April 2018

Occupational Therapy Kits

October 11, 2023April 20, 2018 by Colleen Beck OTR/L

This blog post describes occupational therapy kits that can be used to address a variety of occupational therapy goals using themed OT kits, saving time and planning for therapy.

Pediatric and school-based occupational therapy practitioners are busy people. Often times, they see many children and can work with preschoolers to young adults in a single day. They are challenged with keeping children actively participating in therapy while building skills to achieve their OT goals. Pediatric and school-based OTP’s must analyze, plan, prepare, implement, modify, adapt, grade, problem-solve, reflect, research, document, collaborate and consult for each child they serve. To say the least, they are busy, busy, busy and the “OT” never turns off!

These are great tools to add to your therapy bag!

Occupational Therapy Kits

Edit: This is part TWO of a series on occupational therapy toolkits. You can find more OT activity toolkit ideas here.

Having a pre-planned set of occupational therapy activities in mind can be a huge help when it comes to addressing fine motor skills, visual motor skills, sensory processing needs, or other underlying areas interfering with function in the school, home, or community.

These occupational therapy activity kits are perfect for incorporating into a bin rotation system, much like these fine motor bins

Themed Occupational Therapy Activity Tool Kits

What is a themed occupational therapy therapy activity tool kit and how do I make one?

Themed occupational therapy tool kits are a great way to invest some time now, but save a ton of time later. They help make a therapist’s job easier when planning, preparing and documenting.

Tool kits are a great way for therapists to have what they need in an organized kit and ready to use with many kids at any given time. They are portable, all inclusive, and separated by a theme. Grab and go kits are the goal!

Holiday or seasonal themed tool kits contain activities that allow for “celebration” of holidays or events while heaping fun and play into a single session. Let’s face it, children love the holidays and these themed tool kits keep kiddos engaged and help them build skills for development and success. Kiddos love to see one coming their way! They know fun and surprise are inside while therapists know kiddos will be motivated to “work” on their therapy goals.

Tools of the trade kits may contain the staples for pediatric or school-based OT practice. More specifically, tools that are used during most OT sessions to include scissors, pencils, grips, paper, etc.

The kits have specific tools that are essential for intervention, assessment, progress review, or trial. These grab and go kits always contain a variety of tools, graded in nature, standard or adaptive, which are utilized by a wide range of kiddos with various levels of skill.

Other tools of the trade kits may contain therapy tools or materials that develop a targeted skill area such as fine motor, gross motor, strengthening, sensory processing, self-regulation, etc. The kits contain specific tools or materials that are needed mostly for specific intervention programming.

Types of Occupational Therapy Activity Kits

Let’s talk types of tool kits. There are many kinds of possible therapy tool kits that can be created for pediatric and school-based OT. Generally, they are separated into certain types while some may even be combined to meet the needs of the child and/or the therapist. Examples include:

Types of OT Activity Kits

Seasonal – spring, summer, fall, or winter

Holidays – Easter, Christmas, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, etc.

School Celebrated Times – Back to School, Dr. Seuss Day, Fire Safety, etc.

Skills – fine motor, gross motor, sensory, visual motor/visual perception, strengthening, prewriting, handwriting, dressing, oral motor, self-care, reading, etc.

Tools – scissors, writing/coloring implements, grips, tongs, feeding tools, fidgets, etc.

Size – small, medium, large or combination

Purpose – therapy session, screening, assessment, classroom inclusion, trial, therapy homework, etc.

Design – material, sectioned or non-sectioned, handled or non-handled, portable or non-portable, lid or no lid, stackable and/or slidable, etc.

How to Make an Occupational Therapy Activity Kit

Here are some size and design examples of types of tool kits and possible storage containers for inside:

Create an occupational therapy toolkit using a variety of containers to address underlying skills like fine motor skills, visual motor skills, or other OT goals.

Let’s talk tips on how to make one. Building tool kits for therapy can be done over time or immediately depending on the purpose, availability of items or materials, and funds for purchasing.

Below are some helpful tips for building your own tool kits for therapy:

Gather all tools, materials or items you already have and simply start developing your tool kits based on what you already have.

Then make a list of tools, materials or items you would like to add. Start small so that it doesn’t get overwhelming.

Know that your kits may, and probably will, start small and change over time. This is okay and sometimes better when you are first starting out in the field of OT.

Don’t be afraid to ask colleagues if they have some extra tools or items they would be willing to part with to help you stock your tool kit. OTP’s are generous people and willing to offer help. Just ask!

Look for items at the big retail chains such as Wal-Mart and Target. Look in the clearance, dollar, and seasonal sections. Check out weekly sales. Shop for items after the season or holiday is over to prep for the next year. You can get awesome deals such as 50-80% off of the regular price. Even check the craft sections for deals!

Search dollar stores for fun activities or ideas. Think outside of the box with items!!

Hint: try to pick items that have versatility so that you can reach a larger age range or items that can be combined to address a variety of needs.

Go to thrift stores and take a peek, you can find some great one-of-a-kind or classic items that will work great in a tool kit.

Shop garage or yard sales and go to the toy sections or even those miscellaneous trinket boxes and look, look, look.

Get on email lists for some of the therapy companies that sell products so you can keep “in-the-know” when products go on sale or when new products are available.

Pick a kit container that best fits the objects you have, the design you like, the clients on your caseload (clear containers peak the most interest) and the portability and durability that you need.

Buying stackable containers keeps the storage, organization, and the ‘grab and go’ approach easier. Also, consider if you like handles for single hand carry or if handles are not necessary.

Shop a variety of stores to find the type of containers you want or need. Check office, craft, and storage departments in bargain stores, big chain stores, dollar stores, online stores, and craft stores. Sometimes craft stores have great containers with many organizational possibilities.

Store items in your kit using various containers, especially if you have a large drop-in container vs. a sectioned container.

Consider using zipper baggies, twist top or flip top containers, button or snap containers, zipper pencil bags, squeeze containers, and other recyclable containers, etc. Build fine motor skills with the containers inside!

Consider keeping a few staples in each container such as writing or coloring tools, scissors, glue and paper. Or maybe you want to have those in a separate tool kit to ‘grab and go’ with your other kits. It’s your personal preference with this one!

Types of Themed Occupational Therapy Tool Kits

Below are examples for a few types of themed tool kits:

Seasonal and holiday kits are fun activities contained in one kit which can reach a huge range of kiddos with many types of needs. OTP’s can splash the activities with a little creativity and modification to hit it out of the park during therapy sessions.

Below is an example of an Easter holiday themed tool kit and its contents. I lovingly refer to this kit as a “dump and run” kit because I can dump in the contents and run from session to session or site to site with little organization other than the use of some baggies.

Create a holiday themed Occupational Therapy Tool Kit

Create an Easter themed occupational therapy activity kit with a holiday theme to address underlying skill areas like strength, fine motor skills, visual motor skills, and other OT goals.

Easter Holiday Occupational Therapy Tool Activity Kit:

Tools of the trade kits contain specific tools, devices, or materials which are all inclusive from standard to adaptive and may either contain purchased or DIY contents. OT’s need these essential tools for treatment, trial, loan, or assessment to determine level of performance, therapy plans, and interventions.

This Easter activity is a great addition to an Easter-themed occupational therapy toolkit, as it requires scissors you already have in your occupational therapy supplies but requires some Easter items you can find at the dollar store.

Make these grab and go occupational therapy toolkits to use in school based OT services or by mobile therapists working on fine motor skills or occupational therapy activities with kids.

Grab and Go Occupational Therapy Tool Kit to address a variety of needs

Below is one example of a small, tiered container with a combination of regularly used OT tools for use during treatment sessions. It is a simple tools kit that stays organized so I can grab it and go from similar sessions with all of my therapy staples in one kit.

OT Tools Tool Kit:

A grab and go occupational therapy toolkit helps the school based OT with organization while meeting a variety of OT goals to address therapy goal areas.

Create an Occupational Therapy Activity Kit to address targeted skill areas

Below is an example of a targeted skill area kit which contains therapy tools and other materials that develop the targeted skill of strengthening. It contains specific tools of the trade and other miscellaneous materials.

Occupational therapists will love these occupational therapy activity toolkits for addressing skills like strengthening.

Strengthening Skills Kit:

Create an occupational therapy activity toolkit designed to address hand strengthening and strengthening goals for students or clients in pediatric occupational therapy.

Create an Occupational Therapy Tool Kit to address areas like handwriting or scissor skills.

Make an occupational therapy activity toolkit to address skills like handwriting or scissor skills, perfect for the school based OT.

Themed therapy kits will make your life as a pediatric or school-based therapist easier and more enjoyable allowing you to focus on the intervention with the child!

Create occupational therapy activity kits to address a variety of occupational therapy goal areas.

Regina Parsons-Allen is a school-based certified occupational therapy assistant. She has a pediatrics practice area of emphasis from the NBCOT. She graduated from the OTA program at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute in Hudson, North Carolina with an A.A.S degree in occupational therapy assistant. She has been practicing occupational therapy in the same school district for 20 years. She loves her children, husband, OT, working with children and teaching Sunday school. She is passionate about engaging, empowering, and enabling children to reach their maximum potential in ALL of their occupations as well assuring them that God loves them!

How to Schedule Sensory Diet Activities

October 6, 2022April 16, 2018 by Colleen Beck OTR/L

Below, you’ll find a selection of sensory diet strategies to use when presenting sensory diet activities. Read on to find various ways to present sensory diet tasks for use within a child’s day. These strategies can work to schedule sensory diets for adults as well as children.

Sensory diet activities that are appropriate for an individual child should be presented after analyzing and identifying the child’s specific needs. Just as a sensory diet uses specific sensory activities based on the child’s needs, the WAY a sensory diet is presented needs to be used according to the child’s strengths, abilities, and needs. Presenting a sensory diet activity in a way that the child understands is very important for carryover.

Understanding exactly what is a sensory diet is a good starting point for addressing sensory needs.

Try these strategies to present sensory diet activities to kids with sensory needs. They are quite effective strategies when getting started with setting up a sensory diet. If you are wondering where to start with addressing sensory processing needs in kids or wondering HOW to set up a sensory diet, start with the links below.

If you are just getting started with setting up a sensory diet, start with How to Create a Sensory Diet.

For understanding why a sensory diet is important, you’ll want to read more about the goals of a sensory diet.

Use these tips and strategies to schedule sensory diet activities and to set up a sensory diet to address sensory processing needs in kids.

Sensory Diet Activity
Selection Strategies

(How to present sensory diet activities)

First, a few tips for starting a sensory diet:

Once sensory diet strategies are developed, it’s important to present them to the child in a clear manner. This will ensure carryover and success.

There are many ways to set up a sensory diets scheduled activities. Each child may prefer an entirely different strategy for organizing sensory activities in their individualized sensory diet. The child who responds well to visual schedules in their classroom may use a picture schedule for their sensory diet.

A schedule of sensory activities based on specific needs is an important part of a sensory diet and a sensory lifestyle.

Scheduling sensory diet activities is important for carryover and use of appropriate sensory activities throughout the day and not after sensory overload or sensory seeking behaviors has occurred. Sensory diet strategies can help prevent or address a sensory meltdown, so it’s good to have the information and tools you need ahead of time and to better understand what causes a sensory meltdown and how to help.

Sensory Diet Scheduling Strategies

1.Picture Schedule- Take photos of sensory activities. Print them out and laminate them. The photos can be added to a pocket in the front of each sensory bin or container. When the child takes out that activity, they can place the photo in a bowl or stick it to a wall planner using Velcro.

2. Clip Schedule- Use clothes pins to clip onto a schedule list of activities. When the child chooses a specific sensory activity, they can clip next to the words on their list.

3. Use PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) or other pictures of sensory activities to create a keychain flip booklet of sensory diet activities.

4. Create strips of paper with sensory diet activities written out on strips of paper. Laminate the strips for sturdiness. Attach a self-sticking Velcro tab to the back of the laminated strip. The schedule of activities can then be attached to a felt board or schedule board with Velcro tabs. Once the activity is performed, the child can drop the strips into a cup. For a more durable system, use foam craft sticks or wooden craft sticks.

5. Create a sensory diet binder using page protectors. Children can mark off activities with a dry erase marker.

6. Visual Supports- Dry erase boards, Velcro board, flip picture schedule, felt boards are all ideas. Use visual supports in the simplest way possible with reduced visual distractions. A single color is best. Meeting the needs of the child is essential as well.

7. “First, Then” Strategy- Children with sensory processing challenges, particularly those on the Autism spectrum struggle with excessive instructions. It is hard for them to pull out the important words from a paragraph of instructions. Simplifying directions is key for these children. The “First, Then” strategy breaks down tasks into the simplest form. This is an effective mechanism for challenging behaviors and transitions.

8. Keychain schedule- Create a schedule that can go with the child. These can be clipped to belt loops, jackets, binders, necklaces, or backpacks. The options are limitless with a keychain schedule system. Use whatever strategy works best with the child. Some ideas are picture schedules, First/Then strategy, or even a dry erase schedule with words. A reward at the end of the schedule is a great reinforcer for children.

9. Special Interest Schedulers- Using the interests of the child as a motivator and as a scheduler can have great results. For the child who is interested in vehicles, they can attach a “wheel” onto a picture of a monster truck when each task is completed. The sky is the limit when it comes to using special interests in the form of schedules.

10. Apps and Technology- For some children, the use of a screen is the motivating tool that can help kids transition through their day. Special interests can be used in this manner as well. There are apps that utilize a form of the “First/Then” strategy combined with special interests such as characters like Sponge Bob.

11. Communication Center- Sensory diet activities can be created with visual images or words and made into magnets that are stuck to the refrigerator. Other ideas for a sensory diet center include a dry erase board or laminated paper that is used at a student’s desk in the classroom or on the dining room table at home.

More sensory diet resources

Sensory Diet Activities for the Classroom

Looking for more resources on how to set up and create a sensory diet? The Sensory Lifestyle Handbook walks you through sensory diet creation, set-up, and carry through. Not only that, but the book helps you take a sensory diet and weave it into a sensory lifestyle that supports the needs of a child with sensory processing challenges and the whole family.

Get The Sensory Lifestyle Handbook here.

The Sensory Lifestyle Handbook is a resource for creating sensory diets and turning them into a lifestyle of sensory success through meaningful and motivating sensory enrichment.

Attention and Sensory are Connected

May 23, 2023April 7, 2018 by Colleen Beck OTR/L

Recently here on The OT Toolbox, we’ve talked a lot about sensory processing needs and how strategies can be incorporated into the child’s environment. These tactics provide an authentic and meaningful sensory strategy for incorporating much-needed sensory input right into a child’s environment. It’s all part of creating a sensory lifestyle for a child!

Today, we’re talking about the connection between attention and sensory.

Attention and Sensory are Connected

Attention is a big challenge for kids. Distractions occur in the home, community, classroom, and everywhere a child goes! When attention interferes with learning, performance of functional tasks, or creates unsafe situations, it can be a real problem. But did you ever stop to think about how attention is so very related to sensory processing?

Related read: Here are more executive functioning resources to fill your therapy toolbox!

Our children with sensory challenges know the struggle of inattention. Parents, teachers, and therapists know that sensory processing challenges interfere with a child’s ability to attend. They may be so focused on a specific sensory input or need that they don’t notice when someone has called their name. Or, they may be so fearful in anticipation of a light touch that they miss what’s happening right in front of them.

Sensory meltdowns can happen in the blink of an eye. They don’t always look like a flurry of kicking, hitting, or yelling. A sensory meltdown can look like distraction or inattentiveness, too.

You may have seen this video floating around on Facebook. Here’s the thing: Attention and sensory challenges are connected. Sound familiar?

As a parent, teacher, or therapist working with these children, we can find it difficult to address the underlying needs so that a child is able to pay attention to their classroom, or to a passing car.

We need to figure out strategies that meet the child’s needs in motivating and natural ways within the environment. Lack of attention span and undesirable responses to sensory input can lead to frustrated teachers, and challenged parents. Distractions from external and internal stimuli can lead to responses that look a lot like behaviors.

What if we could treat the underlying issues, resulting in increased focus and attention?

That’s where the Attention and Sensory Connection Workbook can help.

It’s a FREE one-stop spot for information on the basics of how attention is related to sensory processing. It provides tips to boost attention through the senses so that kids can learn, focus, and pay attention when they need to.

The workbook covers information about how impaired sensory processing relates to attention issues in a variety of ways and provides movement and sensory-motor activities that can help boost attention.

There are specific activity ideas and tactics to address attentiveness. You’ll also find workbook pages that can be used to identify underlying sensory-related areas that impact attention and tools for addressing those needs.

This workbook is a guide for better focus at home or in the classroom. The Attention and Sensory Workbook contains:

How Sensory and Attention are Connected
The Impact of Sensory Processing on Learning
Movement and Sensory-Motor Activities to Improve Attention
Sensory Activity Ideas
Sensory Processing Workbook Pages
Attention and Sensory Activity Workbook Pages

This is an ideal tool to add to any sensory lifestyle! And it’s free!

Using specific and prescribed sensory strategies like those in a sensory diet can be a huge help for the child who struggles with attention and sensory issues. A sensory diet can be the ticket to improved attention when the strategies work and are carried over appropriately.

A sensory diet that focuses on organizing vestibular and proprioceptive input can help a child regulate in order to focus in a classroom lecture. An outdoor recess with calming and alerting input can help a child focus in their afternoon classes. When sensory strategies are incorporated into a child’s environment in meaningful manners, a sensory lifestyle occurs.

Here are a few ways that The Attention and Sensory Connection Workbook can address much-needed skills of our children/students/clients with sensory needs:

Sensory processing is the ability to register, screen, organize, and interpret information from our senses and the environment. This process allows us to filter out some unnecessary information so that we can attend to what is important. Kids with sensory challenges often time have difficulty with attention as a result.

It’s been found that there is a co-morbidity of 40-60% of ADHD and Sensory Processing Disorder. This workbook is an actionable guide to help teachers, therapists, and parents to help kids boost attention and focus in the classroom by mastering sensory processing needs.

You will find information on the sensory system and how it impacts attention and learning. There are step-by-step strategies for improving focus, and sensory-based tips and tricks that will benefit the whole classroom.

The workbook provides tactics to address attention and sensory processing as a combined strategy and overall function. There are charts for activities, forms for assessment of impact, workbook pages for accommodations, and sensory strategy forms.

It’s been fun sharing all off these free resources with you recently. What’s awesome is that the tools you’ve accessed can be used to create a sensory lifestyle that is meaningful, authentic, and motivating for kids, in all aspects of a child’s day!

Click here to grab the Attention and Sensory Workbook.

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.

Attention Activities for Kids

October 29, 2021April 7, 2018 by Colleen Beck OTR/L

When it comes to boosting attention in kids, there is a lot going on. Attention is aligned with executive functioning, sensory processing, self-reflection, and so much more! Below, we are chatting about a few attention activities for kids. These are the ones that develop attention through games, activities, and fun. Being that a child’s primary occupation is play, why not develop the skills they need (like attention!) through active participation in an interest-based activity?

Attention Activities for Kids

There is a lot of information out there on addressing attention needs in kids. Parents can become easily overwhelmed by the shear amount of tactics and treatment approaches for attention.

We’ve shared a lot of activities that develop and grow attention here on The OT Toolbox. You can check them out on our Attention page.

You may want to grab a few of these games and tools that boost attention and focus. These are the games and toys out there on the market that make great gift ideas for kids…fun activities that develop attention at the same time!

One thing that stood out in our list of games and toys that develop attention is the sensory aspect.

When it comes to boosting attention in kids, there are a few things that stood out. First, games are huge part of boosting attention! Games like DIY memory games can be adjusted to meet the interests of each child and can be modified based on ability or age.

Kids love target games. Using an item like weighted bean bag games add proprioceptive input that is calming. These snowflake bean bags or ice cream cone bean bags are easy DIY ideas.

Adding sensory supports that reduce overwhelming input can be helpful in addressing attention needs, too. This article explains a lot about the sensory aspect of attention.

Adding some gross motor activities into a routine through outdoor play, or via brain breaks in the classroom, or with simple games can be a big boost when it comes to helping with attention and focus. This dinosaur movement game is a big hit. It can be adjusted based on the child’s interests, too. Have a little one who is more interested in Shopkins than dinosaurs? No problem! Just make the game based on those tiny figures!

If you’re needing more movement ideas, this list of monthly movement activities is a good start. You can get ideas for the whole year in this one post.

Working on mindfulness is another approach to addressing attention needs in kids. Here are YouTube videos that address mindfulness and are appropriate for kids.

It can be helpful to work on identifying and expressing emotions with kids of any age. For the child with attention challenges, emotional regulation and working on strategies to manage big emotions can be a huge help.

Teaching kids about coping skills and self-regulation is a good strategy for addressing attention during tasks, too.

There are so many strategies to address attention in kids and activities that can help address attention needs. One tactic that can be a big help is analyzing precursors to behaviors related to attention and addressing underlying needs.

The Attention and Sensory Workbook can be a way to do just that.

The Attention and Sensory Workbook is a free printable resource for parents, teachers, and therapists. It is a printable workbook and includes so much information on the connection between attention and sensory needs.

Here’s what you can find in the Attention and Sensory Workbook:

Includes information on boosting attention through the senses

Discusses how sensory and learning are connected

Provides movement and sensory motor activity ideas

Includes workbook pages for creating movement and sensory strategies to improve attention

A little more about the Attention and Sensory Workbook:

Sensory processing is the ability to register, screen, organize, and interpret information from our senses and the environment. This process allows us to filter out some unnecessary information so that we can attend to what is important. Kids with sensory challenges often time have difficulty with attention as a result.

It’s been found that there is a co-morbidity of 40-60% of ADHD and Sensory Processing Disorder. This workbook is an actionable guide to help teachers, therapists, and parents to help kids boost attention and focus in the classroom by mastering sensory processing needs.

You will find information on the sensory system and how it impacts attention and learning. There are step-by-step strategies for improving focus, and sensory-based tips and tricks that will benefit the whole classroom.

The workbook provides tactics to address attention and sensory processing as a combined strategy and overall function. There are charts for activities, forms for assessment of impact, workbook pages for accommodations, and sensory strategy forms.

Grab the Attention and Sensory Workbook by clicking HERE or on the image below.

Attention and sensory workbook activities for improving attention in kids

Sensory Strategies in Schools

October 29, 2021April 5, 2018 by Colleen Beck OTR/L

Here on The OT Toolbox, we’ve shared a lot of information about addressing sensory processing needs in the classroom environment. We’ve shared sensory strategies for the school-based OT. We’ve talked about sensory diets in the classroom. So often, kids with sensory processing challenges struggle in the school environment. And, we’ve talked about calm-down strategies that can be used in the classroom.

Today, we’ve got a big resource for anyone who lives with, loves, or works with a child with sensory processing needs. These sensory strategies can be used in schools by occupational therapists, teachers, parents, administrators, or anyone who advocates for a child with sensory needs.

Use these classroom sensory strategies to help kids with sensory processing needs to learn, pay attention, self-regulate, focus, and address sensory needs within the classroom or learning environment to address educational goals and sensory needs. Perfect for occupational therapists in the schools..

Sensory Strategies in Schools

As a caregiver or parent, it is exhausting to see the challenges your child faces, while ticking through the laundry list of strategies and still witnessing the sensory breakdowns. Parents are the advocate for addressing their child’s needs. They are looking for resources to share.

Therapists are challenged to find tactics that will be carried over while meeting functional goals. We strive to create streamlined suggestions that will be used at home and in the midst of a busy classroom.

Often times, teachers are the middleman when it comes to sensory issues. They are dealing with curriculum requirements, little time, and demands of a full classroom. Time, space, and resources are limited in the classroom. Teachers struggle with meeting sensory needs and children who “feed off” other students.

Strategies for addressing or preventing sensory meltdowns are needed before they happen!

Because of these challenges, the classroom can be a tricky environment for addressing the needs of students, incorporating strategies, and addressing behaviors related to sensory needs. If any of these struggles sound familiar, know that you are not alone!

You’re striving to find and use the sensory strategies that students need and to put them into place in easy-to-understand handouts where recommended tools can be highlighted. You’re seeking information about why students are acting the way they are and how to help them to improve learning, attention, regulation, and emotional needs so that educational needs are met.

That’s where the Classroom Sensory Strategy Toolkit comes in.

The Classroom Sensory Strategy Toolkit is a printable packet of resources and handouts that can be used by teachers, parents, and therapists. Whether you are looking for a handout to explain sensory strategies, or a tool for advocating for your child, the Classroom Sensory Strategy Toolkit has got you covered.

And it’s free for you to print off and use again and again.

In the Classroom Sensory Strategy Toolkit, you’ll find:

Fidgeting Tools for the Classroom
Adapted Seating Strategies for the Classroom
Self-Regulation in the Classroom
105 Calm-down Strategies for the Classroom
Chewing Tools for Classroom Needs
45 Organizing Tools for Classroom Needs
Indoor Recess Sensory Diet Cards

Here are a few ways that the Classroom Sensory Strategy Toolkit can address much-needed skills of our children/students/clients with sensory needs:

Science tells us there are more kids with processing needs than ever before. Schools are responding with a better understanding of how to help students using sensory input within the school day.

The Sensory Strategy Toolkit is a helpful tool for incorporating sensory needs within the educational environment as supports and tools that kids need.

Sensory processing challenges in kids are baffling! Having a set of sensory tools that can be used in the classroom is powerful to teachers, parents, and therapists.

Sensory processing issues cause stress, motivation, and challenges for the whole family. Having a toolkit of sensory strategies for the classroom can help.

Self-regulation in the school environment can derail the whole classroom from effective learning. Use the calm-down strategies and self-regulation pieces in the toolkit and have the information you need to address these challenges.

Those who work in the school environment struggle with a limited budget for addressing sensory needs. These strategies use equipment that is on hand in the classroom.

The toolkit is appropriate for preschool through teenage years and older and the strategies can be modified to meet the needs of each individual.

Be sure to grab the Classroom Sensory Strategy Toolkit and start addressing those classroom sensory challenges!

CLICK HERE to get the Classroom Sensory Strategy Toolkit.

P.S. Stay tuned because in just a couple of days, we’ll have another free resource for you. It’s all about sensory activities like those in a sensory diet and how they can be used to address attention and focus in kids. And what’s awesome is that the free printable resource coming your way will help the kids you parent, teach, or serve in therapy to work on attention using sensory strategies, even if they don’t have a sensory diet in place.

Quiet Fidget Toys for School

November 13, 2023April 4, 2018 by Colleen Beck OTR/L

Looking for quiet fidget toys to support self regulation needs in a classroom setting? These quiet fidgets are the perfect occupational therapy toy that supports needs through play.

The fidget tools listed below are those that are quiet in nature. You’ve probably spun a fidget spinner or two in your days (the last year or so that fidget spinners where a “thing”, anyway). They make a noise, right? Those fidget clicker boxes? They make a noise too. For the classroom environment where a click or a spin can be distracting to others, quiet fidget tools are a must.

Scroll on to find out more about quiet DIY fidget tools for school that can be a valuable tool for kids with attention challenges, regulation needs, sensory processing issues, or other needs that require a fidget tool for concentration and inclusion in the classroom setting.

Quiet fidget tools for kids in the classroom to help with attention, fidgeting, or sensory needs.

Quiet Fidget Tools for School

Here’s the thing about fidget tools in the classroom setting. They can get a bad rap. But, have you ever stopped to think that we ALL need a fidget tactic of some sort when we need to really concentrate? We jiggle our leg. We tap the desk. We doodle. We talk with our hands. We mess with a pen. We tap our phone. We twirl our hair. We all do something that is an overflow of motor actions with concentration.

So, when we ask our kids (who are getting less time outdoors, less recess, and are experiencing more sensory processing needs) to sit still at their desk and NOT fidget, wiggle, twirl, move, slouch, or jump…it’s a messy classroom!

Fidget tools for students in a classroom don’t need to be a pricey.

They don’t need to be obtrusive.

They don’t need to be a tool that is unnatural in the classroom.

Fidget tools can be used by any student and can be items that are a natural part of the classroom.

Try using some of these quiet fidget tools in a classroom. It may be helpful to go over rules of fidget tools with the whole class. Do that before handing over the fidget. Set up guidelines for use, and inappropriate use of fidget tools. Instruct students that they are to be used when concentrating and at all other times should be placed in pencil box or pencil pouch, with crayons, scissors, and other “tools”. Just like those items have a place and a use in the classroom, the fidget tool should be used at certain times and in certain ways!

Quiet Fidget Tools for School

Affiliate links are included below.

Fun pencil topper
DIY pencil topper
Small koosh ball (tuck this in the palm of the hand for younger students to encourage a functional pencil grasp and separation of the sides of the hand.)
Two or three paper clips linked together
Paper brad with paperclip clipped into a folder or notebook cover
Pencil grip
Beads on a pipe cleaner
Keychain
Small stress ball
Marble sewn into a cotton glove
Sliced pool noodle (Very cost efficient! A whole class can be outfitted with a quiet fidget tool for about $1)
Wikki Stix (an effective tool for a writing or reading guide too. Read about all of our favorite Wikki Stix activities)
Rubber bands on a ring
Craft pom poms
DIY Zipper pull

Sensory strategies like these can be a big help for many children.

You may also be interested in the free printable packet, The Classroom Sensory Strategy Toolkit.

And it’s free for you to print off and use again and again.

In the Classroom Sensory Strategy Toolkit, you’ll find:

Fidgeting Tools for the Classroom
Adapted Seating Strategies for the Classroom
Self-Regulation in the Classroom
105 Calm-down Strategies for the Classroom
Chewing Tools for Classroom Needs
45 Organizing Tools for Classroom Needs
Indoor Recess Sensory Diet Cards

Outdoor Sensory Diet Activity Cards

October 6, 2022April 3, 2018 by Colleen Beck OTR/L

The outdoors are the ultimate sensory experience for kids! It is possible to create the “right kind” of sensory experiences to improve regulation, attention, focus, body awareness, motor development, and sensory processing. Outdoor play provides sensory input in all planes, directions, and with multiple senses. This printable packet all about taking sensory diet activities into the outdoors. Outdoor sensory diets are the perfect way to add sensory input that kids need!

Be sure to grab the Outdoor Sensory Diet Cards and use them with a child or when creating a sensory diet for an adult with sensory processing needs!

Outdoor Sensory Diet Activity Cards

Research tells us that outdoor play improves attention and provides an ideal environment for a calm and alert state, perfect for integration of sensory input. In fact, outdoor play provides input from all the senses, allows for movement in all planes, and provides a variety of strengthening components including eccentric, concentric, and isometric muscle contractions. The outdoors are a vestibular, proprioceptive, tactile, and overall sensory-enriched goldmine!

There’s more: Providing opportunities for sensory diet activities in the outdoors encourages open-ended play, imagination, creativity, body awareness, learning skills, self-confidence, gross and fine motor development, attention, and social-emotional skill development.

It can be a real struggle to help kids manage tricky sensory-related challenges.

Parents find it difficult to weed through all of the information and pull out what will work for their child.

Teachers may struggle with kids who fall out of their chairs, can’t focus, and feed off other students. They may feel compelled to help these students but lack resources, time, or tactics.

Therapists may search for fresh ideas that provide the right kind of sensory input and will be carried over at home and at school, all while fitting into the child’s occupational performance sweet spot.

Do one or more of the categories described above sound familiar?

Maybe you are trying sensory strategies, searching for information, and creating sensory diets that just aren’t working. You’re doing all of the right things, but struggle to meet the sensory needs of an individual child.

That’s where the Outdoor Sensory Diet Cards and Sensory Challenge Cards come into play.

They are a printable resource that encourages sensory diet strategies in the outdoors. In the printable packet, there are 90 outdoor sensory diet activities, 60 outdoor recess sensory diet activities, 30 blank sensory diet cards, and 6 sensory challenge cards. They can be used based on preference and interest of the child, encouraging motivation and carryover, all while providing much-needed sensory input.

Here’s a little more information about the Outdoor Sensory Diet Cards:

- 90 outdoor sensory diet activities
- 60 outdoor recess sensory diet activities
- 30 blank sensory diet cards, and 6 sensory challenge cards
- They can be used based on preference and interest of the child, encouraging motivation and carryover, all while providing much-needed sensory input.
- Research tells us that outdoor play improves attention and provides an ideal environment for a calm and alert state, perfect for integration of sensory input.
- Outdoor play provides input from all the senses, allows for movement in all planes, and provides a variety of strengthening components including eccentric, concentric, and isometric muscle contractions.
- Great tool for parents, teachers, AND therapists!

Here’s the thing: Outdoor play is the ideal setting for incorporating the “right kind” of sensory input. A child who uses a therapy band in the classroom receives just one direction of proprioceptive input. Outdoor play provides sensory input in all planes, directions, and with multiple senses. The sensory diet cards in this free printable pack can be used in SO many ways to help individuals with specific sensory needs.

Check out more about outdoor activities…like play…and sensory diets:

There’s more:

Outdoor sensory diet activities are easy, fun, and motivating…and they make memories for the whole family while meeting the needs of a child with sensory processing challenges.
Outdoor sensory activities can be completed as a group or on an individual basis, and learning can be incorporated right into the tasks.
Teachers will find the outdoor recess sensory diet cards appropriate for the right kind of sensory-based brain breaks throughout the day.
The great outdoors is the biggest sensory gym you can imagine…and all of the sensory equipment is already there! From tree stumps, to hills, to pebbles, to pavement…outdoor sensory diet strategies can occur with little or no equipment.
Parents will love these outdoor sensory strategies that make memories for the whole family.

The whole family can join in on these sensory brain breaks! They provide the best kind of calming proprioceptive input, alerting movement, and sensory-based play that we ALL need!

The outdoor sensory diet strategy cards include a section of outdoor recess activities. These are perfect for the parent advocating for more sensory input for their child at school. The school playground is a powerful source of calming and organizing input!

Therapists will find the Outdoor Sensory Diet Cards a valuable tool in creating home programs. Every child needs more of this type of play!

Sometimes therapists run into issues with sensory diet carryover at home or in the classroom. These are sensory-based activities that kids will love and WANT to do!

As an added bonus, the Outdoor Recess Sensory Diet Cards included in this free packet can be used at any neighborhood playground, making a quick stop at a park a motivating means of incorporating much-needed sensory exercise.

The Sensory Diet Challenge Cards incorporate all of the senses and are a quick checklist of activities that can be used for easy sensory activities.

Recess Sensory Diet Activities

October 6, 2022April 3, 2018 by Colleen Beck OTR/L

Here, we’ll discuss how to make a recess sensory diet for school. Kids are spending less time playing outdoors. From after-school schedules to two working parents, to unsafe conditions, to increased digital screen time, to less outdoor recess time…there is just less time for kids to get outside and PLAY!

Teachers and school based occupational therapy professionals know the profound power of a recess break on the daily functioning of students. But, even as the adults in the school, we know how essential a break to walk on the recess area, or to sit and relax with a cup of tea during a (albeit still busy) planning period can be. A sensory diet for adults is just the same as a child’s need for movement or sensory input within the day!

When it comes to sensory play, using the outdoors in meeting sensory needs and through sensory challenges is perfect for those looking for easy and fun ways to meet sensory needs in kids!

Recess Sensory Diet

For the child in school, it’s known that recess time helps with attention, sensory needs, motor development, learning skills, language, executive functioning, and so much more. In fact, research about outdoor play tells us a lot about development in kids!

The activities below are just some ways to encourage sensory input through outdoor recess. The fact is that plain old outdoor play will expand a child’s developmental needs and provide the kind of sensory input that kids need to learn and grow.

But sometimes, a child who has a need for a specific sensory diet will benefit from a prescribed list of sensory diet activities. And using the playground at the school is a great way to do this!

We’ve talked about sensory integration on the playground before and also sensory diet activities that can be used on a playground or park setting.

But the sensory diet activities listed below are those that can be combined with other outdoor sensory diet activities and completed on a blacktop surface or a schoolyard setting.

Outdoor Recess Sensory Diet Activities

These outdoor recess sensory diet activities can be used at a recess setting or within a sensory diet that allows for an outdoor movement break.

Using the natural setting of the playground is perfect for allowing a student to use the setting within the school to get the sensory input he or she needs.

The Outdoor Sensory Diet Cards are activities that can be done with little or no special equipment, making carryover easier.

The outdoor sensory diet activities below are GAMES and PLAY that kids naturally love! That means other students can participate in activities that come natural to recess time…while providing the much needed sensory diet activity that is necessary for meeting sensory needs of specific students.

These activities are part of our Outdoor Sensory Diet Cards packet. It’s a resource that uses natural and therapeutic play activities that can be done in the great outdoors.

The Outdoor Sensory Diet Cards packet includes sensory diet cards that meet a variety of needs and can be used for any child, based on specific needs. Therapists will love the variety of cards that can work for any child and can be adjusted to meet specific needs of clients.

Part of the packet is outdoor recess sensory diet activities that come in card form for easy scheduling and recommendation of activities.

This is a free resource. Just click on the link below, enter your email, and access the file that is delivered to your inbox.

If you use these sensory diet cards, share it with others! Share the link so others can grab it too. Be sure to catch a pic of your use of the cards and tag @theottoolbox on social media!

Outdoor Recess Sensory Diet Activities

Teach the child to ask if they can push another child on the swing

Utilize playground equipment

Walk or run on the perimeter of the playground area.

Bounce balls

Kickball

Stress ball in hand during playground play

Chewing tool for sensory overload

Running games

“I Spy” scavenger hunts for colors or shapes

Keychain fidget tool

Obstacle courses

Tug of war activities

Carry equipment bins onto playground area and back in after recess

Organize one-on-one play with a buddy

The Outdoor Sensory Diet Cards printable packet includes A TON more ideas for outdoor sensory diet activities and outdoor recess sensory diet activities.

In fact, there are 90 outdoor sensory diet activities, 60 outdoor recess sensory diet activities, 30 blank sensory diet cards, AND 6 sensory challenge cards.

They can be used based on preference and interest of the child, encouraging motivation and carryover, all while providing much-needed sensory input.

Get the Outdoor Sensory Diet Activity Cards HERE.

Sensory diets and specific sensory input or sensory challenges are a big part of addressing sensory needs of children who struggle with sensory processing issues. Incorporating a schedule of sensory input (sensory diet) into a lifestyle of naturally occurring and meaningful activities is so very valuable for the child with sensory needs.

The Sensory Lifestyle Handbook walks you through sensory diet creation, set-up, and carry through. Not only that, but the book helps you take a sensory diet and weave it into a sensory lifestyle that supports the needs of a child with sensory processing challenges and the whole family.

Get The Sensory Lifestyle Handbook here.

Sensory Diet Activities at the Playground

January 9, 2023April 2, 2018 by Colleen Beck OTR/L

The outdoors is a goldmine for play! Kids can be creative, build healthy bodies, and develop the skills that they NEED through playing outdoors. For the child who requires a sensory diet, the outdoors is a goldmine for acquiring the right kind of sensory input. The activities below are those sensory diet activities that can be accomplished through play at the playground. Also check out our resource on playground therapy.

Even a sensory diet for adults can include a walk in the park as a movement and sensory break!

A while back, we shared information about sensory processing at the playground and sensory input that can be provided at the playground. Today, we wanted to share a few quick lists for sensory diet activities that can be implemented at an outdoor (or indoor) playground or play area.

These are sensory diet activities that an occupational therapist can prescribe based on evaluation of a child’s specific sensory needs. Use the playground sensory diet activities listed below as part of a list of specific activities and sensory tools that meet certain sensory processing needs or a home program for children with sensory processing challenges.

There is a lot of research on playing outdoors and about the benefits of just playing outside!

Disclaimer: When therapists develop a specific and highly individualized sensory diet, it’s not just throwing together a day filled with sensory input. A sensory diet is a specific set of sensory tools used to meet and address certain needs of the individual based on sensory need and strategizing. Each of the sensory diet activities above should meet specific needs of the child. Every child is different so applying sensory input to one child may look very different than that of another. Parents should use the tactics below along with your child’s occupational therapist.

Playground Sensory Diet Activities

Climb the slide
Swing on the swings (side to side, forward-back, twist, superman fly, or even upside down!)
Go down the slide (forward, backwards, on belly, on back)
Roll a ball up the slide and catch it before it hits the cround
Ramps
Balance beams
Monkey bars
Rope equipment
Elevated surfaces
Uneven surfaces
Sound tubes and equipment
Teeter totters or bouncy equipment
Merry go rounds or spinning equipment
Climbing walls
Sandbox play
Playground scavenger hunt
Tunnels (Crawl through, army crawl through)
Playground “I Spy”
Bouncing a ball against a wall
Textured sensory scavenger hunt
Climbing surfaces

Accommodations for addressing sensory needs in the backyard

For kids with sensory needs, it can be overwhelming on a playground with running children, background noises, or other sensory input. Try these accommodations for addressing sensory needs in backyard play:

Proprioceptive input such as firm touch to the shoulders

Calming vestibular sensory input such as side to side or forward-front slow swinging

Throw and play catch with a weighted ball

Baby wipes to clean hands if child is sensitive to messy hands or dirt

Sheltered area if child is sensitive to wind blowing on skin

Wear a lightweight wind jacket

Hat with brim to reduce bright light or intense light in eyes or on face

Sunscreen with firm touch before going outdoors

Wear sunglasses

Wear headphones to reduce background noise

Sports bottle with straw

Calming, chewy snacks

More about outdoor sensory diet activities

That’s why I’ve worked to create a book on creating an authentic and meaningful sensory lifestyle that addresses sensory needs. The book is now released as a digital e-book or softcover print book, available on Amazon.

The Sensory Lifestyle Handbook walks you through sensory diet creation, set-up, and carry through. Not only that, but the book helps you take a sensory diet and weave it into a sensory lifestyle that supports the needs of a child with sensory processing challenges and the whole family.

Get The Sensory Lifestyle Handbook here.

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A little more about the Attention and Sensory Workbook:

FREE Attention & Sensory Workbook

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Outdoor Sensory Diet Activity Cards

Recess Sensory Diet

Outdoor Recess Sensory Diet Activities

Outdoor Recess Sensory Diet Activities

Playground Sensory Diet Activities

Accommodations for addressing sensory needs in the backyard

More about outdoor sensory diet activities

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