• Perceiving sounds: Hearing is important for finding your way in the world. It's not just about hearing loud and quiet sounds, but also about being able to evaluate them. Where does a particular sound come from? Could it mean danger, for example in the form of an approaching car?

• Hand-eye coordination: Only when both visual ability and motor skills are well developed does hand-eye coordination later work almost automatically. Children learn the interplay of different senses during the first years of life. They are the foundation for various activities, such as writing or drawing.

• Smelling: Sensitizing the sense of smell not only helps to perceive the world better, but also to evaluate the environment. Familiar smells, unfamiliar odors or even poisonous fumes can thus be assessed.

Why it is important to sharpen the senses and why sensory games help

Only when one of our senses no longer works do we realize how important sensory perception is for our everyday life. With a cold we no longer smell anything - and at the same time can hardly taste anything. During a power outage in the dark we can no longer see anything - and are more than helpless. In children, the senses are still in the process of developing. Depending on their age, they work more or less well. This development cannot be accelerated. That is why the various sensory games meet children where they are in their development and promote their perception in a playful way. By the way, sensory games are not only fun for children - adults are also amazed at what senses can master - and where they reach their limits.

Sensory games for toddlers – Discovering the world with fun

The senses of toddlers are not yet fully developed. At two to three years, children enjoy all the new impressions they can gather. The little ones especially enjoy games like:

Barefoot obstacle course: On the ground a course is laid out from different materials. Fine sand, small pebbles, grass or cotton wool are ideal for children's feet to test how the different materials feel. For older children, the eyes can additionally be blindfolded so that the children have to guess what is under their bare feet.

Guess the sounds: Play different sounds. For toddlers, animal sounds like the 'toot' of an elephant and the mooing of a cow are best. The children have to guess which animal it is. With older children the sounds can be made more difficult: with a dripping tap or the sound of the sea you have to listen very carefully.

Sensory games for children aged 3 to 6

At preschool age most children are already good at relying on their senses. Children now especially enjoy, for example:

Sound memory: Small containers are filled with different materials such as small stones, rice, sand or sunflower seeds. By shaking the containers, pairs with the same filling should be found - not that easy!

Little mouse, say 'peep': Several children sit in a circle. One child gets their eyes blindfolded. Another child says 'peep' quietly. Now the blindfolded child sets off to search for the origin of the sound. In this way the children learn incidentally to pay attention to which direction a sound is coming from.

Image credits

Toddler eating a strawberry © yoshiji - stock.adobe.com