Supporting Inclusion in Early Childhood Settings Vol. Touching, smelling, tasting, hearing, and seeing are important learning tools for young children.
Some children have disabilities which limit their ability to use one or more of their senses.
A child with a visual impairment, for example, must rely on other senses to gather information from the environment. Providing learning opportunities using the senses is one way to create an environment which encourages young children to learn. By incorporating activities which use all of the senses, you stimulate different kinds of play and a lot of learning. Many toys include interesting sounds. Velcro dots on blocks, sponges in the water table, and sand in the finger paint are all examples of adding texture to toys and play activities.