Sensory Walks
Sound play and exploration isn’t just for the home, listening and identifying sounds while outside is an important skill for a child with a vision impairment.
Sound play and exploration isn’t just for the home, listening and identifying sounds while outside is an important skill for a child with a vision impairment.
Why it’s important to explore the world around you
Life will be made up of artificial and naturally occurring sounds. Helping your child to understand the sound of the oncoming traffic or when they walk into an enclosed space will be an everyday skill that they will use throughout their life.
Going out into nature is a sensory wonderland for a VI child and a huge learning opportunity to determine the source of different sounds. Sitting in a park with your eyes closed will be a great activity for you to do yourself to properly listen to all the sounds around you without the visual having an impact. You will gain more understanding of the sounds your child is exposed to, and you can help them by adding identifying language to the sound source.
Outdoor sound activities
Sensory bingo
VICTA and the Wildlife Trusts have developed a sensory bingo which you can download and play with your child. It’s a fun way to engage with nature in a sensory way and really take the time to listen, smell and feel the world around you.
Outdoor soundmakers
The Little Amber Trust has some lovely idea for soundmaker games to play together outdoors.
Visit the page on their website >
Outdoor story time
Take a blanket to a park and sit and listen to the sounds around you, use these sounds to bring your imaginations to life and construct your own story!
Make your own sensory sound garden
There are some lovely parks that incorporate instruments into their play equipment. If you don’t have one near you and you have some outdoor space at home, why not try incorporating outdoor music into your garden? It can be as simple as hanging pots and pans and wind chimes. You can make a soundscape route for your child to follow.
