Sensory Activities for Home
Sensory play includes any activity that stimulates your young child's senses: touch, smell, taste, movement, balance, sight and hearing. Sensory activities facilitate exploration and naturally encourage children to use scientific processes while they play, create, investigate and explore
Fun sensory activities you can do at home
play in shaving cream
draw shapes and letters in shaving cream
make sensory bins (rice, beans, pop corn)
hide items in the sensory bins
play with kinetic sand
play dough activities
make home made play dough
add a scent to your play dough
make slime
go on a sensory scavenger hunt
put several items in a bag and have child identify them by feeling
make sensory balloon stress balls
set up fun outdoor games including relay races, obstacle courses or ball games
make hop scotch with sidewalk chalk
do animal walks (bear walk, crab walk, bunny hop)
play with corn starch and water on a tray (make letters and shapes)
water beads
Calming Activities
Calming strategies are utilized when a student appears anxious or overly excited.
calm, rhythmic swinging on platform swing
wall push ups
Take a quiet walk around the house or outside in the fresh air
deep pressure squeezes to head and arms
engaging in play with resistant putty play dough
practice yoga poses
heavy work activities (carry something heavy, push something heavy, pulling)
slowly massage to arms and hands with lotion
use of calming essential oils
playing calming music (classical, rhythmic music)
blowing bubbles or other blowing activities
Tortilla roll up roll your child up in a blanket (keep head out) pretending to be making a taco. provide nice deep pressure evenly as you talk about adding salsa, cheese, lettuce etc.
Blowing Out Birthday Candles – Have your child hold up one hand; their fingers are the “candles”. Count out the five “candles” together. Then blow out each “candle” with a long breath. Curl your finger down slowly while you are blowing.
Sticky Hands – Pretend to have “sticky” hands and then press them together. Now push hard for 20 seconds. You can count it out with your child. Now tell your child to slowly allow their hands to come apart and see if they can feel the stickiness. Repeat this sequence two or three times.
Stretching – Have your child do simple stretches such as touching their toes and reaching up to the sky on their tip toes.
Alerting Activities
Use a mini trampoline
make a pile of pillows and have child jump in and crash
play in various textured bins
add strong scents to play dough or sensory bins
shaving cream play
use a therapy ball for seated activities
play outside ... make an obstacle course, take a nature walk, do hop scotch
play balloon volleyball
have a "dance party" to favorite music with a strong beat
use a wiggle squiggle writer (vibrating pen) to draw a picture