The following are activities that can be incorporated into a classroom environment. Take cues from the child and use their behaviour to plan a sensory 'diet' to meet their needs e.g. if they are constantly moving out of their seat provide opportunities for them to get up and move around so that they are better able to focus in between.
If they respond negatively to sensory input, remove it and try something else.
Weight and deep pressure tend to be calming and soothing, rhythmic movements such as jumping and marching can be organising.
Try and incorporate different activities that can involve the whole class e.g. at transition times. Some of the activities may be able to be incorporated into play-times and PE lessons as well.
Provide opportunities for movement in the classroom
- Changing workstations / moving around the classroom.
- Running errands e.g. taking something to the office.
- Cleaning the board.
'Heavy work' providing resistance promotes concentration and attention
- 'Chair press-ups'
- Whole class activities e.g. in a circle or in pairs pushing against one anothers hands in a high kneel position.
- Pushing against a wall (see if we can push it down!)
- Moving furniture.
- Carrying heavy books.
- Crawling on all fours through tunnels or boxes
- Playing tug of war - with ropes, scarves or stretchy bands
- Pushing / pulling a weighted wagon or wheelbarrow
- Catching and throwing a weighted ball, bean bag or cushion
- Kicking a big ball
- Wheelbarrow walking
- Pulling apart resistant toys, squeezing balls and other toys / objects
- Hanging by hands from a trapeze bar or rope
- Gross motor activities - walk with a backpack, bike uphill, obstacle courses, stretching exercises
- Stirring e.g. cake mix, batter
Fiddle toys / tactile pens etc.
- Chewlery (jewellery made of strong chewable plastic).
Proprioceptive input
- Massage.
- Firm touch on shoulders (if child is comfortable with it)
- Move 'n' sit cushion.
Organising Sensory Activities and Helpful classroom activity
Helpful activities for the classroom include:
- Vestibular: linear swinging or gently rocking back and forth, move n sits
- Proprioceptive: heavy muscle activities; including wheelbarrow walking and active jumping e.g. star jumps, creeping and crawling, marching, chair push ups, lying on stomach with weight on elbows, elastic material wrapped around chair legs for resistance whilst sat in seat, carrying or stacking books, and helping with over heavy muscle tasks in the classroom.
- Deep-pressure touch: wearing weighted vests, placing hands on shoulders and give firm pressure down into the seat (if child tolerates this); weighted lap pad.
- Oral motor: chewing on chewing gum (if appropriate), rice cakes, carrots, or other firm and crunchy snacks. Drinking water from sports bottles at their desk can help with focus and organization. Oral toys, bubbles, blow paints, and other oral blowing toys are great as well.
- Calming spaces: it is very important that a child with sensory problems have a way out of an environment that causes them stress. Each classroom should have a quiet space in which there are minimal visual and auditory stimuli. A reading corner behind a bookshelf, under a table with pillows or bean bag chair, rocking chair in a corner behind a curtain, a small tent, or a swing that only goes in a linear direction the classroom are great ways to provide a calming time. Children will often choose these areas on their own; just make adaptions to make sure other children are not invading their quiet time. Let them have a way of telling you they need a break as well before a meltdown occurs.
- Posture: make sure that the desks and chairs are at the right height for each child, feet touching the floor all the way (not on toes), elbows resting comfortably on desk without humped shoulders, 90 degree rule for all joints.
- Some children need inclined writing boards to help with posture, as well as the move and sit seat wedges, weighted vests, and proper pencil grips to stay seated and focused for harder fine motor and table top tasks.
- Motor planning: to help children with motor planning difficulties try to give short instructions with one step at a time, use other students to model and buddy with the student. Use multi-sensory approach to teaching new skills: remember all senses when teaching. Remember the child's best learning sense, find what that is, and teach first with that sense.
- Use adaptions to worksheets such as limiting visual stimuli by using a black piece of paper to go under each line of work or reading, use graph paper for math, and only expose one or two lines at a time.
- Use the computer for skills that are very difficult, limit long writing times.
Useful Websites:
www.sensorydirect.com
www.thedyslexiashop.co.uk
www.spacekraft.co.uk
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