6 Behavioural and Sensory Toy Benefits for Your Child

Are you looking for more ways to benefit your child's development? 

While socialising is a crucial aspect of making sure they grow up to be strong, independent individuals, there are many other things you should be doing as well to help with their development.

Getting them a sensory toy can help with this! There are many benefits to toys for child development. In this article, we'll dive into 10 of those benefits! Read on to learn why you need to get your child a sensory toy as soon as possible!

What Are the Best Types of Behavioural Toys?

There are many different types of behavioural toys that you can get your child to help with their enrichment. Here are a few.

Sensory Mats

Sensory mats are a great option to give to your child to play with to feel different textures. These mats come in different textures, so having multiple is always a good idea.

Chew Toys

While this may not be the first toy option to come to mind when thinking about sensory toys, chew toys are popular for children.

When children have a lot of sensory stimulation of things going on around them, they may begin to have an overactive temperament that can cause them to chew on random things like clothes or sometimes themselves. This could be an example of when children bite their nails or their fingers.

With a chew toy, you give the child a specific item that is meant for them to chew on when they become overwhelmed. Often, these toys come on necklaces, so they are within easy reach.

Slime or Putty

While you may not want slime or putty in your house, these are great options for sensory toys that can help with your child's development.

Suppose your child is tactile defensive, which means they have averse or negative reactions physically and emotionally. This could be an excellent object to give them to bring their attention. It's also great because it helps children develop creativity and fine motor skills.

Pin Art

Pin art is another sensory toy that can help calm children down. It also allows them to be creative.

Rainmaker Toys

You've probably seen or heard of them without knowing the term. A rainmaker toy is usually a bright-coloured toy that makes loud noises when turned in different ways.

These are great to help children focus on something when they are overwhelmed. In addition, the beads going back and forth can be soothing.

Fidget Spinners

Fidget spinners have increased in popularity over the last few years for all children, especially those with ADD or ADHD, to help them focus.

With these spinners, they can better focus on the task at hand since they keep their hands and fingers busy.

What Are the Benefits of Sensory Toys?

With so many options out there for types of sensory toys, you can get your child a few different ones to try out. Once you do, you'll notice changes because of their benefits.

1. Fine Motor Skills

Playing with sensory toys often helps with children's fine motor skills. Since tactile play focuses on building and doing things with your hands, like mixing, a child will begin to use different muscle groups to help with their fine motor skills.

2. Gross Motor Skills

Along with fine motor skills, gross motor skills will also develop more quickly with the use of sensory toys. This includes crawling, jumping, and running. They are larger muscle groups that your children will have to learn how to use.

3. Cognitive Growth 

Trying to figure out how things work and doing it themselves helps children cognitively. The cognitive growth from sensory toys comes from the problem-solving that they have to do. The exploration and engagement in different activities keep their minds thinking and learning.

4. Calming Effect

When playing with certain toys, a calming effect can overcome your child. This is often true if your child has Autism, ADD, or ADHD. The sensory toy allows them to focus on something, calming them down from being overstimulated by the surrounding environment.

5. Social Interactions

Many times, children do not play alone. When playing with different types of behavioural toys, a lot can be done with play partners. For instance, playing with slime or putty with a sibling or friend can help your children increase their social interactions. 

This will also allow them to learn how to share, play with others, and engage in play properly.

6. Language Skills

Your child will naturally develop language skills as they play with different toys. They want to express themselves, how they are feeling, and what they are doing.

To do this, they learn to communicate. As time goes on, they will learn to communicate in a more descriptive way, especially if they are young, and it starts with smaller noises.

Your Child Needs a Sensory Toy

Now that you know all about which sensory toys are the best to get and why they help your child, it's time to get your child a sensory toy, or two or three!

If you're ready to jump up and get a toy, check out our website for some of the best sensory toys on the market. In no time, you'll see that your child has grown cognitively, physically, and emotionally!