Now that Joey can sit up by herself (and pull herself up to stand!), we’ve been introducing her to some sensory play, inspired by Dr. Maria Montessori‘s methods of encouraging babies/children to use all senses to study, learn and better understand their environment. You might’ve noticed in some of my videos of me feeding Joey that she likes to touch the food she eats and also feed herself. It can get a little messy but it’s definitely worth seeing the smile on her face when she discovers a new texture or when she realizes she’s in control of some of the things around her.

Some of the benefits of sensory play are:

• Research shows that sensory play builds nerve connections in the brain’s pathways, which lead to the child’s ability to complete more complex learning tasks.
• Sensory play supports language development, cognitive growth, fine and gross motor skills, problem solving skills, and social interaction.
• This type of play aids in developing and enhancing memory
• Sensory play is great for calming an anxious or frustrated child
• This helps children learn sensory attributes (hot, cold, sticky, dry)

You can read more about the benefits here.

For this particular sensory activity, we introduced her to pasta. The goal was for Joey to understand what it is to feel something slimy, warm and squishy. It was so fun watching her squeeze the pasta with her hands and bring it up to her mouth to taste. Turns out Moseby also wanted to be part of the action.

Joey’s bow found here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Blondesinbows

Next we’ll be introducing another sensory play which will include different fabric textures!

Photos by: Sunny Kim