This sensory blanket activity is a simple home sensory diet activity that offers heavy work input using only a blanket. Did you know you can use a blanket as a calming sensory tool? One way that I love to help regulate and calm down over-responsive sensory systems is through heavy work activities.
Calming Proprioception Activity with a Blanket
Using a blanket as a sensory tool is one of the easiest ways to offer heavy work , or proprioceptive input, through the whole body as a calming strategy.
There are a few reasons why using a blanket works to calm the sensory systems.
Rolling a child up in a blanket is a great way to provide deep input to a child’s whole body. This is calming and organizing.
Additionally, the warm temperature helps to calm the body.
A benefit to this sensory strategy is that every home has a blanket of some type.
Use this proprioceptive activity to offer calming input to help self-regulate emotions and sensory needs by rolling up in a blanket, either on the floor or with additional heavy work input. Check out all of our proprioception activities here.
How to use a blanket for calming sensory input:
- Grab a blankets and spread it out on the floor.
- Ask the child to lay down on the blanket, near one edge.
- Roll your child up like a burrito. Keep rolling until the whole blanket is used. Wrap the blanket tightly.
- Add additional proprioceptive input for calming and regulating by piling pillows on top of your child after they’ve been wrapped up in the blanket. Press evenly and gently, but firmly, with both hands to provide deep pressure input.
Tortilla Blanket Sensory Activity
Have you seen the (Amazon affiliate link) tortilla blankets? These are a great, fuzzy blanket to use in this sensory blanket activity! Kids can be the burrito as they are wrapped up in the tortilla blanket. Plus, the warmth from this fleece blanket is extra cozy and calming!
Use the tortilla blanket to make a kid-sized burrito that adds calming sensory input!
Another sensory activity using blankets is to use the blanket roll as a balance beam or to lay on (without the child inside).
For more heavy work activities using materials already found in the home, check out these low-prep heavy work exercises!
Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.
