It’s so important to give children with Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) many opportunities to use their vision throughout the day. It’s also very important to encourage them to explore and develop their other senses too: touch, smell, sound, taste. Below are 5 fun and easy sensory play ideas for babies and toddlers with CVI. I started doing these activities with my daughter when she was just a few weeks old.
But before we jump in…
My daughter’s amazing vision consultant, Tara Tompai, shared the following tip with me: whatever the activity is, the use of vision should precede the use of the other senses (when possible). I’ll share a simple example. Let’s say it’s mealtime and banana is on the menu. First, show the child the banana. Wait for the child to look at it and then let them smell, touch and taste it. This method should be applied whenever possible throughout the day.
1. DIY sound shakers
Fill up childproof containers with beans, sugar, rice, macaroni and other dried foods for children with CVI to shake and compare different sounds, weights and vibrations. You can wrap the containers in shiny red paper to help draw visual attention.
2. Identify textures and explore nature
Nature has so many interesting textures to offer. Flowers are soft, twigs are scratchy and rocks are smooth to the touch. Gently caress your child’s arms, hands, legs, feet, back, tummy, etc. with a variety of items and verbally identify how each one feels. If you don’t have access to the outdoors, you can do this with fabrics, soft brushes, etc. Get creative! Several pediatric physiotherapists have encouraged me to do this tactile sensory activity regularly with my daughter because it can help the brain develop a mental map of the body.
3. Explore different scents
Help your child with CVI explore and develop their sense of smell using scents from natural sources such as fruits or essential oils. When using essential oils, try not to let your child get it on their hands, eyes or mouth. I simply put the cap of the bottle near my daughter’s nose and I say “Can you smell that? It’s lavender.” Identify what your child is smelling. “Do you smell the banana?”
4. Fun with stickers
I’m not sure what it is about stickers that children love so much, but I remember being obsessed with them as a child. This activity is so simple but it keeps my daughter busy for small chunks of time. I simply stick large stickers (the ones that aren’t too sticky) all over her legs and let her peel them off. What I like about this activity is that she’s motivated to reach past her midline when I place a sticker on her left side. It’s also amusing to watch her shake her hand in an effort to get them off her fingers. For children that don’t have functional use of their hands, it could be just as interesting to feel the funny yet odd sticky feeling on the soles of the feet and body.
5. Sing, song, sing along
Sing as much as you can—even if you think you have a terrible voice. Your child won’t mind, I promise. And if your child does mind, then hum a tune. Speech pathologists and other therapists that work with children sing their praises to the benefits of music and singing. The development of communication, self-regulation, and the strengthening of social bonds are just a few.
These are some of the sensory play activities that my daughter enjoys. Do you have any ideas? Please share them with us below!
Cindy has a deep interest in Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) and is currently studying Early Childhood Education. She focuses most of her time on her energetic daughter: playing, cuddling and helping to make her world visually accessible. Cindy holds a degree in Marketing and has worked in the not-for-profit sector for many years.