These 8 sensory systems drive children’s play and in turn that play wire’s their brains–and hones the 8 sensory systems. Early learning play should allow children to get in touch with all 8 sensory systems. Too often, young children’s play is restricted, confined, and curtailed–harming their sensory integration. For example, opportunities to do things like flip, spin, jump, tumble, grapple, climb, run, and fall are frequently limited, which hinders development of many of these systems.

When selecting a preschool or child care program, parents should seek settings that pay attention to all 8 systems.

The 8 Sensory Systems

Here are the 8 sensory systems that drive playful learning:

• Visual System (responsible for seeing)
• Auditory System (responsible for hearing)
• Tactile System (responsible for processing touch)
• Olfactory System (responsible for processing smell)
• Gustatory System (responsible for the sense of taste)
• Vestibular System (helps with the body’s balance and orientation in space)
• Proprioceptive System (senses the position, orientation, and movement of the body’s muscles and joints)
• Interoceptive System (senses and responds to the body’s internal state–senses things like hunger, thirst, pain, heart rate, temperature, and the need to use the bathroom)

Free PDF Handout

Here is the free PDF to help you visualize and remember the 8 systems:

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