attention to their world and take notice of the sights, sounds, smells, flavors, and touchable things around them!