User:Lina Sabbagh/sandbox

Benefits of Natural Sensory Toys
Sensory toys and sensory plays are the foundation of personality and physical strength. They also positively affect many other fields in children's development. According to several studies, this type of play has the ability to reinforce the nerve connections in the brain pathways. Sensory toys are, nowadays, an essential must-have tool for every baby, toddler and child. Nevertheless, those made from natural and safe sources, such as rice, beans and other natural foods.

Introduction to natural sensory toys
Sensory toys can be a great way to stimulate your toddler's senses and encourage curiosity and exploration. Toddlers are curious, they look and then they want to touch, smell, hear, or taste. And this all builds up a big part of their personality and shapes their future. This type of play and toys have proven over and over again its efficiency. Sensory play is a method used in kindergartens and rehabilitation centres for children with disabilities or learning difficulties, which makes it quite a highly beneficiary method of learning.

Language development
When toddlers engaged in sensory play, they start to communicate together. This communication generates the need to express themselves. They will also try to express their feelings with words. Processing events and putting them into words is the key start to language and reading abilities. A good finger muscle training is dipping hands in wet sand for example or sorting rice and other beans.

Cognitive development
Toddlers need to explore and experience different sensory, cognitive and physical activities in order to grow and develop. The usage of senses like smelling, tasting, touching and hearing helps children analyse the object and control objects in hand. Observation and testing give them the opportunity to experiment. For example, colourful marbles or wooden bricks, sorting according to colour or size or even numbers. Those are the first science and math lessons.

Awareness
While playing with natural sensory toys, for instance, a toddler becomes aware of their play space. They experience independency, which feeds their self-confidence and makes them gain emotional stability and control. This helps with building self-awareness and the ability to explore on his own without interruption and with utmost concentration. This generates gradually the ability to set control and find solutions on their own.

Social and emotional benefits
Sometimes parents neglect the importance of sensory play with natural sensory toys because they are often messy. Nevertheless, it is very soothing and relaxing, especially for children with anxiety, autism or other disabilities. Tactile play is important because it promotes comfort and calm emotions. It also allows them to learn to control emotions as well as channel reactions.

Playing with sensory toys as groups benefits the sense of acceptance of others’ points of view and observing them in order to understand their perspective. This process helps them learn how to communicate, accept and get along with others as well as learn how to manoeuvre through life and be able to create their own place among others.

Eco-friendly
Natural products are 100% safe, like coloured rice or beans or homemade play dough. Such products are safe because children tend to put everything in their mouths. Multiple textures, colours and smells, make it highly profitable for children and even more enjoyable. And from another perspective, it also makes a connection and an early awareness of the environment.

Problem-solving
By direct communication with a big group of children over several sensory materials, usually, there would be conflict over a certain piece of play dough or a shovel or something of the like.

These situations allow the child to gain the ability to find a solution. Whether to compromise, accept or negotiate a solution with other children. Either way, sensory play helps children develop their logical abilities and encourages them to take action and decisions.

Adapting
Children often want to do things their own way. And sometimes if not often, they rebel against what does not happen the way they want it to. Therefore, adaptation is sometimes a big theme for many kids and makes it sometimes difficult for parents to handle. Introducing sensory toys for children in early stages gives them a great opportunity to adapt to matter within their hands. Playing with sensory toys in various forms has its own benefits. The material introduced will not change, and they will have to adapt and play accordingly. At the same time, they will have to accept the situation as it is. Let's say they mixed the rice with play dough and created something new for themselves. As a result, they learned to adapt to the situation, but also created something of their own. This will teach them to accept their surroundings and to work with situations accordingly.

Creativity
Creativity is partially inherited and partially obtained. But we as parents could always enrich and feed that side in our children. The key is to allow the toddler to make a mess, don’t be afraid to join in.

Children need time to be free and use their imagination. So give them a couple of spoons, a small bowl and a bag of beans, sand and some coloured rice. Watch as they create endless projects. Curiosity is the main drive for exploring anything. This exploration will allow children to see what they can create. During this process, they will build up a creative sense where their own imagination will expand along with self-confidence.

The benefits of sensory toys are numerous. And natural products keep the parent's and caregivers’ minds at ease.