For young children, everything is new. It’s one of the reasons that kids are such natural learners: they’re always absorbing new information. And left to their own devices, children will use their five senses to explore the world, discover language, and process new information. However, there are ways that parents and caretakers can create a richer, fuller, and more stimulating home environment, providing a solid foundation for cognitive growth in the process. 

Creating a stimulating home environment for your child does not have to be a complicated or intimidating prospect. Making a few simple changes to your child’s space and the way you approach play can have a significant impact. And growing up in such a sensory-rich space can help your child stimulate cognitive growth and get a head start on the academic skills they’ll use for the rest of their life. 

How the Home Environment Influences Learning

Your home can be an exceptionally important environment for your child’s cognitive development. In no small part, that’s because that’s where your child will spend the vast majority of their time. But it’s also because the home is where kids feel most safe to explore and play. 

There are things parents can do to ensure their home is conducive to learning and cognitive development. And it’s important to point out that these do not need to be large or significant changes. In many cases, small alterations can have a large impact. Some of the steps parents can take to create a more enriching environment include the following:

• Keep your child’s space organized: Most children will collect an amount of toys, games, and books. It’s helpful to your child’s learning to keep these organized and visible. That way your child has an easier time selecting what interests them in the moment. Ideally, this space would be interesting, detailed, and full of options for your child to choose from.

• Give your child open space to play: When a play area is nice and open, your child has an opportunity to fill that space with their imagination. (It’s one of the reasons why outdoor play is so stimulating!) When your child’s play space is open, they can use toys and activities to create the perfect enriching environment for their brain on that specific day.

• Make sure your child can look out the window safely: It’s not always feasible for your child to go outside, but even taking a look outside can offer a significant amount of enrichment. Giving your child safe access to windows or vivid, colorful art at eye level can give them something wonderfully interesting to look at.

• Create spaces with (safe) obstacles: Giving your baby something to crawl around or crawl over can give them another layer of sensory input and enrichment. Of course, you should stick to safe objects such as couch cushions or pillows. 

• Make sure things are safe and supervised: Young children need supervision! Make sure you’re there to help them and guide them where necessary. Play spaces should ideally have plenty of sight lines so that adults can keep an eye on those kids at all times, making sure your baby or toddler doesn’t get hurt (or that adult comfort is close at hand if a painful moment does happen).

While these represent some basic ideas, every space will look slightly different. Take the time to create the space that works best for you and your child, paying attention to what works and what doesn’t. 

Sensory-Rich Activities for Brain Development

For babies and toddlers, every sensation is new! They’re constantly exploring their five senses, and this exploration helps fuel brain and cognitive development. And while this sensory play will occur to some degree in a variety of environments, providing an intentionally rich sensory experience can help your child embrace their creativity and curiosity.

Creating sensory-rich activities does not have to be an overwhelming task. There are some simple ways that you can accomplish this:

• Make a sensory bin (or series of sensory bins): Sensory bins are containers that contain a set of dedicated sensory experiences. For example, there may be a sensory bin full for water play or rice or kinetic sand. Some sensory bins may contain a diversity of materials. The idea is to make it easy for your child to set up sensory play on their own (and also make it easier to clean up afterwards). Creating a sensory bin can be easy and use materials you have around the house!

• Find household objects that have a unique sensory feel: While touch may be the most common sense used in this regard, be sure to include things like sight, smell, and taste. Find objects around the house that are both safe for toddlers and have a unique feel. One such example could be a bucket of rice or beans. Even something as simple as sand from a local beach could also provide a rich sensory experience.

• Spend some time with arts and crafts: Practicing artistic creativity can be wonderfully enriching. Toddlers and preschool age children may be somewhat limited in options, however, as their fine motor skills are still developing. But that doesn’t mean arts and crafts need to be avoided. Instead, focus on activities that are more accessible, such as fingerpainting or coloring with crayons. Both of these activities are also rich in texture, adding to the overall sensory experience.

• Let your child play with Play-Doh and child-safe clays: Building with Play-Doh is a time-honored sensory-rich experience for a reason. Kids tend to love that child-safe clays put their creativity in the driver’s seat. These clays are full of vibrant colors, textures, and even smells that enhance the sensory-richness of the experience.

Every child is different, of course. Some may enjoy arts and crafts and others may veer towards playing with other household objects. For parents and caretakers, the trick is to mix in some of what your child likes and gravitates towards alongside newer and novel experiences.

It’s also worth noting that children who are neurodivergent may have a different relationship and reaction to sensory experience than neurotypical children. This is something to be observant of and sensitive to as you attempt to create a rich and stimulating home environment for cognitive growth.

How to Encourage Curiosity Through Play and Exploration

For the most part, children are innately curious and enjoy the process of exploration. But this is a characteristic that can also be encouraged and supported. One of the best ways to do this is through something your child will already have a natural tendency towards: play! 

To help your child be curious in both the ways they play and the ways they explore, try some of the following strategies:

• Regularly ask your child to explain why they are playing the way they’re playing, or to relate their thoughts as they play. 

• Give your child plenty to explore by bringing them to new or changing environments. 

• Avoid screen time! Using a screen isn’t all that conducive to thoughtful curiosity or exploration and certainly does not provide a rich sensory experience.

• Work with your child’s interests. If your toddler has already shown an interest in a topic (for example, dinosaurs), make sure to spend time asking them about that topic or introduce types of play that include that topic.

• Model curiosity and exploration in your own life. Show your toddler what it looks like to discover new answers and make sure to delight in discovering new information. 

Simple Ways to Incorporate Early Literacy and Math Skills

Parents and caretakers can help prepare their preschoolers and toddlers for kindergarten (and later academic success) by incorporating some simple literacy and math skills into your daily routine. These can be relatively simple and low key additions to the way your child already plays. For example, you can make sure your toddler’s play area is well stocked with appealing, age-appropriate books. Let your child pick out a book and spend some time reading with them every day.

You can also engage in simple counting games while your child plays. For example, you can try counting blocks (or using blocks with numbers on them) and occasionally ask your child about the numbers they are using. It’s important to make sure these activities remain fun so your child doesn’t become bored or develop a negative association. Reward your child by remaining enthusiastic and positive throughout the experience. And remember that your child is still exploring these early math and literacy concepts, so avoid quizzing them or exerting pressure to achieve a specific result.

Cognitive Growth is an Important Part of Your Child’s Development

Encouraging cognitive growth does not have to be a tall order. But it can be very important. Kids crave sensory experiences and their brains respond really well to novel and changing stimuli. Embracing your child’s inner curiosity can also lead to direct benefits in your child’s normal cognitive development. When your child is surrounded by sensory-rich activities and given plenty of time for exploration, they can more quickly develop creative thinking skills and gain valuable practice with basic math and literacy concepts. 

If you have questions about how to create a richer home environment for your child, talk to their pediatrician during a regular wellness visit. 

If your child is already a patient at Children’s Healthcare Associates, you may schedule an appointment at our Chicago or Northbrook locations today!