Stimulate sensorimotor development

What is sensorimotor development?

Sensorimotor development is the use of both your senses and motor skills. It is precisely this combination that helps children learn about themselves in relation to their environment.

Sensorimotor development is a good preparation for cognitive and social-emotional development for young children (toddlers and preschoolers). Problems in motor and/or sensorimotor development have an impact on cognitive and social-emotional development. That is why it is so important to pay attention to the sensorimotor development of children at an early age. [Read more about how to support your child in dealing with emotions here]

Movement and Senses

The development of motor skills in combination with sensory impressions takes place from birth. After all, your child starts moving from birth and gradually learns to control movements. But sensory development is also synchronous. Your child smells and feels materials. Many things are explored with the mouth. [Read more about the natural need to chew on something].

The information your little one receives from the senses (through taste, hearing, sight, smell and touch) gives your child valuable information about his environment. It is not for nothing that babies flawlessly recognize the scent of their mother. The development of the senses can be seen as the sensorimotor development.

Also read “Which toys stimulate motor development?”

Sensory information processing

By using the senses in play, your child gains experience about the world around him. A baby is introduced to a rattle. Your child feels with both the mouth and the hands that the rattle feels smooth in certain places and ribbed in other places and if you shake it it will rattle. This information, which is obtained through the senses, is stored in the brain. The next time your child picks up the rattle, it will know how it feels and what the sound sounds like when your child starts rattling it. When this process goes well, we are talking about good sensory information processing.

5 tips to stimulate sensorimotor development

But with this knowledge, how can you, as a parent, best stimulate your child’s sensorimotor development?

1. Offer your child a variety of food. Think of various colors, scents and textures. And let your child discover the food with their hands as well.
2. Sing songs with your child in combination with movements. Such as ‘in the moonlight’ and practice corresponding movements with your child in the meantime. This stimulates the senses and motor skills.
3. Let your child play with various types of play sand, clay, water or other messy play ingredients. For example, make a sensory container with, for example, rice, play sand or water beads and add animals or other material to it. Give sensory balls to roll with.
4. Play a tactile game with your child. Use our tactile wall, or use our tactile memory. Another way is to put objects such as a pencil, eraser, stress ball, tape under a cloth and let the children feel and guess. This can also be done with tasting. Let children (blindfolded) taste peanut butter, salt, sugar and syrup) or smell. Put various herbs or scents in spice jars, such as aromatherapy oil or putty.
5. Use various types of soft materials to ‘rub’ with. Think of finger paint or shaving foam or happy senso. Have them write letters or draw figures in the substance.

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