Creating Multi-sensory Environments: Practical Ideas for Teaching and Learning (nasen spotlight)

Multi-sensory environments in the classroom provide a wealth of stimulating learning experiences for all young children whose senses are still under development.

Creating Multisensory Environments: Practical Ideas for Teaching and Learning is a highly practical guide to low-cost cost, easy to assemble multi-sensory environments. With a step-by-step guide to each activity, these creative learning environments focus on multi-sensory experiences and:

• are designed to stimulate all the sensory channels – auditory, visual, kinaesthetic, olfactory and gustatory
• include suggestions for extension or differentiation depending on the abilities of your pupils, or the time available
• encourage creative thinking and learning, and development of social and emotional skills
• feature clear learning Outcomes, linking with P-Scales for children with special education needs
• can be set up in your classroom or school hall in just a matter of minutes or be a semi-permanent feature in a small area of the classroom, convenient for use at any given moment.

Although these activities will be of particular value for children with sensory impairments, they will also provide stimulating learning environments, as promoted in the themes and principles of the Early Years Foundation Stage guidance. Theory and background to multi-sensory learning is provided to enable you to adapt the suggested scenarios according to the needs of individual learners.

This practical and easy to use book is an essential companion for busy classroom practitioners wanting to create a stimulating and meaningful learning environment.

Christopher Davies is Artistic Director of Bamboozle Theatre Company, which runs multi-sensory theatre arts residencies and workshops for children who have a range of SEN.