The sense of touch keeps us in touch with our world, literally! But how does touch work, exactly?
Our skin has built-in touch receptors. They help us identify objects by feel. But the skin has more touch receptors in some areas of the body than in others.
The parts of our body that have more touch receptors (like fingertips) are more sensitive than those that don't have as many (like the back or shoulders). The first two experiments help kids discover this for themselves.
The third experiment shows kids an example of how senses work together to help us identify things and make sense of the world around us. This experiment shows kids how it can sometimes be harder to identify things based only on one sense — in this case, the sense of touch. When we can see, hear, or smell something as well as touch it, it's a lot easier to know what it is!
As with any game, it's a good idea to let parents know what you plan to do before you try these experiments. That's especially true if kids have allergies. Don't do these experiments with anything the child might be allergic to — like peanuts if the child has a nut allergy.
This experiment shows that, if touch receptors are far apart (like on the leg, for example), you might not feel everything that's in contact with your skin. Someone could touch you in two spots, but you only feel it in one.
Here are lists of the most-sensitive and least-sensitive parts of the body:
Reviewed by: Eric H. Chudler, PhD
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