How evidence from sensory gardens informs early learning: El Salvador
This story was originally posted on the Global Partnership for Education website.
Highlights:
- In El Salvador, sensory gardens implemented by Educo in partnership with Instituto Crecer Juntos promote spaces for sensory stimulation and learning experiences, helping children develop skills and stimulating their curiosity from an early age.
- Learning through play fosters independence, expression and school readiness.
- GPE KIX supports research on what works, the challenges and how play-based learning can be scaled.
This story was written in collaboration with EDUCO El Salvador.
The first thing you notice is the laughter. One child calls out to show what he has found. Another has already moved on to investigate something new.
This is not a quiet garden. It is a space where young children learn by doing: touching, listening, smelling, tasting and exploring at their own pace.
Here, in this sensory garden located in the community of San Nicolás tras el Cerro, in San Vicente Norte, curiosity takes center stage. A leaf becomes something to feel. A sound becomes something to follow. Every corner invites discovery.
Learning through the senses
Sensory gardens are interactive learning environments that encourage children and their caregivers to learn through play, exploration and communication. By engaging with the natural world, children develop curiosity, strengthen foundational skills and gain an early understanding of nature and environmental conservation.
In El Salvador, sensory gardens are being revived by Educo, which has been implementing them in the eastern region of the country since 2020. These gardens are now part of the national play strategy, “Let’s Play Together.”
The garden in San Nicolás tras el Cerro is one of eight established across the country. It was built on municipal land, next to early childhood care spaces that are supporting children up to the age of 4 through play-based learning.
The gardens are designed for young children—from 6 months to 8 years—and the adults who accompany them. They provide a safe, structured environment where children and caregivers can learn together.
How sensory gardens support development
Children learn through all five primary senses:
Touch: exploring textures, shapes and sizes
Hearing: listening to environmental sounds and music
Sight: observing colors and patterns
Taste: trying edible plants and foods from the garden
Smell: experiencing and identifying different scents.
These experiences support early cognitive, physical and socioemotional development.
Impact on children and families
According to the findings of the research project supported by GPE KIX, children who participate in the sensory gardens show clear progress in their development. Educators and caregivers report improvements in motor skills, vocabulary, confidence and emotional expression. This research—which includes focus groups, interviews and surveys—is documenting these results and identifying factors that contribute to their success, as well as considerations for sustainability and scale.
The impact also extends to families. Caregivers are building stronger emotional bonds, adopting nurturing parenting practices and spending more time supporting their children’s learning through play. Importantly, the sensory garden is not an informal activity, but a structured learning environment. Here, children can take part in guided play-based sessions before starting formal education.
From practice to evidence
While the gardens provide direct learning experiences, GPE KIX supports research to understand how and why they work, and how they can inform education systems more broadly. This initiative, implemented by EDUCO in collaboration with the Pedagogical University of El Salvador, studies how play-based environments contribute to early learning.
The research has identified key barriers to the adoption of play-based pedagogy, including perceptions that underestimate the value of play, gaps in teacher training and a lack of safe, stimulating learning spaces. It has also highlighted solutions such as strengthening support for teachers, engaging families and adapting approaches to local contexts.
The findings are shared with the Ministry of Education, Instituto Crecer Juntos and teacher training institutions, helping inform curriculum design, educator preparation and early childhood strategies.
From collaboration to system change
The project experience shows that interinstitutional collaboration is key to achieving sustainable change in early childhood education.
Coordination between government, academia, civil society and communities has made it possible to build a shared vision of the importance of learning through play as a fundamental experience for children’s development and learning.
Strategic partners such as the Ministry of Education, Instituto Crecer Juntos, Pedagogical University of El Salvador, RESALDE as well as communities have contributed to the design, validation and strengthening of innovative pedagogical proposals aligned with the National Early Childhood Curriculum, the National Crecer Juntos Policy and the National Play Strategy.
This joint work has generated evidence, lessons learned and good practices that strengthen the implementation of public policies, improve teacher training and promote more effective institutional practices for the holistic development, learning and well-being of young children.
As commitment and participation deepen, collaboration is evolving from mere coordination toward shared ownership of both the model itself and the learning it generates.
Scaling what works
The sensory gardens model is flexible and can be adapted to different contexts and education levels, depending on intervention modality, school size, community participation and local capacity.
A methodological guide developed in collaboration with Instituto Crecer Juntos supports the adaptation of the model across contexts, helping ensure that future initiatives are based on evidence and experience.
An expanding approach to early learning
Sensory gardens in El Salvador are more than play spaces. They are structured learning environments that connect curiosity, evidence and community.
By linking practice with research and collaboration, these gardens are helping shape a more effective early childhood education system—one that supports all children to learn and thrive.
