For the very young child with limited life experiences, there may be quite a few different places pictured in children’s picture books that they have not yet been to and experienced for themselves. Just looking at pictures of mountains, beaches, lakes, farms, etc. can sometimes lack a meaningful connection for the very young child who doesn’t yet have any lived experience of their own to connect these types of place with.
In the context of a preschool classroom, sensory play can fill an important role in child development as it allows them the time, space, and opportunity to explore different materials and experience their scent and texture. I like to foster connections between the sensory tub materials and library book selections when planning and preparing my curriculum.
One of my pre-schooler’s is very interested in farms, tractors, animals, vets because of their own farm experiences. While the other children in my classroom do not have the same first-hand experiences on a farm, through sensory and pretend play themes, I’ve been able to extend and develop the interests of the one who does have first hand experience of being on a farm, and giving the other children who have not yet experienced being on a farm the opportunity to learn and explore.
In our sensory tub over the weeks and months I’ve added some compost soil, little pots for planting, bits of wood chips, pine cones, leaves, fresh straw etc. All natural elements that young children in urban settings might not have a lot of opportunity to touch and feel. A collection of sturdy plastic animals are an absolute necessity and make a great addition to sensory play as the children can engage in their own imaginative play at the same time.
We also enjoyed some pretend play on the theme of the vet helping and caring for the animals. We already had our little play doctor kit in our pretend play area, so we added some new animals, and a few bandages so that the children could experiment and experience for themselves bandaging up the play animals and learning the names of all the pieces of equipment in the doctor’s kit.
Then, I know that when I show the children a story book with pictures of a farm, the farmer driving his tractor, digging up soil, straw in the barn, plants growing, etc. that they will have some tactile memories from our times of sensory play. According to theorist Piaget, children need to be able to make meaningful connections with something they already know from their own experiences before being able to learn, absorb and assimilate new information.
In terms of practical, daily application in a busy preschool classroom, I will select children’s story books and non-fiction books that align with their current interests. And I try to make connections with these interests in their sensory, outdoor, and pretend play times.