Sensory books - what are they? How to choose them?

Sensory books are items created with different materials than traditional ones and allow them to provide a child with multiple reading experiences. The key to understanding is the word "sensory", which, according to Doroszewski's Dictionary of the Polish Language, means "experienced through the senses". Thus, we can experience activity books through several senses, not just sight.

While reading aloud uses sight and hearing, with a tactile toy the child is engaged by additional sound effects, such as rustlingor crunching elements. Most often, the sense of feeling is still stimulated. There are quite a few material stories to choose from, in surprising shapes and textures, with either soft or stiff and protruding elements. Sometimes you will come across small toys that can be removed. At the same time, they can become a tiny cuddly toy to manipulate in your hands. You may also come across a reading that will surprise your sense of smell. In The Scent of Christmasfrom the Jano and Witothe Christmas tree smells like a forest.

child and sensory integration

What is sensory integration? And why is it so important? At all times we perceive the world through our senses, which allow us to orient ourselves in space, balance, judge well distances, temperature, shapes, pressure, colors, sounds. We lose it if the senses don't work properly with the rest of the nervous system. If the stimuli coming from the world are not well transmitted to the brain, or the brain cannot interpret them correctly, the child does not respond properly. He perceives many pleasant things like stroking or tasty food as torture or something unpleasant.

The process of sensory integration proceeds as the fetus and later the infant and child develop, but is sometimes disrupted. However, it is possible to stimulate the nervous system, which is plastic, and thus stimulate this process. It is possible to strengthen the cooperation of all the senses and the entire nervous system. In this way, proper functioning of the body and mind, recognition of emotions, motor skills, and learning to speak, read and write are promoted.

To support these processes proper stimulation is needed. One way to exercise the nervous system and teach the brain to recognize stimuli is to read and explore material touch books. Activity books further stimulate a child's small motor skills and imagination.

How to choose sensory books for babies?

Be guided by your baby's age. For the first six months, it's a good idea to focus on contrasting items. Black-and-white publications with clear large shapes that an infant can easily see are a sure bet. Young children do not see clearly enough at first, so bet on strong colors on white or contrasting backgrounds and large geometric figures. Such patterns will stimulate the toddler's developing eyesight. Babies can't focus attention yet, so just a few pages and with a few simple patterns, following the rule of one thing at a time. You can show a triangle, circle, square, or interesting patterns and textures. Often small safety mirrors are also sewn in.

The most important thing is that everything should be sewn well and firmly, so that it won't detach and pose a danger. Materials should also be safe and approved. We also advise you to wash the manipulative booklet in a gentle detergent before giving it to a baby bean for the first time.

There can be manipulative books made by hand, or even with your own hands (maybe you're tempted?), or sewn to order. On the Internet, you can find more and more offers to sew a personalized touch book for a small child, on which, for example, the baby's name will be embroidered.

We especially recommend:

Material baby books:

• Lilliputiens: Alice the Vixen activation cube
.
• fabric bookSweet Corn with English embroidered text
.
• Jellycat: fabric book with tails Dinosaurs
• From 6 months of age: B.Toys: sensory book Rainbow Sunshine.
• from 6 months of age: Manhattan Toy: soft activity book Baby Bird.
• from 6 months old: Manhattan Toy: soft activity book with protruding bunny Sunny Day
• From 9 months of age: Lilliputiens: Jungle fold-out book; .
• quiet book Lion Jack multifunctional book

Sensory books for a one-year-old baby:

• . From 18 months of age Lilliputiens: sensory book learning to count 1, 2, 3 Count Bookand Lilliputiens: quiet book multifunctional book Paulette is looking for chickens.
• . photo album for browsing Filibabba: Memory Book photo album
• . From 18 months: Lilliputiens: sensory book Learn Shapes.
• . From the age of 18 months: the richness of everyday life and the protruding fox Lilliputiens: quiet book activity book Good night Little Fox
Good night Little Fox.

• . suckers colors that change in warm water Lilliputiens: magic Fiesta forest bath book

Sensory books for a two-year-old

• . A book and play mat in a variety of fabrics: Lilliputiens: Rhino Family Play Mat
• . learning a story with a little fox: Lilliputiens: quiet book multifunctional bookDoctor Alice

Sensory books for a three-year-old

Yes, there are sensory and tactile books for preschoolers. Three-year-olds can already do some storytelling, so various children's books of the quiet book type will work well. They will stimulate many senses, while providing a lot of fun and stimulating speech and narrative practice. We also recommend the aforementioned item with a fragrant Christmas tree from the "Jano and Wito" series, as well as various cookbooks with the scent of baked goods, chocolate or ravioli. The fingers of a three-year-old toddler are already exercised enough to open the windows, slide out the pages, rub the scented elements. That's when cardboard boxes with windows and pop-up elements come in handy.

Examples:

• . Adamada: Guess what it is!.
• . Adamada: Discover where.
• Entitle: pop-up Sleeping Beauty
.

At this age, the child is already listening to longer fairy tales and stories and can look at illustrations when we read to him. The toddler has enough concentration skills to look carefully at the drawings.

This is also the moment to create a DYI and handmade sensory book together with the kids. Old knick knacks and colorful scraps of materials and papers can turn into fascinating works of art. We encourage you to create together. A handmade story will stimulate creativity and will be a source of pride for a long time.