Introduction
Humans have been blessed with 5 basic senses of sight, sound, taste, smell, and sensation. When they employ all those senses, they experience an object or situation to its fullest potential. Engaging in games makes children challenge their senses and hone their skills. It also makes them more mindful of their surroundings and actions.
Since this is the 21st century and mindfulness is no longer a common natural part of children's development, they must be inculcated and nurtured separately. Also, as children nowadays have little time and space to play and be physically active, it is ideal to feed two birds with one fruit.
Physical fitness and exercise are the need of the hour to battle lifestyle diseases like diabetes and obesity. Therefore, it is better to incorporate more activities and games that employ their senses and make kids physically active. Here is a quick guide to including fitness in sensory play and engaging all their senses.
Sensory Fitness - Activities Engaging Your Kid’s Senses And Making Them Move
Create A Sensory Box Or Bag
Creating a sensory box or bag for kids to put their hands in and identify is ideal. A box opens more possibilities, while a bag allows more texture and mystery. If using a box, cut a hole on one side that only allows your children to enter their hands. The side facing away from them can be open, revealing the identity of the objects and transparency of the process while your kid grapples and tries to sense the object.
Identify The Object
Blindfold your child with a handkerchief and then place a variety of herbs, flowers, beverages, and foods in front of them. Help them smell and taste to identify with each other. Add a rule to make things more fun and challenging for older kids. Things they smell, they cannot taste to identify, and vice versa. This will help kids focus on individual senses and improve them.
Play With Food
It is ideal to let younger kids play with their food. This does not mean allowing food fights or not teaching them eating etiquette. But when children learn to eat independently, they often enjoy squishing and mashing various food textures and colors together. Let them play in such instances as it enhances their bonding with food and lets them develop a healthy relationship.
Kinetic Sand Play
Kinetic sand art is an excellent way of introducing kids to sensory play, irrespective of their age. Offer brightly colored sand or create a sandbox at home for your kids to play in. Provide them with tools like buckets and spades to dig sand and make art, like castles and animal shapes. This will help kids focus on the present and improve their attention span.
Play-Doh
Letting children play with non-toxic and child-friendly Play-Doh is a good way of mixing physical activity with fitness. All you need to do is innovate fitness games with toys that kids adore. Have Play-Doh animal races and Play-Doh cooking competitions. If you feel your kids are interested enough, then move on to pottery.
The Floor Is Lava
The floor is lava, which is an old but gold game for every kid of this generation. For this game, all your kids need to imagine is that the floor is lava, and the only safe spots to stand and walk on are the chosen or tape-marked zones. If they put their foot on the ground by mistake, even for balancing purposes, they lose. This game greatly boosts balance and coordination in kids while making them mindful of their limbs and body weight.
Plant A Mini Garden
Gardening is a wonderful physical activity that develops mindfulness in children. Mindfulness automatically helps kids focus on and appreciate the present while keeping stress and anxiety at bay. Therefore, teach your kids how to plant and maintain a mini garden before taking on bigger responsibilities. They can start with growing herbs in egg cartons, but the main purpose of getting messy, handling soil, and feeling nature’s beauty should be served.
Obstacle Course
An obstacle course is a smart way of using the little space urban families possess, whether in the community garden or terrace, to ensure kids remain alert and active. Use flowerpots, bricks, tires, and other spare or household items to make the fitness course adventurous and challenging for kids. This will keep them hooked and coming back for more.
Conclusion
Sensory play is underrated but highly effective in enhancing mindfulness and inculcating gratitude in children. It also prepares them to stay alert and aware of life, be it during playtime or studying. Therefore, it is ideal not to waste time any longer and engage all your child’s senses in physical fitness-oriented activities with this guide.
References
The views expressed are that of the expert alone.
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