What it is

Temenos developed the Sensory Play & Development Program by combining an understanding of child development, play, sensory-motor experience, and the learning process. It is not built on a single theory. It draws on sensory processing, motor development, developmental psychology, play and playful learning, executive functioning, self-regulation, and educational psychology.

Children learn when they move, touch, see, hear, try, explore, solve problems, interact, and play. So the program brings together four main areas:

  • PLAY
  • DEVELOPMENT
  • SENSORY-MOTOR
  • LEARNING

The four are used together to understand how a child plays and functions, and then to design experiences that support their development and their participation in daily life and learning.

This program is available only at Temenos Citra Garden. Contact us through WhatsApp to discuss your child's needs and scheduling availability.

Why Play for Sensory-Motor Development?

Motor practice does not always have to look like exercise or drill. Through play designed with a purpose, a child gets to move, repeat, adjust movements, develop strategies, and solve problems, while still experiencing it as play.

When a child plays, several sensory systems work together to help them understand their body and surroundings. This sensory information is an important foundation for motor development. Research also shows a relationship between play and sensory processing, although the evidence is still limited and the relationship is shaped by many factors.

Children receive information through:

Tactile
Touch, pressure, texture, and temperature. Helps a child recognize objects, adjust grip strength, and use their hands purposefully.
Proprioception
Information from muscles and joints about body position and movement. Supports body awareness, grading of force, coordination, and movement control.
Vestibular
Movement, balance, gravity, and changes in position. Helps maintain posture and coordinate head and body movements.
Visual
Sight, to recognize the environment, judge direction, estimate distance, and direct movement.
Auditory
Sound, to understand and respond to the environment, follow instructions, and keep rhythm in movement.

Praxis: Planning and Carrying Out Movement

Beyond receiving sensory information, a child needs to process and use it to produce an appropriate movement. This ability is called praxis: imagining, planning, organizing, and carrying out a new movement or sequence of movements.

In play, praxis shows when a child finds a way to climb, jump, or get past an obstacle; plans how to use a piece of play equipment; adjusts movements when facing a new challenge; and tries again with a different strategy when the first did not work. Sensory experience and praxis support each other, so the child's movements become increasingly purposeful, coordinated, and adaptive.

From Sensory-Motor Understanding to Learning Support

This is what sets the program apart at Temenos: we do not stop at sensory-motor activities. We develop learning accommodations that match the child's sensory-motor and learning profile.

A child may have good cognitive ability yet struggle to show it when the demands of the environment and the task do not fit their needs. Difficulty can arise when a child needs to hold a body position, sustain attention, organize their body and materials, follow several instructions in sequence, write while holding posture, ignore distractions, move from an active task to a table task, or cope in a stimulus-rich environment.

Accommodations to consider include seating and learning-area arrangement, varied positions, opportunities to move, task duration and number, task sequencing, visual supports, a simpler visual environment, how instructions are given, the motor demands of a task, choice of learning tools, transition time, and strategies to support attention and engagement.

Accommodations aim to remove barriers that are not relevant to the learning goal, so the child has a better chance to use and show their real abilities. With parental consent, information about a child's accommodation needs can be shared with teachers or the school to help the child be more ready to learn.

Learning Through Play

At Temenos, we believe children learn and develop through many interconnected experiences. The Sensory Play & Development Program gives children room to move, try, and play, while building the foundation for their development and readiness to learn.

References

  • Yogman, M., Garner, A., Hutchinson, J., Hirsh-Pasek, K., & Golinkoff, R. M. (2018). The power of play: A pediatric role in enhancing development in young children. Pediatrics, 142(3), e20182058. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2018-2058.
  • Zhang, X., Tang, C., Geng, M., Li, K., Liu, C., & Cai, Y. (2025). The effects of active play interventions on children's fundamental movement skills: A systematic review. BMC Pediatrics, 25, 40. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-024-05385-8.