Sensory play is a natural way for children to interact with the world around them and helps them develop the skills they will need now and for later kindergarten readiness. For young children, some sensory play materials for hearing are as close as the kitchen. Pots and pans can make all kinds of wonderful sounds and when they are combined with a wooden spoon the fun can resonate throughout the whole house. For softer sounds let your little one try a spatula or a plastic spoon.
After a few times of playing with pots and pans, kids discover that different items will make different sounds. A wooden block tapped on the side of a pot is much louder than just a foam block. Not all the pots and pans will make the same sound. There’s a variety of ways to make sounds too, on the inside, the outside, the lid, the bottom, the sides and even the handle.
Besides the stimulation of the sense of hearing, as kids tap and hit the pots and pans, they are also stimulating the sense of movement. This helps children learn muscle coordination. They will know immediately if an action has been effective by the noise. Figuring out how to make loud noises and soft noises is part of muscle control.
Usually parents and caregivers will have shorter attention spans for this activity than kids. Can you handle some sensory stimulation of hearing as your child plays with pots and pans?