Q is for Quiet Sensory Play
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I want to welcome Anne from Left Brain Craft Brain to share with us today. Do things get pretty loud at your house? Yeah, who's doesn't?! Anne has some great ideas for QUIET sensory play today.
I'm guessing that many houses with kids are like mine, pretty loud. A moment of so-called peace and quiet rarely happens until after we're all asleep. So today's A-Z's of Sensory Play post is Q for Quiet. Because it's important that kiddos can experience quiet, both the challenges of being it and the wonders of hearing it.
The Quiet Game
The Quiet Game is something you can play anytime and any place. It's just being quiet for 60 seconds and experiencing what is going on around you. To make it fun, we tried it a few places near our house: by the bay, in the backyard and in the forest. We also tried it with some noise cancelling headphones on.
The first thing my daughter noticed was the wind. She could hear it rustling through the bushes in the backyard. And moving across the surface of the water. But as soon as she mentioned sound, then she said she could feel it. And it felt cold. Then the quiet was over because she started listing off everything she had noticed with all of her senses. And it was a lot more than she ever would have commented on before. Did she experience more because she was quiet for a moment? Who knows, but it was definitely an interesting experience for her.
I asked her if it was hard to stay quiet for 60 seconds. She said no, but she could rarely make it through the whole sixty seconds without asking me if we were done yet. I'd love to keep trying this activity to see if she builds up her stamina for quiet. She and I are both big talkers, so I understand the challenge! Oh and maybe I should try The Quiet Game for myself more often too 🙂
Why is Quiet Important for Sensory Health?
Quiet is important for sensory health for several reasons. First, it allows a child to focus in on her senses that may be ignored when she is talking. And that helps the child experience more, feel more and learn more. Secondly, it provides some valuable recharge time, preventing sensory overload. Third, it helps children become good listeners which is so important in developing strong relationships and for successful brain development. Finally, it gives a child a new tool for self-regulation. Being quiet takes practice and patience, but it's worth every moment.
Anne is an ex-engineer, current stay-at-home mama who writes about crafty ways to encourage STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineerng, Art & Math) learning in our kids. She is the author at Left Brain Craft Brain where combining sensory experiences and learning is a favorite way to play. How I Give my Child a Sensory Diet with Science and Sunset Slime are a couple of her favorite activities. You can connect with Anne over on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram.
For more sensory play ideas, be sure to check out my Sensory Fun Pinterest board.
Heather Greutman, COTA
Heather Greutman is a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant with experience in school-based OT services for preschool through high school. She uses her background to share child development tips, tools, and strategies for parents, educators, and therapists. She is the author of many ebooks including The Basics of Fine Motor Skills, and Basics of Pre-Writing Skills, and co-author of Sensory Processing Explained: A Handbook for Parents and Educators.