By Rosalind Swainson FACS Program Assistant Sensory materials are often gooey, messy things that children can t wait to get their hands into. They re what our moms told us not to play with. Any material that stimulates several senses, especially the sense of touch, is considered a sensory material playdough, bubbles, water, sand, potting soil, and so on.
Sensory materials are great fun for young children, and most are easy to make at school or at home.
Sensory materials allow children to use their senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell, and even taste. Rolling and cutting playdough can help children learn eye-hand coordination and creativity. Children who are playing together in a sand box are learning how to cooperate and share. A child stretching silly putty is learning some important lessons about gravity and physics. And sensory materials can help soothe children.