Regulation Rendezvous: Sensory Activities at Home

Addressing an individual’s sensory needs is an important factor in helping them stay motivated and focused. These needs should be met not only while the child is at school but at home too. Today's Regulation Rendezvous highlights Sensory Activities that can be done at home. These are great ideas to reference during summer or during times of remote learning. 

Information from our tactile (touch), vestibular (movement), and proprioceptive (heavy work/deep pressure) sensory systems provides our body with the information it needs to create skilled motor output. Skilled motor output is needed for many academic tasks such as writing or completing fine motor activities as well as daily living activities such as getting dressed, completing chores, or eating a meal. Before completing a requested task, the individual may benefit from increased sensory input. If they have additional goals (gross motor (PT), fine motor (OT), etc.), feel free to reach out to your child’s related service providers for specific activities to incorporate.

Calming Activities
When looking for calming activities, keep in mind that deep pressure tactile input is calming, linear movement encourages a calm alertness, and heavy work activates joints and contracts muscles.  Some calming activity ideas include: 

• Push your child on a 2-point suspension swing (like on a playset)    
• Walk outside to collect items of nature        
• Pull your child in a wagon
• Weighted backpack walk
• Sidewalk chalk designs
• Yoga routine  
• Cutting different types of materials (paper, cardstock, material, etc)        
• Take items to different rooms in the house using a rolling suitcase
• Find small items in Play-Doh 
• Draw letters or numbers in palm of hand     
• Pillow squishes: child lays on floor while adult presses pillow on chest or back
• Shredding or Hole Punching Paper
• Stocking shelves with canned goods  
• Dots and Squeezies
• Cleaning tables/counters, dusting, or polishing

Kirsten Johnson
Greene INC

• Simple exercise routine (push-ups, sit-ups, etc)

Allysson Rudnicki
Tipp High School, Tipp City

• Play in sandbox          

Washington Primary, Piqua

• Rocking in a rocking chair     

Emily Ottmar
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River

• Riding stationary bike, tricycle, or bicycle with training wheels

Bobbi Jo Chapman
Snyder Park Elementary, Springfield

• Find small items in a bin of uncooked beans

Jackie Vollmer
Driscoll Elementary, Centerville

• Help with laundry

Kirsten Johnson
Greene INC

Alerting Activities
When looking for alerting activities, keep in mind that light touch or tickling is alerting tactile input. Also, rotational and rapid acceleration/deceleration movement heightens overall excitability.  Some alerting activity ideas include:

• Animal Crawls
• Hopscotch path          
• Jumping rope
• Riding bicycle without training wheels         
• Rhythmic bouncing/dribbling
• Slide and Climb on a playset
• Obstacle course
• Jumping on a trampoline
• Push around the house on a wheeled desk chair      
• Make slime or homemade play-dough
• Build a fort with tables, cushions and blankets
• Sit-n-Spin        
• Prepare snack
• Playing in shaving cream
• Fingerpainting (or foot painting!)

Katie Philpot
Rosa Parks Early Learning Center, Dayton

• Build towers with Legos

• Scooterboards/Skateboards    

For an easy reference resource to share with parents, click the images below for our handouts for Indoor and Outdoor Sensory Activities at Home.