Sensory Ideas
Rainbow Spaghetti Activities
(Occupational Therapy (OT) Activities: Skills for Sensory, Functional Play, and Fine Motor)
**Requires direct adult supervision and assistance to complete tasks
Ingredients
1 lb dry spaghetti, linguini (pictured), or other pasta
Food coloring
Directions
1. Cook pasta al dente according to package instructions.
2. While pasta is cooking, combine about 2 tablespoons of water and 20 drops of food coloring in a large zip-top plastic bag. Repeat with however many additional colors you would like. (We used six colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.)
3. When pasta is finished cooking, transfer pasta to a large colander to drain. Then immediately rinse it in cold water to halt the cooking.
4. Transfer the pasta in even portions to the prepared zip top bags and seal. Use your hands to carefully combine the pasta and food coloring, and then let each bag sit for at least 1 minute to soak up the color.
5. Then, one color at a time, transfer a bag of pasta back to the colander and rinse with cold water to remove any extra food coloring. Then transfer the pasta back to your original pot. Repeat with the remaining colors of pasta. Toss all of the colors of pasta together to combine the colors.
If you don’t want to do all colors, just make one or two to play in or sort etc. Include students in the activity at their appropriate level. Can they read the instructions? Can they count out the number of food color drops? Can they pick what colors to make? Some will be able to scoop/measure and pour colors into bags and some may be able to squeeze bag to mix color onto spaghetti.
The link for the Recipe: https://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/rainbow-pasta/d7cb2f45-dea6-43e7-893f-6708e2dc10ec
Play ideas with Rainbow Spaghetti
Make a rainbow on a rainbow mat (draw a rainbow and place in sheet protector)
Make letters, name, spelling words or sight words on playdoh mat (use sheet protector sheet inside)
Break it, squeeze it, braid it, cut it, and be creative
Use pointer finger to swirl it
Request a color and have the student find as many as they can, add a timer to see how fast they are
Sort colors into clear plastic cups or piles
Add a level to sorting by taking turns using “my turn” “your turn” prompts if needed
Hide plastic animals or toy cars under spaghetti
Place in cups with tongs or fingers
Make a road or train tracks for a train/car to drive on
Work on placing spaghetti over or under an item to work on the concept
Draw a head and use the spaghetti as hair
Draw a simple shape (circle, square, ect) and have the student put enough spaghetti in to full the shape and stay inside the lines
Make it into a rainbow shape
***Sensory alternative for sensitivity/avoidant processing types
For students with tactile sensitivity, keep spaghetti in plastic bag, remove air, tape shut. This type of presentation can pop or leak out.
*Place bag over a paper with sorting color options (red and yellow for example) or playdoh prewriting lines and shapes for previous weeks
* Squeeze in the bag, drive hot wheels over it, have gloves on to play with it, touch lightly with finger tips, and watched adult model playing
Homemade Finger Paint Activities
Homemade Finger Paint Activities
(Occupational Therapy (OT) Activities: Skills for Sensory, Functional Play, and Fine Motor)
**Requires direct adult supervision and assistance to complete tasks
Ingredients
2 cups corn starch (more if need thicker)
1 cup of cold water
4 ½ cups boiling water
Food coloring
Directions
Mix the corn starch and cold water in a bowl till smooth
Boils water on the stove top
Adds corn
Ingredients
2 cups corn starch (more if need thicker)
1 cup of cold water
4 ½ cups boiling water
Food coloring
Directions
Mix the corn starch and cold water in a bowl till smooth
Boils water on the stove top
Adds corn starch and cold water mixture to boiling water
Stir continuously till it is a pudding like constancy (1-2 minutes), then remove from heat
Separate into small bowls or jars
Add the food color while the mixture is still warm
Once the finger paint has cooled down you can start to finger paint
*if the consistence is too liquid add more corn starch or if it is too thick add more hot water
Yoga
Yoga poses can be used as a proprioceptive sensory strategy. It involves movement, compression, or stretch at a joint. This can give a sensory calming quality by using heavy resistance, slow stretch, joint compression, slow push and pull movements. Best of all this can be self lead by the student to get the just right challenge. These sensory activities should NOT be done if the child is sick, refuses, or complains of pain. Adult supervision is always required at all times to prevent injuries.
Yoga poses can be used to get intense input into joints and muscles. These would be especially beneficial to do right before sitting down to complete school work. This will give his full body sensory input through weight bearing. The idea is that providing this input before challenging activities will allow the student’s nervous system to be better equipped to handle it, and they will be less likely to seek out sensory input in disruptive or maladaptive ways. Different sensory strategies may impact the student differently each day so it is important to follow their lead and use the strategies that they gravitate towards (i.e. not necessarily using the same exact pattern of strategies each day). Just as people need food throughout their day, some students need sensory input (or opportunities to get away from sensory input) throughout their day.
Downward Dog Position
Hold the position for 5 counts. Breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth.
· How to get into the position: Start by modeling the position first. Place hands and feet on ground, lift bottom up in the air towards the sky, keeping arms and legs straights pushing your chest towards your legs.
· How to support a child in the position: Place both your hands gently on the child’s hips. Help them lift their hips upwards towards the sky. If they need more support have them bend over your forearm and place your other hand on their calves. You can sit on your bottom or knees to protect you back while supporting the child.
· Questions to ask the child: Where do you feel the stretch? What kind of dog are you? What does your bark sound like?
Cat or Cow Position
Hold the position for 5 counts. Breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth.
· How to get into the position: Start by modeling the position first. Sit on your knees and then place hands on ground, lift bottom and behind you, keeping arms straights legs bends, position is on hand and knees.
· How to support a child in the position: Place both your hands gently on the child’s back. Make sure they do not have a curved or arched back. You can sit on your bottom or knees to protect you back while supporting the child. If they need more support have them bend over your lap while sitting in long sitting. and place your hands on either side of their hips for support in the position.
· Questions to ask the child: Where do you feel the stretch? Are you a cat or a cow? What noise do you make?
Snake Position
· How to get into the position: Start by modeling the position first. Lay on your stomach and then place hands under your shoulders on ground, push up lifting your head to the sky, keeping arms in a slight bend and your legs straight behind you.
· How to support a child in the position: Place both your hands gently on the child’s shoulders to help them lift up. If they need more support have them bend their arms and lean on their forearms vs. the palm of their hands.
· Questions to ask the child: Where do you feel the stretch? What color snake are you? What noise do you make?
Sensory Based Activities
Is your child having difficulty staying calm or focused during all of this online learning? Remember to provide them with frequent movement breaks if needed. Here are a few activities to help regulate their arousal.
Rocking in a rocking chair
Bounce on cushions
Dancing
Roll up in a blanket like a burrito
Blanket drags
Squish your child between pillows or cushions
Crunchy or chewy foods or gum
Blow bubbles
Drink through a think straw or crazy straw
Bear hugs
Lotion rubs (with heavy not light pressure to their skin)
Sensory bins (rice, beans, pasta)
Give your child a back rub or massage
Offer fidgets
Heavy work activities
What is Heavy Work?
Heavy work can be defined as:
"tasks that involve heavy resistance for the muscles and joints. It involves proprioceptive input, the awareness of posture, movement, and resistance relating to the body." - source: Heavy Work Fact Sheet
Basically, heavy work activities are used to calm kids, provide input to a child's muscles and joints, and help increase a child's focus and attention.
https://www.andnextcomesl.com/2015/06/heavy-work-activities-for-kids.html
Naturally Occurring Heavy Work Activities
1. Carry heavy items (baskets with cardboard blocks, groceries for Mom, laundry basket, etc.).
2. Chew gum, eat chewy or crunchy foods, or sip water from a water bottle with a straw while doing homework.
3. Push or pull boxes with toys or a few books in it (more resistance is provided if boxes are pushed/pulled across a carpeted floor).
4. Fill a pillowcase with a few stuffed animals in it for weight. Child can then push or pull the pillowcase up a ramp, incline or stairs.
5. Take the cushions off sofas, vacuum under them, then put them back. Can also climb on them or jump and "crash" into them.
6. Pull other children around on a sheet or blanket.
7. Roller skate/rollerblade uphill.
8. Pull a heavy trash can.
9. Perform household chores:
· vacuuming
· sweeping
· mopping
· dusting
· carrying the laundry basket
· wiping off the table after dinner
· carrying buckets of water to clean with or to water flowers/plants/trees.
· cleaning windows or the fronts of appliances, using a spray bottle
· scrubbing rough surfaces with a brush
· helping change the sheets on the bed (then toss the linens down the stairs).
10. Perform yard work:
· mowing the lawn
· raking the grass/leaves
· pushing the wheelbarrow
· shoveling sand into a wheelbarrow, pushing the wheelbarrow to a spot, dumping out sand and using a rake to level it out (functional for filling in low spots in backyard)
· digging dirt to help plant flowers
11. Pull a friend or heavy items in a wagon.
12. Push a friend in a wheelbarrow.
13. Drink thick liquids (as in milkshake, applesauce, or Slurpie) through a straw. The thickness of the straw and the thickness of the liquid can be varied to change the degree of heavy work (sucking) required.
14. Carry heavy cushions.
15. Have pillow fights.
16. Play in sandbox with damp heavy sand.
17. Push chairs into the table after a meal.
18. Push a child's cart filled with cans and then put the cans away on a low shelf so that the child has to be on hands and knees (a weight bearing position) to put the cans away.
19. Participate in activities such as gymnastics, horseback riding, wrestling, karate, swimming (can also have child dive after weighted sticks thrown in pool).
20. Bathe the dog.
21. Wash the car.
22. Jump or climb in inner tubes.
23. Fill up a child's suitcase with heavy items (such as books) and push/pull the suitcase across the room.
24. Pull a small suitcase on wheels.
25. Go "shopping" with a child’s shopping cart filled with items, or have the child push the shopping cart when you go shopping.
26. Go "camping" by pulling a heavy blanket across a few chairs.
27. Rearrange bedroom furniture.
28. Put large toys and equipment away.
29. Participate in climbing activities (such as playground equipment).
30. Swing from the trapeze bar.
31. Push against a wall.
32. Fill up big toy trucks with heavy blocks, push with both hands to knock things down.
33. Participate in sports activities involving running and jumping.
34. On hands and knees, color a "rainbow" with large paper on the floor or with sidewalk chalk outside.
35. Play "cars" under the kitchen table where the child pushes the car with one hand while creeping and weight bearing on the other hand.
36. Walk up a ramp or incline.
37. Make wood projects requiring sanding and hammering.
38. Play a pushing game where two people lock hands facing each other and try to see who can push and make the other person step back first. Use other body parts also, but be sure to have rules (no hitting, no biting, no scratching, if one person says stop then both stop).
39. Two children sit on the floor, back to back, with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Interlock arms, and then try to stand up at the same time.
40. Two children play "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" sitting on the floor, holding hands, pushing and pulling each other.
41. Do animal walks (crab walk, bear walk, army crawl).
42. Do chair push-ups.
43. Play jumping games such as hopscotch and jump rope.
44. Jump on a mini trampoline.
45. Bounce on a Hippity Hop Ball.
46. Play catch with a heavy ball, or bounce and roll a heavy ball.
