Exploring Sensory Memory

Introduction
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3

🎬 Step 2: Play with Immediate Sensations

Feel real sensations
to better transform them into mental images later

💡 Objective: Before imagining with precision, one must first experience sensations. This step involves experimenting with real feelings in order to recall and manipulate them mentally.

👦🏻 Target age: 6–12 years

⏰ Duration: 5 to 15 minutes per session

🟢 Exercise 1. Feel and memorize a new sensation from reality

📌 The facilitator makes children experience a concrete sensation (seeing, touching, smelling, hearing…). Then, children close their eyes (or not) and try to recall this sensation in their head, repeating it several times if needed.

👁 See

  • a plain red sheet of paper or fabric
  • a doll or a stuffed animal
  • a branch or a flower

👂 Hear

  • a small bell (hidden, so only the sound is heard)
  • a short tapped rhythm or moo box (hidden)
  • a held vocal note (by the facilitator or a short recording)

🤲 Touch

  • the table (stroke it, then move hands above it while trying to recall the sensation in the palms)
  • the back of the chair against their back (feel it, then move away and recall it)
  • the airflow of a fan on the face

👅 Taste (adaptable to dietary needs)

  • A bite or sip, then recall the sensation without anything in the mouth
  • Repeat with different snack items

👃 Smell

  • a perfume sample, then recall the smell mentally
  • repeat with other perfumes or distinct odors
  • try with an unpleasant or strong odor, like orange peel

🎭 Kinesthesia (physical sensations)

  • Feel breathing (cool air on inhale, warm on exhale), then recall it while holding breath briefly
  • Adopt a “closed” posture (fear, sadness, shyness – legs, buttocks, feet, arms, shoulders, chest tightened, neck withdrawn, etc.), notice breathing and body sensation, then recall it mentally
  • Adopt an “open” posture (joy, confidence – standing firmly with legs slightly apart, arms open, head upright, noticing wide breathing), observe sensations, then recall them mentally

⚠ Precaution: avoid deep breathing to prevent dizziness.

📌 After learning to anchor real sensations in memory, we now move on to giving them movement and making them interact with their environment.

🟢 Exercise 2. Animate mental images

📌 Once the sensation is well memorized, we bring it to life: the paper tears, the doll comes alive, the bell starts dancing!

👁 See (Objects come alive, transform)

  • The red paper tears, folds, or falls gently.
  • The doll turns into a moving puppet.
  • The branch sways in the wind or breaks.

👂 Hear (Sounds change rhythm and intensity)

  • Varied rings: short, long, high-pitched, low-pitched.
  • Longer, more complex tapped rhythms.
  • Modulated vocal sounds: whispering, shouting, pitch variations.

🤲 Touch (Textures and sensations evolve)

  • From the smoothness of the table surface to feeling its shape under the hand.
  • Moving the back against the chair, exploring different pressures.
  • Fanning different body parts (face, hair, hands) with varying intensities (gentle breeze, stronger airflow).

👅 Taste (Flavors and textures shift in the mouth)

  • Notice texture and flavor changes when chewing for a long time.
  • Experiment with combining food and drink.
  • Notice taste differences depending on where food sits in the mouth.

👃 Smell (Scents move and mix)

  • Bring a perfume sample closer and farther to sense nuances.
  • Mix two scents and notice how they interact.
  • Smell books or notebooks.

🎭 Kinesthesia (physical sensations) (Body sensations become dynamic)

  • Vary normal breathing: short bursts, for example.
  • Alternatively, try deep, controlled breathing.

🟢 Exercise 3. Combine perceptions

📌 Combine several sensations at once: seeing an object move while hearing it, tasting food while perceiving its smell and texture.

In this exercise, children combine multiple sensations from the previous one to create richer mental images. It’s no longer just about recalling or transforming a sensation, but about associating them to enrich the sensory experience.

👁👂 See + Hear (Objects come alive with sound)

  • The doll moves and talks or sings.
  • The bell becomes visible and swings while ringing.

🤲👁 Touch + See (Physical interaction with the environment)

  • The paper is torn or crumpled by each child, involving both tactile sensation and visual change.

👅👃👂 Taste + Smell + Hear (complete food experience)

  • Combine sight, smell, the sound of packaging opening, taste, and the sensation of swallowing food.

🎭 Kinesthesia + emotions

  • Breathe normally, then exaggerate breathing: loudly, yawning, and stretching.
  • Recreate a fearful posture (closed posture: arms crossed, head down, blocked breathing).
  • Recreate a joyful posture (open posture: feet firmly planted, arms open, wide and free breathing).

🌟 Step conclusion

We explored real sensations, learned to memorize them, then to bring them to life and make them interact in our minds.

Next step: create stories in motion, like real little mental movies.