The five senses are our first instrument for perceiving and interacting with the world that surrounds us, play and games are a form of integration above all for both normal children and for children with learning and physical disabilities.
The adventure begins here, in the stirring and exciting perceptions of the outside world, emotions we perceive every day.

Often, as adults, we forget these perceptions, but children and toddlers don’t, children conquer and take control of reality through the senses sight, hearing but above all through touch, smell, taste making things appear and then disappear……
These play areas are equipped with different games and materials where children can meet and socialise. 
Children through multi-sensory games talk about themselves yet at the same time become aware, cognitive, of their own emotions which have a sense, a meaning and understand the link between what is daily routine and what is extraordinary, correlate the past with the future, correlate equality and diversity.

Socialising through playing games helps children learn important values and skills, gives them the chance to learn how to communicate and congregate, helps those children with disabilities to increase self-esteem and feel equal in a “game for everyone”. 
Integration therefore can be seen as a way of avoiding creating different and separate structures to satisfy the needs for normal and disabled children.
Professor Canevaro, an expert in psycho-pedagogy education, says “Integration is not just for improving social relations and improving the society we live in, but it gives a real meaning to our existence." 
When games and playing are coordinated, as proposed in the project "Free to play in the park" children can interact, a solution of continuous change which moves towards integration.

Prof. José Jorge Chade

Professor Specialist Pedagogy – Faculty of the Science of Teaching and Education
Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Italy