5 Activities To Explore Tactile Stimulation In Children
Tactile stimulation in children is essential from an early age. Experiencing and understanding the different senses (seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching) is very important. The senses help not only to explore the world, but also to understand our surroundings and our own bodies.
Our sensations are the basis of all knowledge. We learn depending on the sensations that surround us, that is, what our senses explore. To stimulate these senses is to stimulate, in a way, the structural growth of the brain.
In this article, we will focus, above all, on the tactile stimulus, that is, touching and feeling. Let’s make a compilation of sensory activities for children focused on this stimulus. Of course, all these activities are a lot of fun.
5 activities to explore tactile stimulation in children
1. Blindfold
A game to stimulate the senses is one that consists in blindfolding the child’s eyes and making him/her find their friends without seeing anything. Once she finds them, she’ll have to identify them one by one.
Another option is to search for objects. For that, we must ask them to touch the objects they find around them (we must add new objects to the surroundings, of course) so that they can guess which object it is.
For example, we can go into an environment that has a desk, have them touch books, pens, erasers, lamps, and so on. and that they say exactly what they are feeling, what they believe they are touching.
2. The texture drawer
As the name implies, let’s create a drawer that has objects with different textures. For this we need a box in which we will have small separate spaces, for example by placing empty yoghurt pots inside.
We must place different objects in each space. In addition to objects, we can use other things, such as rice (raw and cooked), oil, hot water, linen, sand, etc. The goal is to let children explore the different textures with their hands.
3. “Guess what’s in the bag” for tactile stimulation in children
Another exercise for children to explore the tactile stimulus is the “guess what’s inside the bag”.
In this game, we must put different objects inside a bag. For this, we can look for objects easily identifiable by touch. For example, a comb, keys, notepads, marbles, etc. The goal is for children to take an object from the bag and describe it based on their touch.
Another way to play this game is to describe one of these objects to the children and ask them to look for it inside the bag without looking. The idea is for them to touch the objects and choose the one that most closely matches the description provided.
4. Play with foam
This is the most complicated activity of all from an organizational point of view. We will have to take several bowls and pour some shaving cream into each one. That done, we added watercolor to make the foam look different colors.
Then we should spread a paper on a table (if you have a continuous paper, better). Finally, we ask the children to draw something, for example an animal or some fruit, and paint it with the colored foam using their hands. It is a very fun activity to experiment with touch and sensation.
5. Play dough
Play dough is a material that practically all children like. With play dough, you can create many things and develop your imagination. Furthermore, playing with her is an activity that favors concentration by proposing short- and long-term goals.
Playing with play dough not only amuses, but also relaxes and makes mindfulness work . It is a good option for the child to calm down again after a nervous moment. It is a highly recommended activity for hyperactive children.
Conclusion on these activities to explore tactile stimulation in children
With these simple activities, we can have children explore their ability to touch and feel. Exploring and experimenting with object manipulation and touch is a fundamental part of children’s developmental process. With this work, the acquisition of all types of learning is favored.
