Sensory Swing for Modulation

888 thoughts on “Sensory Swing for Modulation”

1. I love using different lights as a sensory calming tool. We have a lava lamp with fish that float up and down and we choose our favourite fish with the student to watch go up and down.

2. I like to use mindfulness activities, i.e. body scans and five finger breathing as a sensory calming tool. Doesn’t require any equipment so it can be used anywhere at any time.

3. I utilize smells with my grandbaby. The wax tarts I have work wonders with him!

4. BALL PIT! It can be exciting too but I use it with babies and toddlers and gently pile balls up on top of them until just their little heads stick out. they just lay back into you and relax.

5. I love heavy work games or OTIS body awareness cards.

6. I am an OT in a public elementary school and my favorite calming activity to do with all of students are yoga pretzel cards or yogarilla. I do both of these activities followed by mindfulness breathing techniques found on the teachers pay teachers website. My favorite alerting techniques are activities from brain gym.

7. I often use body socks during our school sensory circuit. The students love wriggling around in them and laughing at how funny they look!

8. I am entering a school system that has not had an OT in the past school year. I try to use methods that paras can use with the children they work directly with. Joint compression and neutral warmth of being wrapped a little tighter at rest time has worked well with an autistic girl who blew into school the first day of kindergarten, never having been identified previous to this first day of school. She has now been “officially” diagnosed and everyone is learning as they go with her.

9. I use therapy putty to calm children.

10. “squeezies”- gently squeezing along arms/legs- work very well with some of my kids, and they can learn to use the technique on themselves as well

11. I absolutely love using tunnels, lycra tunnels and body socks! Have had fantastic results using these activities!

12. One of my favorite calming strategies is to have a child lay prone on a bolster swing with a soft carpet cover and hug it with arms and legs while I slowly swing them stratight back and forth….lights low, little or no taalking.

13. I love to use the glitter sensory bottle. The child first shakes it around allowing a release of his energy and we talk about how it looks just like he is feeling inside. Watching the glitter fall slowly gives time to breathe and settle his own body.

14. In my developmental preschool classroom play dough time was a favorite activity. Rolling snakes, squeezing, and patting it into flat pancakes was how we usually started.

15. I Have found the Hallway games along with time in a sensory tent works well in the pre-school classroom.

16. My granddaughter loves the weighted blanket. Many of my OT students love the water beads and moon sand?

17. We use deep presure boddy rubbing and brushing when my son is angry or melting down it calms him and then we can finger breath and calm down to talk. When this doesnt work we know its going to be a challenge to calm him and we just have to wait it out.

18. I like to use visualization scripts from Ready…Set….Relax. The stories are imaginative and full of opportunities for different sensory experiences depending on the child’s individual perceptions.

19. I love using a large Therapy ball to roll over students backs as a calming activity in the elementary schools that I service students in.

20. In one of my schools, we created a sensory walk. It’s great for all children and provides tactile input as well as proprioceptive input. The children love it!

21. Chewlery, body sock and putty all work for us but to calm straight away joint compressions and massage are the most effective!

22. My students love rock pose (child’s pose) right at their desk. Simply put your head down on your forearms, reducing visual, auditory, and vestibular stimuli, and take a few deep breaths.

23. I love scooter board activities with either pulling themselves along with squiz handles or just just self propelling with arms for heavy work and vestibular input.

24. I love to use tapping for myself and for the kids in my classroom.

25. For calming, we use a pop-up tent in the classroom. The tent has soft lighting, a weighted blanket, bean bag chair, fidgets, soothing music – each student selected a tool to incorporate. Students can use the tent anytime they need.

26. My go to activities for calming: yoga, Mindfulness activities, visual glitter bottles and deep pressure.

27. I love to use a peanut ball to roll on top of children to make into a pizza. The child had many choices of toppings which are done with various movements with the peanut on top of their backs, legs, arms and heads for those who want their head included. I decide on the number of initial rolls on the “dough” to help with regulation.

28. I use a variety of strategies, but a few favorites are balloon breathing and heavy work. I have a small ” pizza box” which I made heavier with a few light weights. It works like a charm for transitions when I have students carry it as they walk back to class.

29. We are setting up a sensory space in our home for my son- he loves the diy ball pit, and when we wrap him up like a burrito. In therapy, he responds well to linear input like blanket rides and the Plasma car. We’ve been using ‘feeling sticks’ for emotional regulation too!

30. I love Lycra! Tunnels, swings, or body socks
    Having a kiddo climb the layered Lycra swing (rainbow swing) is a specific favorite!

31. I transition my students by playing simon says with heavy balls. They get heavy work in, learn concepts (behind, down, up,right/left etc.).

32. I use a weighted blanket and thinking putty with my son.

33. I love to use swings. The kids I work with in the evening really respond to using it. I would love to have one at my school

34. Yoga poses and bear crawls before getting to work in a session works wonders!

35. I love using a weighted blanket with my students it’s amazing how quickly it calms them. I also like giving proprioceptive input to the joints as students also respond so well to this

36. Something placed in the hands is my favorite immediate tool.

37. I love using yoga for calming because it also works on strengthening and motor planning. I find themed/holiday yoga on teachers pay teachers and my students love it.

38. I use a Hoberman’s sphere and open and close it, so kids can see what the stomach should look like when you take a deep breath, in and out. Helpful for younger kids who sometimes have a hard time taking a deep calming breath on their own.

39. For one of my grandsons I use heavy activities that allows him to really use his muscles. Things like jumping on the trampoline or lifting heavy objects and carrying them for me. Also making sure he is outdoors each day helps tremendously with his meltdowns.
    For our little guys he needs to feel safe in his surroundings to calm so wrapping him snugly helps, we’ve also added a turtle tank with a soft light to the room and he loves watching the turtle and the shrimp swim around in the water.

40. Linear swinging + singing, followed by pop up tunnel crawling and steamroller use are super effective to give both a calming and organizing input for optimal attention and effort.

41. I love using Yoga. The kids love it too.

42. Yoga is my favorite cslming sensory strategy. I have several kids yoga decks and games such as yoga bingo.

43. I work in a school and I love to use a short tunnel for rolling. It can be alerting or calming depends on speed and amount of heavy work involved.

44. I usually chew peppermint gum when I need to wake up my sensory system.

45. The kids I see like to use my Steam Roller.

46. I love to use the swings and the sensory brush for calming and alerting my patients. All of my patients love to get “tickles” from the “tickle brush”.

47. I love having a child roll inside a barrel or tunnel. You can start expressive rolling and then move to active rolling to have the child initiate more trunk rotation. Using a barrel provides more resistance for heavy work.

48. I’ll have students participate in yoga poses while in a body sock for extra propriocetive input. They love it.

49. *start with passive rolling

50. I use a sensory path I made in one of our school hallways, movement, yoga, and animal walks for heavy work and deep input.

51. I love doing yoga combined with deep breathing exercises to help incorporate calming strategies into my students’ repertoires that they can then use once they become agitated or upset.

52. I like to use heavy work activities such as lining up the hallway with food items and pushing the pig (pig toy box) to ‘feed the pig’. Also love to use Lycra tunnels and I add therapy balls and peanut ball for the kiddos to maneuver around over or under while in the tunnels.

53. As a parent I’ve been loving row, row, row your boat (don’t know the technical name) sit cross legged and join hands rock back and forth. We often sing the song. It helps my son clam before bed. Often he will tell me a story. We see a tiger gotta go faster. Here’s a short cut. Oh no the boat has leak. 🙂

54. I like to use mindfulness activities and breathing with my preschoolers. They have learned strategies on their own and don’t need any materials to stop and have a calm body! Even more so, I love doing it with them as it is really helpful 🙂

55. Activities in prone and 4-point – scooter board on belly, crawling through tunnel, animal walks

56. Love this! I have a student that we are working on joint attention and engagement with so this would be perfect!

57. We love our trampolines – we have one outside, one in the basement and a mini one in the hall upstairs whenever we need a quick break during our homeschooling!

58. Our favorite sensory tool is an indoor swing!! My son uses it daily.

59. Believe it or not but my grandson uses my curly hair as his calming tool. He will sit in my lap and twirl my curls. We both love it!

60. Using the therapy ball for proprioceptive input is one of my favorite sensory strategies.

61. I love using yoga and sensory bins;)

62. Kids love and relax while watching the glitter fall slowly from the sensory bottles and we also try making breathing exercises to calm them down.

63. We use kinetic sand for calming. While child is using sand I will read them a feeling book that correlates to them at that time.

64. I love using the crash pad as an activity for my students. Great way to get out that energy!

65. A weighted blanket, bear hugs and deep massage I find work really well to calm my son, my daughter loves cuddling and more gentle massage that’s more like stroking, calms her right down.

66. My son loves his trampoline and deep pressure. There is always time for big bear hugs??

67. I love using a sensory pathway in the hallways of my school.

68. This school year I switched school-based jobs and am working primarily with preschoolers. I’ve been loving using vestibular and deep touch pressure inputs for regulation such as linear swinging, pea pod, bouncing rhythmically on a therapy ball and weighted compression vests.

69. I love incorporating heavy work into my students day – pushing a weighted cart (to return library books) – wearing a weighted backpack (to make a delivery to the office) helps yo calm and regulate my student in a most functional way without standing out.

70. Yoga pretzels, jumping on trampoline, or rolling therapy ball have been quite helpful for my sessions!

71. My preschool friends love sensory boxes that I can personalize to their interests. I often add essential oils to the box. We lower the lights and put on soft instrumental music and they could play for hours. Slime and thera putty are also favorites.

72. A bin of dried beans with scoops is my trusty go-to. Even the kiddos who need visual inputs love it, as they can watch the beans slowly pour out of the scoops held up high over the bins.

73. I love flipping a chair around in the classroom so the child can lean into it while working!

74. I love some chair exercises to use in a regular ed classroom. Its a quick and simple way to help the kids self-regulate and with or without the teacher they utilize the tools throughout the day.

75. I love using bean bags and soft pillows inside a small Pop-up tent. The kids love it in their classroom and really helps decrease aggressive behavior in our emotionally disturbed classroom

76. We love to use a calming box made with different essential oils and smells, squishies and other types of things that specifically help my girl.

77. One of my favorite calming activities is running hands against a sensory board. We put the in many of our calming areas this year. I made them by stapling different fabrics around thin boards and then screwing those to a bigger board. The kids love them!

78. Inuse a sparkle jar in my classroom but realize that full body proprioception feedback can really make a difference so this swing will be used every class! I have so many newcomer students with trauma that really need a space to feel safe:

79. My students respond well to calming music along with a repetitive task like snipping paper.

80. Heavy work

81. With the little kids I love using the bubble mountain activity, and with older kids I use lazy 8 breathing and exercises they can do in their chair, such as chair pull ups and chair push ups.

82. I use heavy work for calming and to increase focus a lot. For extra calming I’ll use weighted lap pads or blankets.

83. I love to do “yogarilla “ with the kids.

84. I just started using bubbles and pinwheels with my students to practice taking mindful breaths and to give those breaths intentions (in with the positive, out with the negative). Even my high school students love it!!

85. I often use squishes, heavy work or breathing techniques.

86. I love putting on a weighted blanket, listening to ocean waves in supine with both hands on my chest focusing on my breath. Deep breaths with longer exhales with eyes closed/vision occluded

87. I use the scooter board, deep pressure, massage, and brushing. My son also loves sifting through a container of rice to find the beads as a calming activity. Swinging is a favorite!

88. Rolling a therapy ball over them, swinging, gum, and putty are the best calming tools for my kids.

89. We use playdough, salt dough and have even carried around mud that he can squish in his hands. We have used soft foam balls, orbies, many different things he can put in his hands. They all work. I just started learning about body scanning so we are trying that too!

90. I work in the school settings, so I have to be creative with little spaces. I like yoga – down dog with alternating leg lifts; putty in all types of uses, dots and squeezes and walking – change of environment and fresh air.

91. I work with older students. I have a notebook with visuals representing a variety of calm down strategies. I offer the book to the student in need and let them choose the strategy that they feel will work for them today.

92. I love using deep breathing exercises. They are quick, easy and work well for almost any child (even myself) to regain focus!

93. O use lycra or a bean bag chair combined with anlow visual demand environment.

94. I like to use play-doh and water activities

95. I like rolling a large therapy ball over them laying prone. We pretend I’m making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich out of them ( spread the peanut butter, jelly and smoosh the bread) the kids have lots of fun and get some deep pressure input out of it.

96. I love the challenge of figuring out the activities that work for each individual student. Some like arm and back rubs, some like a fidget or squeeze toy, some like wall pushups… coming up with the perfect fit for a child is such a great feeling of accomplishment for me!

97. Deep pressure is always my go to for calming or alerting.

98. I love watching a candle burn. I’ll sit down and hold the candle and feel the warmth of it and watch it flicker. Not sure if it’s considered a sensory activity, since it’s mostly sight, but I really enjoy this one more than using sand or my sensory bin simply because it keeps my eyes focused and fixed in one place.

99. I am an OT at a state school for the severely disabled so a lot of my kids have sensory difficulties. Deep pressure is something that calms a lot of my kids. Swinging is another favorite. Smell jars are a hit with some kids as well. Any type of sensory play with play dough, slime, theraputty, etc. is great (except for my hypersensitive touch kiddos of course!)

100. Deep Pressure and swinging are my two favorites. The children love the swing but it does not always calm.

101. My favorite activity before starting therapy sessions is to have the students walk a giant Figure 8 when coming into the therapy room. This helps them calm down and center themselves. If they are running slow, I have them bounce on the mini tramp.

102. Nice weather an outdoor linear swing, when inside wall or floor heavy work.

103. Depending on the child, my calm down go to’s are usually either weighted vest and animal walks/prone scooter or weighted blanket and slow linear swinging with the lights down! 🙂

104. I love using a trampoline. When you don’t have a lot of space, it’s relatively small and the kids love it.

105. I turn the lights low or off. Sometimes I will use music (sometimes not, depending on the student). Then we use the lycra swing to go in slow linear patterns.

106. We have a new “stair stepper” exercise machine donated by a classroom teacher who wasn’t using it at home. Great heavy work and not babyish for our older students.

107. I have seen students respond well to gentle moving back and forth either through rocking in a chair or on a swing and also providing very soft singing

108. I like heavy work like having my son carry heavy bags up and down the stairs or reorganize the cans in the closet.

109. I love the lycra swing, heavy work, compressions, and low lighting.

110. For my Level 3 fieldwork project in a school, I created a “sensory hallway” that provides the students with proprioceptive and vestibular input they may need to be able to focus in class. It includes stomping, jumping jacks, wall push ups, crab walks, spinning and inversion, and ends with lazy 8 breathing.

111. I like heavy work like having my son carry heavy bags up and down the stairs or reorganize the cans in the closet.

112. Squishies…student lays on a mat …on tummy and you use a therapy ball/yoga ball to squish from head to toe slowly. Ask them if they want more or less.

113. I like to allow my child to go and jump on the indoor trampoline

114. For my preschool students, I love to have them go and try and push down the wall of the school (it’s cinderblocks) for proprioceptive input.

115. I love using Yogarilla to teach using self as a calming technique and mindfulness strategy.

116. I love heavy work “relay races” along with yogarilla cards!

117. Slow linear swinging, followed by upper body deep pressure and arm massage. The kids always seem to to like having their arms “squeezed”.

118. I love the feeling of touch. In my integrated preschool, I designed a bulletin board for students who have a hard time in the classroom to come out and feel various textures such as sequins, textured felt, bubble wrap and sandpaper.

119. I have to autistic boys, one is a seeker and the other is an avoider, the seeker loves to have his legs and feet sat on and to be bounced around, squeezy hugged to help calm him, and on the contrary the avoider likes to sit quietly next to you while you stroke his hair to calm down

120. I love to use repetitive fine motor tasks (stuffing pompoms through a small hole, stringing beads, rolling putty) while rocking/swinging for calming/organizing and I also love having dance parties on bubble wrap for alerting/stimulating. 🙂

121. I like using animal walks, wheelbarrow walking, and handstands on the wall to get deep pressure, proprioceptive and vestibular input all at the same time.

122. I love using heavy work activities such as scooterboard or wall pushups!!!

123. We use a variety of objects and techniques based on the student. We have used glitter tubes, weighted blankets and balls, lighting techniques (i.e. string lights, star projectors, lamps,) bubble tube, objects of various textures and weights.

124. My son needs a variety of strategies. Sometimes an exercise (jumping jacks, push ups), or sitting upside down. Or in the evening when we are struggling, something that has really helped calm him is getting into the shower, and feeling the water his his head , and noticing it all the way down to his toes.

125. I love to use calming music while the student is on the swing or rolling on the therapy ball.

126. I like to use music, deep pressure, heavy work, or weighted blankets or vests for calming activities. All depends on the patient.

127. We use a pillow fort on our living room couch where he is completely enclosed and he holds his soft blanket, which is my sons most calming item.

128. Most staff in my schools know to modify the environment for lighting, sound and texture. I make sure the student has a textured water bottle with a spout and cold water. Also, calming scent in the room or citrus if they need to be more alert.

129. Sensory lights work the best for us, fibre optic light spray over a big fluff chair, a star projector and a bubble tube in a dark room. Neo Glo fish in a Neo Glo fish tank also works really well.

130. rolling on a fit ball while listening to calming tunes.

131. I like to use low lighting and calming music with a sensory activity like swinging, or a bin of magic sand or calm down bottle.

132. I use a variety of things, but find heavy work, calming music, and EFT “tapping” is effective! I use the tapping technique with whole classrooms! It works!

133. I love to use vibrations for both calming and altering sensory input.

134. Recently got a steam roller and the kids love it! Well lets be honest…I love it too!

135. I like using calming music with heavy work activities such as pulling theraband, animal walks, rubber band crafts, and putty.

136. Best calming tools that I use incorporate heavy work- functional- have kids with loaded backpacks deliver messages around campus. A brisk walk seems to calm/organize.

137. My daughter loves swinging. We used to have a cucoon hammock before we had to move, and it was her favorite place. It was my main defense against loss of focus.

138. I love using putty and GO Noodle brain breaks with my kiddos!
     wakes up their hands and their bodies!

139. I enjoy using sand as a calming tool for therapy!!

140. Swinging is of course a go-to, but unfortunately most of the school districts I work in don’t have a swing or they have a floor based model that doesn’t really provide the input most of my sensory seeking students need. One technique that works amazingly well on most students is rolling a therapy ball over the back of their body while lying prone. Music also works great and for my older students, deep breathing and yoga usually does the trick.

141. My youngest daughter loves to rub my ear to calm down. An when she loves to run and jump when she is full of energy and needs to get it out.
     My oldest loves to make and use calming jars. As well as blowing bubbles.

142. I work primarily with the preschool population. I regularly incorporate mindfulness, deep breathing exercises and yoga poses with calming music; heavy work activities, animal walks and tactile play to aid in self-regulation.

143. Hallway movement path for heavy work, gentle swinging with low lights & no talking, stop and breathe are the strategies I use the most lately

144. I have a sensory box and putty is one of the favorites.

145. One of my favorites sensory calming activity is heavy work/grossmotor including obstacle courses followed by theraputty manipulation and/or crafts while listening to calming music…

146. Sensory bottles in a quiet corner

147. I like heavy work or deep breathing depending on the students needs at that time.

148. I love using “animal yoga” with my little ones!

149. I set up a mindfulness section in my OT room at the school I work at. I have a water fountain and a very large poster that the students use for mindful coloring. I also play mindful, stress relieving music on my computer which students enjoy hearing while coloring and looking at the fountain.

150. Either wall push ups or kinetic sand seem to be my favorite this week.

151. I think swinging tends to be the preferred calm down for a lot of the kids I work with. Many of them also enjoy using the sensory walk and deep pressure from a therapy ball.

152. We love creating a calm space for the kids to come into. Dimmed lights , classical music, and always greet them with a smile Kiddos love our swing too before sessions begin.

153. wall pushups, jumping, and pushing a ball through a resistance tunnel to get input into the joints.

154. My daughter loves jumping on her crash pad and swinging in her net swing. These are our go to’s when we see she is beginning to spiral up.

155. I like using a variety of deep breathing activities. My students really love volcano breath. I also like having them get into a “safe” yoga pose such as Child’s Pose. Sometimes I will play calming music and turn the lights down.

156. I have a bin of squishy toys, light up toys, spinners and cool toys, and they are only used for kids that need some time to calm or refocus.

157. Art/drawing table and theraputty.

158. I like to use Thera-Putty and soft music.

159. I love to ear rubbing, taking a drink of cold water, and 1 minute mindfulness checks for myself!

160. I like to use calming music or lights. We have also used breathing techniques which can help.

161. I like using a combination of different light intensities, combined with active play like trampoline activities and respiration games like blowing bubbles, activating pinwheels via breath, harmonicas, and or other resistive horns.

162. I like having students blow bubbles with various bubble wands. It helps them control their breathing and to focus on something else other than what triggered them.

163. My students enjoy the sensory tubes and theraputty when they need a sensory break. I have a weighted snake that one student uses daily for pressure.

164. I like using animal walks and yoga poses for calming and alerting activities.

165. My son calms down after playing in a rice sensory tub. Calming music and rocking him helps too.

166. My son loves to push carts at stores. He knows the different carts for each store, enjoys organizing them into straight lines, and will push them for deep pressure input.

167. I work in a low resource country, however there is always maize/corn seeds at a fairly affordable prize. I have a plastic inflatable swimming pool that I fill up with maize seeds.I give the kids sensory breaks and let them play in the maize pool. I also play games such as finding items in the pool. The kids love it.

168. Calm music and a hand massage with scented lotion.

169. I make up movement cards for students that they can use when they need a movement break. It can incorporate Brain Break exercises, sensational brain activity cards, movement breaks.

170. As a special education preschool teacher, we use a variety of strategies. Several students love the ball pit, sand and water tables, and kinetic sand.

171. I use heavy boxes in break spaces around my school for heavy work and prop input. I fill a paper supply box with 2-4 reems of paper, decorate the box and label it the Push Box. More often it is the kids that are not on my caseload that I see pushing the box in the hallways.

172. My kids love body socks, too. I put on calm music, turn the lights off, and they snuggle in their socks.

173. I like using heavy work like animal walks, carrying heavy items, wall push ups, etc. I also like lazy 8 breathing and putty or play doh.

174. I love using kinetic sand or theraputty with my preschoolers and kindergartners. One of my students has been seeking dark spaces by hiding under desks and in closets, so the teacher and I found this huge cardboard box and we flipped the box on the side.The student now goes in there to calm down or colors on the outside of the box. Much safer than going under desks and tables!

175. I love using heavy work activities like pulling a friend on the scooter followed by some time in the body sock doing yoga positions!

176. This is a wonderful article! There are so many different great strategies. I find strategies that are very beneficial are strategies that can be implemented anywhere such as weight bearing (planks, yoga poses, animal walks, etc), and deep breathing.

177. A combo of music and a variety of heavy work activities

178. A lot of my students love to have scooter board time, animal walks, etc. I also love to incorporate low lighting with some relaxing yoga poses?

179. I love using 5 deep breaths, to a count of 4, inhale through nose to 4, exhale through mouth to 4. I also love using deep pressure with a therapy ball, we call it rolling out a pizza. The student names all the toppings while I roll Ball with appropriate deep pressure. It can continue anywhere from 2-10 minutes.

180. A calm corner with classical music, a pe pod, soft lights or a walk/ bike ride have Ben effective to help with sensory input. Getting outside into nature as well seems soothing.

181. I find using joint compressions and steam roller massages using a therapy or peanut ball effective for calming.

182. Scooters are a fan favorite. And I love them doing it in prone for upper body strengthening. Win, win.

183. For all sensory based activities, I must be creative and employ those that require little equipment and, oftentimes, little space as I work in several school districts and have no allocated treatment area. Most of my students enjoy obstacles courses using classroom equipment. As part of the obstacle course we run, jump, roll, and spin. We also engage in various types of crawling for added UB/shoulder strengthening and stabilization and proprioceptive input.

184. I like to use heavy work and proprioception activities. Many of my clients choose the platform swing in prone while also engaging in a task with a FM component like a puzzle or rolling a ball back and forth. Animal walks are another favorite sensory activity!

185. I love having them roll up up in a blanket to become a hot dog or taco, while I pat/rub/press in “ingredients”. I can alter my pressure and speed depending on their sensory needs.

186. For kids who have difficulty sitting, I give them a small amount of lotion to rub on their hands. Depending on the child’s sensitivities, smelly lotion is optional.

187. Sensory bins with pinto beans or water beads are another favorite activity which also incorporate visual scanning and fine motor skills.

188. I love the cozy canoe!

189. One of my favorite sensory activities are using the mesh stress balls filled with water beads.

190. We have a large, heavy blue cushion that the kids love to crawl under. I often like to use it as a transition to fine motor activities, and will even have the kids lay under the cushion and work on their bellies.

191. I love using a room with bean bags, pillows and weighted blankets/animals. I love using the steamrolling method when children are on this surface!

192. Our son enjoys his outside Jeep ride in car. He’ll go off the smoother paved drive into the bumpy woods area over & over for a very long while. Going over tree stumps/rocks that send him slightly airborne are his favorite part.

193. I use heavy work, and yoga poses. This swing would be great to have.

194. I like laying prone on a multidirectional platform swing and using upper extremities to propel self around to find puzzle pieces on the floor to complete puzzle.

195. My favorite sensory strategy is scent in a weighted animal

196. I love using heavy work activities and incorporating repetitive tasks. The repetition helps to build focus to activities while calming and centering the brain and body. We also love deep pressure activities like animal walks, steam rollers and ball squishes.

197. I love to use heavy work activities that the kiddos don’t realize are calming. Things like climbing the slide, wheelbarrow walks, prone on scooter board, hugging bolster swing to hang like a sloth, and stomping feet. I weave these in with the alerting activities that my sensory seekers are craving in order to keep a nice balance.

198. Most of my sensory seeking kiddos like to be made into a “cookie” using a sensory rolling pin, weighted blanket, and bean bags for sprinkles. They lay prone on a mat, are rolled out with roller, weighted blanket put on top along with bean bags for sprinkles. Put in oven (light weight bean bag chair), and then eat it up! ( joint compression, deep pressure)

199. My go to calming strategy is to turn down the lights with soft calming music playing in the background while the student watches the fish floating around in the bubble tube.

200. My favorite is the body sock/cocoon. It gives them the opportunity to use those muscles in their own way and for many in sort of privacy.

201. I love wall or seat push ups. It’s a good way to give proprioceptive input at school and helps translations go smoother. It’s a great way to get students “ready to work”.

202. One of my students favorite sensory activity is rolling them on two cylinder mats- kind of like a hotdog or sausage. I have some that find that very calming and some that that will actually work the opposite.

203. I like to using a combo of deep breaths and deep pressure to help students to calm down!

204. I love sensory bins, rice/beans, water beads and fake snow. I can sit at my desk with one hand in the bin while writing notes. My students also love them!

205. A mentor of mine introduced me to the idea of using the neoprene abdominal bands (you know, the ones that will give us “abs of steel” LOL!) to wrap around the outside of upper arms and torso like a hug. I now do this with both children and adults in my office and it is a big hit. I love finding DIY sensory therapies for my families that don’t break the bank!

206. I like slow rocking (like in rocker chairs the students have in their classrooms) for calming. I like that the students have access to it all day.

207. I love making my daughter into a sensory sandwich with a crazy concoction of ingredients to provide deep pressure and distract her mind with silly ideas until she is calm and settled.

208. Deep pressure like joint compressions and progressive muscle relaxation – then teaching students ways to use these strategies on their own, discreetly, in their classroom.

209. I use the giant exercise balls to calm down preschoolers. Lay them on their belly and hold them securely and roll the ball back and forth. It works every time.

210. My students love watching sand timers and the lava lamp to relax thier body and emotions!! I even do it sometimes!

211. My students love a sensory obstacle course that incorporates vestibular and proprioceptive tasks, using the ball pit, body sock, resistive tunnel, swing, incorporating a lazy 8 pattern and animal walks.

212. I always encouraged teachers to allow water bottles at the students desk. Giving the child access to the sensory input of sucking and also ensuing good hydration.

213. I like to combine a heavy work activity, like animal walks, or chair push-ups, with slow breathing shortly after, five-finger-breathing, or rainbow breathing.

214. I find heavy work and deep pressure input to be most calming for my kiddos!

215. Beginning a session with heavy work like wheelbarrow walking provides deep proprioceptive input to get ready for a body scan activity to address feelings and body concerns, then goal oriented activities such as fine motor bilateral hand skills, and visual perception. The swing offered here provides an enclosed feature that really helps to reduce distractions and give a cozy feeling.

216. I love using tunnels with ends on them to allow them a space to calm down, swings, body socks and of course proper lighting and music can make a huge difference! Sometimes I’ll have kids complete their tasks inside the tunnel with flaps on the end so they can focus and avoid distractions.

217. We love animal walks!

218. I like heavy work exercises with deep pressure such as climbing/wheel barrows, or picking up weighed material and putting it in a wagon to pull around (but pretending the weights are supplies we need for a job).

219. I like to have my students complete a sensory walk or obstacle course before and after therapy. I like to include a change in direction, Jumping, crawling, balancing and weighted balls. These can usually be accomplished with or without expensive equipment.

220. I love using cocoon squeezes, wall push ups, and my personal favorite is using animal walks combined with a scavenger hunt.

     Thanks for the opportunity!

221. I love putting my kids on the rocker board and playing games challenging their balance as they cross midline.

222. In the school setting, I find a weighted lap pad and sitting in a bean bag chair to be calming and organizing for some of the children.

223. Calming music and deep breathing exercises.

224. We have fluorescent lights in most of our schools. The teachers that I work with have had good results with the fluorescent light covers/filters in creating a more calming setting for kids.

225. I love to have kids push a therapy ball through a squeeze tunnel. It’s amazing!

226. I love using a mini trampoline as an alerting activity. Some of the students I work with come in moving slowly and feeling tired so we head over to the trampoline for some instant energy.

227. I like to have the smart boars on with calming /focus music on in the background during therapy sessions.

228. I love using deep pressure, jumping on the trampoline, animal walks, chair push-ups, and chewing gum!

229. I usually use squishy toy for my agitated students. And sometimes sensory brush will help as well, the tactile input is a great calming tool!!

230. With my son, we use deep pressure and heavy work a lot. We also have a gorilla gym swing in the house to use. He loves this type of pod swing at his OT times, so It would be great to add it to our collection!

231. I like to hold my little kiddos hands and gently squeeze while deep breathing.

232. I like using therapy putty or slime for a calming activity that also provides good sensory input.

233. Obstacle course and/or animal walks are easy and effective in the school environment.

234. Calming music, animal walks, weighted items are all favorites for me and my students!

235. I keep a bucket of sensory toys in my office for kids. Some favorites are fidges, tangle toys and stress balls. I’d love to add something epic, like this swing, to my options for students.

236. We’re pretty new to this and still figuring out what works. So far I’ve used music and deep breathing to help her reset and calm herself.

237. My students love to start their therapy session with the ball pit, swing, crawling through a tunnel, or rolling prone over a yoga ball.

238. I like to roll my kids in a mat and then use a therapy ball to roll over there bodies for deep pressure/proprioceptive input. We pretend they are a taco, pizza or sandwich and each time the ball is rolled over them we are putting on another “topping”.

239. I like Yoga activities for classroom use and the lycra swing in the therapy room

240. I love calming music and deep breathing together.

241. I love to use aromatherapy scents for calming and activating activities.

242. I love using tactile activities to calm – sand trays, shaving cream, floam, incredifoam, beans, rice, salt, jello, sequin pillows, squishy balls, playdoh…the list goes on and on

243. I like to use heavy work, carrying a heavy book and deep breathing.

244. A weighted lap cushion or stuffed animal can work well for calming and grounding for tabletop activities.

245. My students love the bubble machine with some deep breathing activities. They also enjoy the weighted blanket.

246. rocking in the ball pit while singing a song

247. I love giving Aromatherapy essential oil massages to my daughter with special needs as well as diffusing oils at home. We also really love TAC PAC which we learnt from her school and she has responded so positively to that therapy in order to assist her with developing in other area like speech.

248. I love to use deep breathing techniques paired with poses or exercises.

249. We love yoga and breathing exercises for calming. Deep pressure (hugs) are another tool! Our OT has a swing which is used at each visit and well-loved as well!

250. I usually incorporate heavy work and deep pressure into our sessions depending on what each individual client needs.

251. I work in an inclusion private school and many of our students love using the Lycra swing to help with sensory regulation!

252. My favourite calming tool is heavy work! wheelbarrow walking or lying in prone on the ball anything to weight bear into those big joints!!

253. Heavy work and deep pressure on shoulders.

254. Kinetic sand, play doh, and water beads are a favorite for calming, along with a weighted lap pad. For activating, definitely anything with a scooter board!

255. My students love to utilize the swing equipment in my sensory room. They enjoy a variety of sensory tools such as the trapeze bar, steam roller, trampoline, and crash pad. I have created a sensory room that allows for the students to experience all the senses of the body.

256. I love use weighted blanket or fidget toys

257. Nothing quite like standing upside down to keep one modulated! Especially in motion and additional hands-on sensory support.

258. I love fun, heavy work activities! Animal walks, moving books, and any other creative thing we come up with to use in limited school settings. I also like using brushing and joint compressions throughout the day.

259. I have an old quilt that I will roll students up in and pretend they are a hot dog. They can decide what they want on the hot dog and I do deep pressure (and sound effects) for each condiment. Just be sure and have their head/arms out of the blanket when you roll them up. It can be very calming to kids that are on the edge of a meltdown.

260. I’m a Mom who is exploring some possible outcomes for my daughter who has trouble focusing on reading and writing. The only tip I have, is to visit The OT Toolbox website. I have been printing and laminating and reading and reading some more all in hopes to create a solid plan for a sensory diet for my daughter. All I can say is thank you for being a light in my tunnel that felt endless. This website is a true blessing!

261. I have a variety of students and needs but some favorites include steam roller, crash pad, and toss/catch with a weighted ball.

262. Here’s my top 3:
     Heavy work
     Swinging
     Soft touch massage

263. My child responds extremely well to string instrumentals. It soothes her when she melts down. Also as an anxiety release petting our dogs.

264. My go to for sensory input is deep squeezes down the body. Working in EI this is the easiest to teach parents.

265. I love to combine properioceptive and vestibular input together to help the child maintain a calm/alert state. One of my favorite activities is the hammock or the lycra swing. Kids can get a combination of passive vestibular and properioceptive input (swinging while getting pushed firmly but gently by a therapy ball). Would love to win this swing so I can give it to one of my clients! =)

266. Swinging in the lycra swing with calming music or a gentle light up toy (I like to call this specific toy the “calm down cat”) for the child to hold.

267. For our son, we do “heavy work” as a helper or offer a hug or back rub most of the time.

268. Love using the Galileo vibration platform at a low setting for full body input in standing or sitting on a mat

269. I love to do climbing on the swings and using UE body strength to try to stand up wiggle swinging. Have 3 year old twins and working in pediatrics the use of vestibular and proprioveptive input for calming in crucial in all of my life.

270. I love using essential oils and deep focus music as sensory modulation tools, as well as swings on the playground, but this is not always possible in the winter months.

271. A huge circular bolster standing up vertical. The student and I push HARD back and forth. They have to keep their feet no more than shoulder-width apart & try to remain stable. Works core & upper body. The kiddos love it 🙂

272. I love to use a quiet sensory area for a calming activity; students can choose between laying on a crash pad or bean bag chair, using a weighted blanket or lap pad, having lights on dimly or off, listening to calming music and have deep pressure input to the joints. Sometimes I join them! I’ve even had them fall asleep before- I figure if they do, I’m doing something right!

273. Heavy work followed by a calming fine motor activity.

274. I love using deep pressure, tactile experiences, including massage to arms with soft talking and visuals, especially my non-verbal students. I also use rolling over a ball or theraband activities to have the student provide input to their extremities.

275. I love using calming music, lighting projectors, various breathing techniques, and yoga for self-regulation!

276. My students love using an inflatable peapod for a calming sensory place that gives gentle deep pressure.

277. I love to use my sensory blanket along with some calming light

278. I have a collection of the weighted stuffed animals that are sold this time of year. They’re the ones that can be heated in the microwave or chilled in the freezer. Some of the stuffed animals are also lavender scented. Those are very calming to my students – just the soft outside texture, the reassuring and calming weight and the relaxing scent do the job.

279. For calming activities: Heavy work, soft slow music, dimmed lights, yoga

280. I love music and thera putty play for calming kids

281. Crash pad, animal walks, and wheelbarrow walks!

282. In preschool, before table work, I do a heavy work motor group. The kids love crawling through tunnels, rolling objects or looking for treasures! A peanut ball is also a great tool! Then the teacher has them practice calm breathing and we transition for art.

283. I love to use anything that has to do with bubbles– especially blowing bubbles and sensory tools with bubbles inside.

284. Playdough! Working with toddlers in their homes, it always good to have something that can calm not just them but the adults too. Bonus: parents can make some themselves & always have it on hand while working on fine motor & language skills at the same time.

285. I usually play a game or activity while child is prone on forearms or incorporate prone on scooter board for proprioceptive input and to improve visual attention

286. Lateral swinging with a weighted blanket or Lycra compression swing with calming music

287. I use knitting as a strategy for myself. It is calming and I make gifts for friends and family at the same time.

288. My favorite sensory tool is utilizing the weighted blanket (for me, and my students too!). The proprioception and deep pressure is so calming!

289. I love to use body scans and breathing exercises. But if I have the space handstands/headstands, crab walk, bear walk etc.

290. I love using animal walks and a trampoline. Also, the ball pit is a favorite of the kiddos.

291. I love all of these ideas! After working 20 years in school-based services, finding new ideas can be challenging! This discussion reminded me of some past favorites, as well as the need to not get “stuck” using the sensory tools I prefer! I use a lot of visual sensory tools. I have students who thoroughly enjoy writing with pen lights in a dark room, with soft music playing. This week, when a student entered my room he commented, “this is so relaxing” BINGO!!!

292. I like to use heavy work activities or calming sensory bottles depending on the students needs.

293. My favorite sensory activity is lying prone on a scooter board and having the child utilize BUEs to pick up small weighted bean bags for heavy work. It helps with calming as well as strengthening and the kids love the activity.

294. I love using my sensory bin table. I fill it with beans and hide objects in it… dinosaurs, gems, Dig your arms underneath the beans and get the deep pressure. I also put scissor scoops to work on scissor control while they are playing with the beans .

295. I n a classroom, I like to create a nook where sensory stimuli can be limited. It can be sectioned off corner of the room or a under a table. I place large pillows, books and fidgets in the nook.

296. Painting with washable watercolors 🙂

297. I love obstacle courses and so do my students. They love to create them as well. It is so interesting to see their creative minds flowing while incorporating what has been taught.

298. I use a guided obstacle course that involves crawling, animal walks, visual motor aspects, and listening tasks before seated work.

299. Classical music, touch, both deep pressure and light touch, Both are simple And always available!

300. I like to use a variety of strategies and tools depending on the student and their sensory needs. Sensory sand is my favorite tool to use.

301. My favorite strategies are giving bug bear hugs, quiet linear motion swinging and rolling a therapy ball over their backs in prone “making kid cookies”. It’s amazing watching kiddos calm and be able to complete tasks after!

302. Qigong message
     QRI
     Deep pressure
     Swings
     Trampoline

303. My favorite sensory tool at the moment is a yoga ball. It can be used to bounce off of, roll around. Carry (for heavy work). It’s extremely versatile! And when you live in an apartment with limited space, it’s multi-purpose for parent’s work-outs too!

304. I love to use animal walks, deep pressure, lycra swing, bubbles and calm music to help my students.

305. I love the power of oral motor input to help calm young and older children – plus it often facilitates deep breathing or diaphragmatic breathing if positioned in supine! My favorites are transferring popcorn with a straw, blowing bubbles in a jug through a long piece of a theratubing, and cotton ball races. It’s a great way to get children grounded without feeling like “work”!

306. I love using music personally but I also use it with the kiddos I work with in combination with swinging, heavy work or tactile activity. It’s just an added sensory component to assist with regulation that I feel works wonders!

307. Therapy balls are a great way to increase and/or decrease modulation to prep for seated fine motor activities.

308. Heavy work of any variety is what I find the most calming tool. I have students use chewy tools, carry weighted backpacks, carry lunch bins, push weighted equipment. It is amazing to see them become more regulated as the activity progresses.

309. I love to using breathing exercises and my son loves to be wrapped up like a burrito or made into a sandwich with various pillows and blankets!

310. Calming Music with a darkened room!

311. Finding ways to get the head in an upside down position. It can give a great reset – works for the kiddos and for me 🙂

312. My favorites are floam, putty with items hidden (change out items) and heavy work tasks.

313. Yoga and mindfulness

314. I use my sensory corner with LED light strands, black light and light up cube as a table top work space for putty and other glowing items. I also incorporate developmental and fine motor activities due to the increased attention and focus due to the multi-sensory input.

315. Calming low lights with soothing instrumental music. Lots of different breathing techniques, yoga, lava/glitter jars, heavy work (students stack reams of paper in the staff work room), active walks.

316. The kids love the trampoline! And doing it with a rhythm is even better!

317. I provide ABA home therapy and use a therapeutic brush and calming music to help regulate my students.

318. I use deep breathing exercises with preschoolers in gross motor class. We have a variety of ways to take in and let out deep breaths. It’s calming and good for transitions to new activities.

319. In one of my classrooms, we have built a quite space under the stairs to the loft. It has an egg chair plus soft lights and pillows. The kids love to go in there when they are dysregulated.

320. I like to use calm music, dim lighting and soft seating for a calm down space.

321. I like to incorporate a weighted ball into play activities such as bowling. Kids don’t even realize that they are doing heavy work.

322. Joint Compression. A tool you always have with you. When used appropriately you can often feel the student “melt” right in your hands.

323. We use a countdown timer that my preschoolers can watch. It has a circle that slowly disappears as the time goes by. I would love to have more sensory tools in my classroom for when children need those needs met. It was great reading through the comments!

324. I have 3 classes of severely intellectually disabled students and minimizing the sensory overload is key. Low light, calming music, slow vestibular stim and deep pressure massage always works well to provide a calming atmosphere!

325. Sand bins, water beads, and swinging!

326. I use sensory buckets for calming as well as a vibrating snake!

327. I like to use swings and different kinds of calming music and lava lamps as calming strategies

328. I find that vibration tools work great for calming and reorienting a client. Deep breathing always works well too!

329. I use activities in prone on the scooter board to give the kids heavy muscle work.

330. I turn my child into a taco by rolling her in a blanket. She will often request that I run a hand held massager over her body as we listen to music and breathe.

331. I love to “make a pizza” by rolling a therapy ball over my students for deep pressure. They love to choose the toppings!

332. My favorite way to calm a kiddo is by playing calming music and rolling a therapy ball over them to apply pressure to their whole body. To alert the kiddos, I like to have a dance party!

333. Swinging
     Jumping into crash pit
     Sensory bins
     Scooter board activities

334. I keep the lights down and use soft music or environmental sounds. I also like to start with yoga poses if the space allows.

335. I have the kids lay prone and work on tossing bean bags in a target with gentle linear input.

336. Rain sticks that they make, or water toys such as calming water bottles

337. I have tried a lot of the sensory strategies mentioned above that provide a lot of proprioceptive and vestibular input. Probably the number 1 piece of equipment that my kiddos gravitate toward is the crash pad. They love to crash themselves or loved to be crashed into the crash pad.

338. I love turning out the lights in my room, playing soft and slow music, and guiding a deep breathing exercise for calming!

339. I love using a peanut ball to “steamroll” kiddos; they love the pretend play and the deep pressure is calming!

340. I like using enclosed spaces such as a tent or covered area of a room with string lights above to provide a calm space for kiddos. I also use this at home with my toddler for a reading nook in his bedroom. He loves it!

341. I love sensory bins! So many cool options and can be changed based on season or holiday!

342. My students enjoy soft music along with a tactile input activity (ie dry sensory bin or thera putty activity)

343. My daughter would absolutely LOVE the swing. Calming strategy number ONE! along with toys that have lights and music. Tight squeezing, and sensory bins

344. A calming activity that works on my daughter is sensory play with rice. We’ve worked out a particular way where we’ll embed her palms in the tray while pouring sand from a height down the length of her arm. She loves the sensation of rice sliding off her arms (legs work too). It’s nice and actually rather soothing for me too. Hope we can win the Harkla swing , I know she will love it especially how it would enclose her and keep overwhelming sights and sounds away while the motion sets her on a rhythmic ride to refocus. Pick us, pick us!! 🙂

345. Breathing bottles (glitter bottles), squeezes, 5 senses count down, and we participate in Get Ready to Learn every morning – it helps the students and teachers!

346. I absolutely love Yogarilla! Prop, vestibular, body awareness & coordination, oh my! My kiddos and I especially love the partner poses. It’s a great way to introduce them to the task and build trust & rapport. Swings are fabulous too but I work in schools so sensory swings are hard to come by!

347. We have a sensory walk that our PE teacher created in the gym. Students can walk it forwards, but we found walking it in reverse order makes them really concentrate on some challenging moves.

348. My son loves deep pressure as well as swinging. We’re still trying to figure out consistent strategies that work, but we’re getting there!

349. We love to do morning yoga before the kids walk out the door to the bus stop each morning.

350. We use a lot of brushing and joint compression or pressure vest in the classroom setting or pushing lunch cart or laundry basket full of wet towels for calming.

351. I have definitely seen major benefits after having my clients perform heavy work tasks, especially when they have the opportunity to choose between options.

352. I like to use heavy work and deep touch pressure. For older students I will incorporate activities like resistance band exercises, treadmill, wall pushes, wall sits, different yoga positions.

353. I love using a therapy ball rolled over the client for deep pressure!

354. My students love using the squeeze machine!

355. I love the calming effect soft lights and deep pressure provide. It’s great to use the “Steamroller Squeeze Machine” we have in our OT room. Students can go through independently and at their own pace and I can adjust the level of pressure it provides.

356. Scooter board activities in various positions are fun. Academic games can easily be incorporated for teachers to use too.

357. I have used platform swings in the past which give the kid a chance to do some other activities while on the swing that help with motor planning and visual tracking etc. I would love to experiment with this one.

358. We like to do a Yoga like pose for a little bit to refocus our attention.

359. I love using weighted blankets and weighted “toys” both for myself and my students (in a therapeutic day school). You can’t “overdose” and it is so calming.

360. I team teach and we use sensory sand and fidget toys. WE have small calming corner with a bubble wand. I would love a swing…

361. I work in a rural community in eastern Montana. We do not have many resources out here so we have to be creative! I like pretending the kid is a car in a car wash. I have the kid lay prone on a scooter and roll under the mat, that is set up like a tent. I then steam roll the kid with a foam roller to provide proprioceptive input and pretend we are drying the car. The kids really enjoy this!

362. We like deep pressure hugs and squishes

363. I like to use deep breathing, tapping and self clarity,ing activities for the kiddos.

364. I love using our gym mats at the school, creating structures from them, and letting some kids use them as a crash pad, making an “A frame” type of structure so they can have a few moments of quiet in a tight space, or making a “proprioceptive sandwich!” By piling a couple of mats on their body and lightly pushing down. It allows for great collaboration and education with our PE teachers too! It would be great to have a tool that encourages vestibular input as well!

365. I have quite a few kids that need a quick trampoline break and some that like quiet table activities to organize themselves.

366. I like to use heavy work and Brain Gym activities to begin with, and often add in Bal-A-Vis-X patterns which are totally calming to the entire nervous system when done correctly! My older students especially have really benefitted from Bal-A-Vis-X too!

367. I like using sensory motor scavenger hunts, heavy work activities, scooterboards and sensory bins!

368. I really enjoy doing animal walks with my high energy, sensory seeking patients. It allows for a run way for us to “race” and engage in something active together while providing all sorts of awesome input.

369. Heavy work and joint compressions are my go to!

370. I have found that using magnets for the students to construct objects is a good calming task. This has especially been beneficial with the older students. I also have bean bags where students can sit and engage in various puzzles to help calm.

371. I let them read books, sensory bottle and blowing pretend balloons.

372. My favorite calming activity is this swing! I use it in the clinic with a lot of my kiddos, but I also secretly love to be in there by myself when the clinic is empty!

373. I love to do any heavy work or movement activities like dancing. I also always play fast or slow music depending on what I’m working on and change the lighting as well.

374. I like to use a brushing protocol with joint compressions to calm. Of course, the swing is always a favorite. To calm in the swing, I use slow back and forth swaying movements and to alert I use faster circular movements. It is always important when utilizing a swing to spin both directions equally in order to stimulate both sides of the brain equally.

375. I love heavy work, animal walks through the hallways are an easy way to get it in and tactile tools such as brushing or lotion!

376. I like calming music on when working with kids. For me, having narcolepsy and working in the schools can be a challenge. Fire balls are alerting for me!

377. I let students choose the lighting because many use low light as a preferred calming strategy.

378. I love lowering lights, modeling breathing with deep breath in and slowly going out and then when speaking use a soft voice. and of course linear movement in swing.

379. I think to use calming bottles, one of my boys loves to make tornadoes in them.

380. My son likes squeezing, so we wrap him up like a burrito and lean on him, or cuddle him tightly.

381. The kids love being a “sandwich” in bean bags.

382. I have several kiddos who are loving wheel barrow walks right now! It is so good for calming heavy muscle work and building proximal strength and arches in the hands. I encourage parents to wheel barrow walk with kids at home during transitions like from the bathroom to the dining room table.

383. A lot of the kids I work with love jumping on the trampoline and jumping into the ball pit where we work on deep breathing and taking some time.

384. I love using bubble tubes with our kiddos! They seem to really enjoy them, especially when they are able to change the colors themselves.

385. I love to use yoga and bodyweight exercises, chair push-ups, and wall push-ups for prop input!

386. Ball roll outs via therapy ball while kid lays on their belly. They love being made into a pizza!

387. Scented putty and markers are a fun way to alert the sensory system. Burrito smashes on a crash pad are a great way to provide calming proprioceptive input to the whole body.

388. I love to use the ball pit! My clients love running and jumping into the ball pit and the pressure they receive from the balls surrounding them!

389. I like to use music and a large therapy ball to roll over a child’s body for calming. Rolling the child backwards over a therapy ball is a great alerting activity. Squeezing between bean bag chairs or rolling up in a blanket can be useful. Slow repetitive swinging in a compression swing is also helpful for calming children.

390. My favorite is starting out a session with vestibular input. I choose a swing to match the kid’s needs and how they enter the clinic that day. It supports attention and during the time, I have them recall their day by asking open ended questions. It gives them a moment of mindfulness too as we discuss their arousal state using the Alert Program. I also love bubbles to facilitate deep breathing and slowing their respiratory rate a little (Fubbles are the best for indoor use).

391. I do yoga for both alerting & calming.
     My kids love jump/crash on pillows and cushions for alerting their bodies.

392. I love doing heavy work activities such as animal walks or pushing, pulling objects. Also, visual activities such as lava lamps for calming.

393. We have a “Peace Corner” with a big bean bag chair and a basket of devices: fidgets, a colored oil timer, a snow globe and noise-cancelling headphones, and then also have a “Movement Corner” with a variety of heavy work activities.

394. I use different blends of essential oils they work well and work fast

395. I love making different obstacle courses that incorporate various vestibular and heavy work activities.

396. Weighted blankets for sure! I also make sure everyone is hydrated.

397. I teach a classroom that works a lot with students who have many sensory needs. One of their favourite places to this is to lay in the tunnel with the lights down low.

398. sensory walkway and walls at school. Getting the kids to help create them, for them, made by them!

399. I love playing “knock your therapist over”. I hold up a large firm crash pillow, the kid stands across the room, then they charge at me with full force, trying to knock me over into a pile of pillows behind me. Such a great proprioceptive activity for my sensory seekers! Can be used as a calming or alerting strategy depending on the kiddo!

400. I love incorporating heavy work activities into my recommendations for school. I have a client in First Year Kindergarten who loves that his job is to help the janitor push the big garbage can on wheels when he enters the school after recess.

401. Hand massage for a few minutes can really relax kiddos.

402. I love the use of a weighted blanket. I also love to see how what is calming to one person may be overwhelming to another. Sensory strategies really take into question the whole self and thinking outside the box.

403. I like to use deep pressure and soft lighting.

404. I love using calm down glitter jars, and tactile sensory activities such as slime and play dough. Swinging is also a favourite activity, as well as parent massage, such as making a pizza on the child’s back

405. A quiet room with dimmed lights, a sound machine, and a sensory bin with options to use for each of the senses. I also like to incorporate heavy work ? and movement breaks ?‍♂️ at key times during the day.

406. I love using scented items in my home, especially the bathroom.

407. I love and my students love too to roll back and forth on our backs while holding our knees. It helps stimulate our bodies, gives our backs a little massage, and get us grounded in our bodies.

408. The trampoline is a go to for many of my students to get those extra wiggles out and help get organized before table top tasks!

409. “Crazy Swing” with the platform swing is a great way to wake up the kids and their body and brain. The fast unpredictable movement changes and “shaking them off” is not only fun for the kids but it is a great work out that gets their body ready to learn when they go back to class. My kiddo’s always request crazy swing!!

410. I have grown to appreciate deep breathing and yoga.

411. My favorite calming activities are crawling through Lycra/fabric tunnels and getting “squished” in a big foam wedge – having to fight against the therapist to “escape” or having the kiddos use their whole body to try to trap me under the big foam wedge.

412. I like to use compression vests to help students calm down and the brain gym – hook up pose (I call it the pretzel) with eyes closed and deep breathing. The boys really like the pretzel and reports that they use it at home not just at school.

413. We have a motor lab and a sensory lab. We utilize bubble tubes and lights, proprioceptive and vestibular work. It’s hard to pick a favorite. Personally I like the bubble tubes with changing light colors.

414. Ahh. I may have had an email typo.

415. So many different favorites for different needs! Backpacks with a little weight for transitions, chewelry, yoga, deep breathing, and wiggle seats are all high on the list. My personal favorite is playdough.

416. I love having my students lay prone on a therapy ball and to walk forward and backwards while listening to slow calming music…I also like using different mindfulness and breathing apps and having children really practice how to breathe in order to help them calm down!

417. My favorite way to teach children tonself regulate is with touch. I like to make a circle on the palm of their hand and show them how soothing it is.

418. I love to use sippy bottles and strong mints as quick pick me ups and easy wins through the day!

419. I like scented, weighted sand for a calming therapy tool.

420. Using a diffuser in the classroom with essential oils. Orange, rosemary, thieves oil from Kereru Oils
     particularly good.

421. My students like rolling over a peanut ball, jumping on the trampoline and manipulating theraputty. Some hold a piece of theraputty in their non-dominant hand while they’re doing a challenging task with their right hand such as writing.

422. My favorite calming sensory activity is a body sock.

423. I love using essential oils in a diffuser to calm meltdowns and they allow us to focus on breath!

424. My go to is laying on the floor with legs up the wall or up on a table while doing deep breathing as I say a meditation/visualization.

425. I am a home health OT and my kiddos love when I slowly roll a large therapy ball over their back and legs while they lie face-down on the floor, while calmly singing a song about rolling out pancakes, pizza, cookies, etc. It proves to be a highly effective calming and regulating activity.

426. I have a box of heavy books and they say if it is something they can carry or what they want to remove to be able to carry it to the office and show Mrs. Smith.

427. I love using a squeeze roller with throwing bean bags to a target in full upper extremity weight bearing, an obstacle course and jumping on a trampoline. Another child likes to drum on his abdomen so we play catch with a playground ball during the walk to OT from his classroom.!

428. I enjoy giving the older students school jobs that involve heavy work/carrying/pushing or pulling and movement. These breaks also provide valuable opportunities to contribute to the school environment and numerous opportunities to practice social skills.

429. We have a swing we made for my son, but it broke and would love this for him.

430. I like tossing weighted medicine balls (2#) back and forth for older kids or theraband on the legs of their desk to push with their legs when they are in class!

431. My favorite alerting activity at the moment is having my students utilize the scooter board and Southpaw ramp. They get vestibular input while going down the ramp, and some nice heavy work/proprioception while pulling themselves back up the ramp. Incorporating a puzzle or other fine and visual motor activity with the scooter board and ramp can be lots of fun too!

432. My students like to play with model magic and mix colors together as a calming strategy.

433. When my son is in sensory overload he prefers to go to a quiet area and has his blanket and taggie that he uses to comfort himself with. Often he goes to a corner of the couch or under the loft bed, so a swing like this would be a good option for me to look into!

434. I love using the lycra cloud, it is amazing to assist in either calming or alerting the child. I also try to incorporate a variety of activities for the child to do whilst climbing, whether it be a visual scanning, working memory or a fine motor task.

435. My kiddos like physical experience and mental experience to stimulate five senses in their body and mind. Given a pen, for example and let them physically explore visual sense (its shape, size, color, and etc.), auditory sense (its sound of click), olfactory sense (its smell), tactile sense (cold, hard, or soft) but not taste it^^; then, ask them closed their eyes and mentally explore what they’ve just experienced physical senses.

436. We love bubble mountain! Blowing bubbles in a container of soapy water using a straw. We try to make the bubble mountain as big as you can, then we get to squeeze all the bubbly foam. So fun!

437. I love using sensory bins. They can touch on so many things as well as become a calming activity based on the contents.

438. My class love giving pizza massages.

439. For calming, I really enjoy doing yoga and mindfulness relaxation. I’m often shocked at how well my kiddos respond. I also like using dim lighting, weighted blankets, soft music, and soft vibrations to calm down during meltdowns!

440. I like to start with 5 deep, slow breathes – something that is always available no matter where the student is.

441. I love blowing bubbles. The controlled breathing helps calm down and then we can shift our focus to popping bubbles and not hurting people or destroying property.

442. Each day we spend 10 minutes of mindfulness and meditation after lunch. It is a great option that allows students to have the quiet time they need during the day. During this time, for those that need this option, we provide mindfulness colouring options as the quiet music or dialogue plays in the back ground. The lights are turned off, students find a quiet space to sit or lay and they can close their eyes if they wish. It is a time that students really look forward to, and ask for after lunch as we enter the school.

443. For my pupils its always some physical interaction such as having a physio ball rolled on top of them; wheelbarrow walks; being lifted so that they dangled upside down; exploring dry goods ( eg chickpeas) from a container into a tub from a height. For me personally exploring cornflour in its solid to liquid state is just the best thing ever ?

444. I use music to calm my class and it has the benefit to work on me at the same time. I play it quietly and they are extra quiet so they can hear it.

445. I have animal yoga posters in the relaxation corner in the classroom. Great for breathing and calming.

446. I love to use weighted blankets and items or activities that apply pressure (pressure vest, swim caps).

447. Like many others, my favorites are heavy work activities like animal walks, army crawl, wheelbarrow, and scooter activities. They are great for working on core and UE strengthening and reflex integration too!

448. Heavy tasks are the bomb! I also like to have a student help me out by running an errand, the walking, alone quietly is usually just what is needed to provide a reboot.

449. I have visuals of animals and have students walk like the animal. Crab walks, bunny jumps, frog, lions, tigers, and bears…oh my! Great way to work on so many skills. After participating in fine motor activity at the table, I have each student take 3 deep breathes before they exit the therapy room.

450. I love using calming breaths with aromatherapy and relaxation music with the lights are out.

451. Favorite calming activity- lotion massage

452. I always had a fish tank in my classroom and it worked well. The student would sit in front watching the fish.

453. I love doing yoga and mindfulness exercises with my students.

454. My favourite sensory activity is to make the son sandwich. I place a mat on the living room floor then my son lays down and I take the couch cushions placing them from his back to his feet and gently press down. We talk about all the ingredients you put into a sandwich while he uses his imagination and gets proprioceptive input at the same time. It’s a win/win for both of us as we connect and he self regulates.

455. I am just beginning to learn about the importance of sensory regulation activities and am looking for ideas. the comments above are great and very helpful. I do have lots of cushions and beanbags that are used to give support and a feeling of own space. weighted blankets are helpful too.

456. I like to use several activities such as slow movements while prone on therapy ball to help calm , deep breathing and moving through obstacle courses.

457. We like the calm music and my son does so much better with the sensory swing at occupational therapy. We also find massage works pretty good with him.

458. I love using functional tasks to help with regulation – such as pushing a cart of books, delivering water bottles, putting chairs up or taking them down

459. If children are over excited we love smiling minds, kenetic sand for children who cant sit still and quiet colouring in dim light for over stimulated

460. I like to use mindfulness activities with my students!

461. I love doing themed based yoga and mindfulness activities with my preschoolers. I also see great results with setting up sensory stations for the kids to participate in movement activities.

462. I like using sensory bins and mindfulness activities!

463. I like putting on a calming video with music, turning off the overhead lights, turning on floor lights and putting glass bowls with fairy lights inside (we call these “whisper lights”) on table during snack time. We call this our “fancy restaurant time” and is always the most relaxing time of our day!

464. Wrestling while bouncing on the trampoline is a favourite for my boys, or sitting on their peanut balls and bouncing on the trampoline. The trampoline doesn’t provide enough input, but add wrestling or the peanut ball and they get the right input and it makes them so much happier.

465. I am OT and work in schools, students use a treadmill as an organizing and calming activity as well as love calm music and repeatable patterns to follow to the rhythm.

466. My students like deep massage with scented oils for proprioceptive input and calming.

467. I’ve been trialling sensory sheets instead of weighted blankets. It fits over the mattress like a tube and child gets to sleep under it with constant compression throughout the night!

468. I love using lycra swing with rhythmic patterns to calm any kids I work with in OT.

469. At the moment we’re enjoying jumping, climbing and deep pressure activities.

470. I love incorporating animal walks into an obstacle course! Also jumping into the ball pit and having the kiddos “dig” to find the treasure through different weighted items.

471. I love gross motor movement or movement games to increase alertness with kiddos. I especially like making themes to the movement (such as Autumn movements. For calming, scented homemade play dough, theraputty, or kinetic sand is my personal favorite 🙂

472. Heavy work!

473. Personally, I love to color as a calming strategy! But, for my occupational therapy clients, I swing them in a swing with the lights turned low.

474. My kiddos in OT are much more focused when sitting/ bouncing on a therapy ball while engaging in other activities (ball toss/ handwriting tasks/UE strengthening). It’s great for core strengthening and postural awareness!

475. I love using deep pressure! There’s nothing like a big hug or nice squeeze to limbs for my kiddos! I also love massage as well!

476. Bear hugs! My own child loves to give hugs. He will often hug everyone in the room when he is anxious. His own way of calming.

477. My personal favorite sensory strategy is rubbing/tapping my feet together. It also helps me fall asleep!

478. I love using lots of gross motor activities that give deep pressure like, different animal walks, wheelbarrow walking, etc. The kids love getting up and moving and the deep pressure is calming.

479. Deep pressure activities, such as steam rollers with a therapy ball, or pretend to make pizza, sandwich, etc.

480. Working in the school setting, I use so many different types of sensory supports for our students. We currently using calming rooms with success for some students. It seems to be my new go to! This swing would be a great addition. Please send it our way and thank you!

481. Relaxing music and a safe space we made out of pillows.

482. Animal walks, wall push ups, mindfulness.Soft music. I could go on and on.

483. I love the steam roller! Searching for beanie babies in a pillow pit is awesome, too!

484. My son really likes spinning in any form—In chairs, swings, on playground equipment. He also enjoys falling into things and jumping (safely) into crash pads.

485. I love using bubble tubes and dimming lights with calming YouTube videos. Also, swing outside on the playground.

486. In my classroom we use a mix of pressure vest or weighted animals. The weighted animals are little friends that help us make good choices throughout the day. I also use a variety of blue lights and sounds throughout the day. I love sensory items, they truly do make a difference!

487. We take a sensory break and do different types of walking down our long hallway. The kids stretch out their legs and do big walking, sideways walking, backwards walking, wheel barrow walking, crab walking, big knees up, way down low etc. They love it and then they’re ready for center time!

488. I love the use of a sensory walk in our Elementary building. It’s simple to install, yet fun. Our sensory walk has many different activities such as hopping on one foot, jumping on 2 feet, wall pushups, crab walk, hopscotch like section, jumping Jack’s, wide steps and tiny steps. Sometimes we add addition sensory exercises posted on the wall. This has been a fantastic addition used by many!!

489. Our sensory hub we have in our school! We have lots of different sensory tools the children can use when they feel they need time to reflect and ‘reset’. My favorite is the bike peddles and the choice of calm sounds and music you can choose.

490. I love playing enya in my classroom while my students work. They request it daily to help them focus. We also have a sensory walk in our hallway for students to identify the zone of regulation they are in and a sensory box with slinkies, sensory bottles, squishy/stress balls to help them get back in the green zone.

491. I LOVE any type of sensory balls with water beads or sand/foam, body socks and bear/tight hugs, proprioceptive input while on prone with a peanut ball or yoga ball, and definitely using the swing in a linear motion! Love anything sensory!!

492. I love using a mini trampoline and having the kiddo jump into a giant crash pad! Also just in the way the environment is set up, soft music, calming lights, using a soft slow therapeutic voice, etc.

493. I love heavy work activities with my students. Anything with that proprioceptive input!

494. Mindfulness activities of all kinds. I love incorporating nature- doing a sensory scavenger hunt outdoors is a big hit. And breathing exercises, whether with bubbles or different types of breathing.

495. I recently tried a vibrating pillow with a student. It has really helped provide input during activities to increase her attention!

496. I lead my class through a variety of breathing activities. They especially enjoy using the hobermann ball!

497. Love starting therapy sessions by front loading with sensory organizing activities like linear swinging, Brain Gym cross-crawl, five finger deep breathing and Lazy 8s on the blackboard. ???

498. sensory bins, weighted blankets and swings are our favorites!

499. We like to use sensory bins, calming music, lava lights with the fish and of course swings!

500. Laying under crash pads is my favorite sensory strategy to calm a child down.

501. My favorite sensory strategy is heavy work whether it be pushing or pulling a cart, erasing the white board, or exercises utilizing a weighted ball!

502. I love having the kids lay on a mat table or floor and roll a therapy ball over them to create a deeper pressure for calming effects. You can make it in to a game of rolling out dough or pizza

503. For me I find that a lot of my kids regulate when provided proprioception input. We use items like body socks and compressions or heavy work activities. Works great!

504. Weighted blankets and weighted “lap cats” are my favorite.

505. I love utilizing our sensory pathway as a calming regulation tool. It is filled with heavy work activities such as bear crawl, crab walk, wall push ups, tip toe, jumping, etc!

506. Weighted “lap cats” are a favorite with the kids I work with.

507. We like the noise music and watch the bubbles float or Drop down in the little liquid timers.

508. Swinging is definitely high on my sons list. We are new to this sensory stuff. We got a mini trampoline for our son and use it when his “body feels crazy.” I think the most calming thing for him is kinetic sand or bridseed. He will play in it for a long time. We have sensory bin and these 2 live in our dining room. He plays with one or some times both daily. It’s also helping build his hanx strength.

509. In our home we either use outside play time or our “take apart” bin. Which is a plastic container with old computer equipment or small appliances and some tools. This helps them explore their feelings and gives a creative outlet by either just taking things apart or using the pieces to create works of art.

510. “Honey mess”

     Pretend you have honey all over your arms and you have to get the sticky stuff off! Honey is very very sticky and you have to push really really hard to get it all off. Start with one hand at your neck and rub all the way down your arm to you finger tips. Now do the other side. Keep going on both sides… honey is super sticky and hard to get off. 🙂

511. Depending on the environment I use different techniques for proprioception for calming. In the classroom, sometimes it is simply putting consistent pressure across the shoulders or pushing on the wall, but in the clinic I love having the kids throw and catch weighted balls onto the trampoline angled upwards. They get to do heavy work, while working on eye hand coordination, oculomotor skills, and having fun.

512. I love using yoga, deep breathing techniques, animal walks, linear swinging and rolling with a therapy ball with student in prone

513. Personally, I really like the sensory brushes. They can be over-stimulating for my boys (who prefer anything crashing or balance), but I love them for me.

514. My students respond well to heavy work and deep pressure such as wheelbarrow walking, wall pushes as well as lighting changes and rocking/swinging.

515. I always used star breathing. But I do find those sensory bottles or wands very calming.

516. PROPRIOCEPTION
     1. I am lucky enough to have a 4 layer Lycra swing at one school.
     2- using a homemade or narrow resistance tunnel up a wedge and have students push weighted balles upp through it ( apples to a tree top, ornaments to a Christmas tree, etc. Most love a giant box head of the Very Hungry Caterpillar and food.
     3- one Irecently found and hope to try is light covers- not the blue but astronomy, trees, clouds, etc.

     All sensory activities are my favorite!!!

517. I love deep pressure, for myself and for kiddos when they or I am overstimulated!! It calms me in minutes.

518. I love to have the lights off, weighted blanket Layer out across the kiddo and roll a weighted ball along the body! So calming for myself and just about anyone I’ve used it with! We call it “squishes”

519. Our school has started to create a sensory hallway where kids can jump/touch/and look at a variety of things to calm down and regulate their bodies!

520. Sensory bins, swings, heavy work, and movement activities like hopping/skipping have been my go-to during therapy- especially transitions.

521. Squishy all the way. It really helps to calm my little one and it helps that there are. A lot of cute options

522. I love sensory obstacle courses or any heavy work especially with the order kids I allow them to make the course themselves and will add to it myself if needed. They usually know exactly what then need.

523. I use sensory pathways with different kinds of movement patterns like wall push ups, bear walk and yoga poses. During table top activities I use kinetic sand, flip sequins and water beads.

524. I love using different aromatherapy lotions to help calm myself, my boys and my students. At home, we use lavender just before bed and peppermint when things are starting to get a little heated. I use mint to help students focus at school.

525. Hi!

     I love educating and training paras/teachers how to use our new sensory paths as a calming activity and movement break for all students attending the school. I also like giving students jobs like being the mail carrier to get that proprioceptive input as well as doing something meaningful that they can be proud of and receive positive recognition for! Sensory bins and visual input like balls you shake with glitter are also great for calming while building a positive relationship with kiddos.

     As for alerting, I love being silly and doing animal walks with kids or go noodle songs!

526. Pingback: Therapy Tools Giveaway - The OT Toolbox

527. I love using a combination of vestibular input (therapy ball, office chair spin) followed by heavy work (pushing a tote bin) and deep pressure to help regulate!

528. I have so many favorite sensory calming tools, making it hard to choose just one. I think there are different strategies, tools, activities that work best for each kiddo I work with and that it takes time to figure out what works best. I love deep pressure input, calming twinkle lights, calming/therapeutic music. My clinic has a sensory calming room, but we are in need of different equipment and tools to use. This swing would be perfect for so many – whether it’s used to help with regulation, assist with postural insecurity, or just to provide a sense of autonomy by having an array of swings to choose from!

529. I just saw a great idea for children who are overwhelmed by bright lights and noise in a shopping mall. Cover the trolley with a blanket or even an umbrella and let them sit safely in there. The noise will be minimized and the bright florescent lighting blocked out. Making shopping easier without a sensory meltdown.

530. My daughter loves calming galaxy designed sensory bottles. <3

531. I like to use a bosu. The kids can sit and bounce on it; or if they need movement they can jump on it.
     They can also lay on their stomach on it and reach for different types of objects.

532. We love wall push ups against the liquid tiles, squeezes (deep pressure down shoulders, arms and legs) and going in a ball pit with changing lights.

533. In my class I have a “womb” area. I have a thing black table cloth that hangs over a table all the way to the floor. Once you crawl inside the sounds from outside are muffled and I have put very dull “fairy lights” on their and some super comfy and textured pillows. My kids love it and we have to take turns in it. One at a time and it’s a place of calm, safety. I even had one of my little girls bring her white noise turtle to leave in there. I have had it now for the 3rd year now and it just doesn’t get “old”!

     Love my womb area!

534. My class loves the PeaPods. We call them canoes and use for a lot more than just sensory needs.

535. I love using sensory bins- I often have seasonal ones! I also incorporate seasonal And themed movement/animal walks For prop and heavy work input. I love the breathing visuals and use of Spherical toy to help improve deep breathing

536. I have used the heavy work idea with my preschool children. Usually that is some books in a backpack to deliver to another teacher.

537. After school, my son loves to swing on a playground swing, jump on the trampoline, or put his noise reduction headphones on and bang his drums to “unwind” after a long school day.

538. Using vibration massagers!

539. I have used the projector with underwater sea images plus a variety of projector images with relaxing music. I find this great, as it helps the children relax and calm down. After the session they are ready to go back to class to do some work and helps them listen and control their emotions better. I also use art , games and mindfulness.. deep breathing exercises.

540. Many of the kiddo said in EI love deep pressure/proprioceptive activities, linear swinging, and songs with hand motions.

541. Music helps if we are in the car. If we are at home and he gets frustrated during therapy i let him sit on my lap give him a tight hug and and rock side to side til he calms down. He gets frustrated sometimes trying to learn new things or speech if he cant make the sound. He is nonverbal but he tries to mimic words now. So great improvement but cant wait for him to be able to speak/sign on his own without any prompting.

542. I love making calming ‘forts’ in the clinic, especially for kids that are easily overwhelmed by visual input and overhead lights. I’ve draped mats over side of tables and used fabric tunnels to create a calming area with decreased visual input.

543. Liquid drippers followed by a dip into a ‘headspace’ box to choose a tactile sensory toy, squeezy toys, goo, cloth, stretch toys, beany toy, flashing balls – a treasure box of small sensory calmers the kids (&me) choose to match emotion or need.

544. In our classroom we have a safe space – an enclosed cubby that removes visual stimulation. Our students like to use the space, sometimes with headphones when they feel overwhelmed.

545. We love calm down bottles! Having different ones available (colour, sparkles, small toys, etc.) gives a choice which is great! We also love his compression sheet, it’s the best!

546. My little Poppet loves a big bear hug, and will grab my hands and pull them around her for more, until she feels better. Also loves swings of any kind.

547. My kids in school love lying beside the light up bubble tube and watching the lights as a way to relax! They take a blanket and a comfy pillow and could spent all day in there! It really helps calm them after or during a tough day!

548. I love deep pressure and free-play with homemade play-doh!

549. My favorite tool has to be the therapy ball or peanut ball. So many uses-
     I use it in almost every session.

550. I love using “squishes”, drawing paper and crayons, and books to read. This swing sounds really cool though.

551. One of my ASD students calms down when we roll a gym ball over her back as she lays on her tummy on the floor. Another calms quickly when we slowly spin her on a ‘teacher chair’.

552. I like to use deep pressure and massage as a calming technique for disregulated students. I also let students swing on my arms or spin on a chair. All have proved effective .

553. My students love hand pressure to the head and shoulders, coupled with the feedback from a therapressure brush, or lightness of a gentle scratch on the back or arm. I have a student who loves the swing, but unfortunately it belongs to a colleague. He often has ‘bed hair’ when he gets out, but is relaxed.

554. In our Kindy classroom I have set up a retreat area. It contains a variety of resources but the one the children love the most is the Ikea Egg chair in which they can close over the front of them and take a break from the outside pressures.

555. My kids love a body sock and calm down jars. I personally love a weighted blanket!

556. My daughter is not so much a weighted blanket compression type, tried and tested. I don’t have much calming tools to use from other than essential oils, and head stands. 🙂

557. I love this idea!!

558. In our home the swing is essential, but also deep compression through bear hugs.

559. I love using heavy work tasks, weighted lap pads/vests, and Brain Gym exercises. We also recently received a grant to implement sensory pathways around our school in order to reach a wider-range of students. Very excited!!

560. My son responds well to deep pressure, heavy work, and physical activity.

561. My son does well with heavy work and deep pressure to help calm his body down.

562. I like using sensory bins, heavy work activities and deep pressure. Everyone loves the bins and my older kiddos enjoy the heavy work.

563. Deep pressure, classical music and hiding in a calm quiet place.

564. We have a sand tray that the kids like to go to, they love moving the sand around with their hands or using a sieve or funnel and watch the sand flow through

565. Wow, so many great ideas! Thanks for sharing everyone.
     I like to play the description distraction game. Sit in different places and describe what you can feel, see and hear in that place. Take a drink and describe the taste. etc. It allows the mind to change topic and distracts from adverse anxiety.

566. Headphones with the sound of a storm in a dark place.

567. I love using gym balls with my clients! You can roll over them on prone, bounce on them, have them rolled over you and so much more! They provide calming and alerting sensory input which is easily transferable to the home and school environments.

568. Deep pressure through hugs or massage!

569. I work as an OT in home based Early Intervention, so one of my favorite calming activities to share with families is blanket swinging. Most families can’t afford or don’t have a place for a therapy swing in their homes but most do have a blanket, 2 hands and a song to sing! We do this together and then the parents can repeat it throughout the child’s day both to allow calming and organization as well as to motivate communication when the child asks for more or goes to pull the blanket back out. However, this gets difficult as these kiddos grow! I would LOVE to be able to donate a swing to one of my families to use in their home. Such a great tool!

570. A nice long hug!! Not used often enough.

571. I also love sensory bins!

572. Deep pressure using a swing with compression has made a world of difference for some of my students. For those that don’t have a swing at school, the body sock or “flying squirrel suit” has also helped a lot.

573. I use a special delivery bin with a load of books for students who need a walk with heavy work. It is decorated and goes between two rooms.

574. I love using the body sock to begin sessions to increase the child’s awareness of his body while providing calming input . Sometimes we play simon says or head, shoulders, knees and toes while the child is inside!

575. I love doing heavy work in the form of an obstacle course. If able the child is able to help me design it and by the time they complete the course they are regulated without realizing they did any work due to having fun. I also love sensory bins with different textures, swinging, and jumping on the trampoline.

576. My favorites are to use a telephone book to get them to tear out the pages, pressed it into the ball and to try to throw it in a box / dustbin, therapeutic music, grounding exercise (5 things you see, 4 things you hear, 3 things you feel, 2 things you smell and 1 thing you taste)

577. Bean bag and weighted blanket are what my son loves for calming.

578. At home we use kinetic sand and weighted blankets. At school we like to use the shake table and swing.

579. I really enjoy using hands on activities like playdoh, living sand, slime etc…. Different scents or temperatures can be either altering or calming depending!

580. I love using a quiet room with only string lights and either a sensory bottle or tactile bin like sand or rice to create a soothing sensory environment!

581. I love proprioceptive work. One easy tool is therapy putty for all the pushing, pulling and poking. Plus it is a good preparation for fine motor tasks.

582. My daughter actually responds really well to swings. We have 3 different swings outside, but one for inside would be great.

583. I love to use vestibular (gym) balls for all sorts of needs whether vestibular or proprioceptive. My kids love them!

584. WE use gross motor activities to calm our sensory seekers! JUMPING, swinging, spinning, as well as squeeze some and deep breaths.

585. we love to use our small blackout tent with little fibre optic lamp and a big heavy blanket to help the children relax and have a breather from the busy classroom. They love it!

586. Brain Gym Movements have been very useful to my students and to myself too, as I do them in the same time they do theirs! I make sure the classroom door is closed (to escape noise from the halls) and the lights are dimmed.

587. I have a proprioceptive seeker and a vestibular seeker. I love watching them use the same tools in differing way to get their input.

     Favorites are
     trampolines – for bouncing, but also for coordination and resistance
     Scooter board – for spinning or for heavy works pulling the body across the room with either hands or feet only.
     Body socks of differing sizes for resistance and input

588. Some of our favorites were scooter board races on our tummies, helping with “heavy lifting,” digging in tough dirt, and as he got older, he loved climbing up and onto a 4’ platform and then jumping off it onto a big crash pad.

589. My autistic learners love bubbles,water play and bouncing or rolling on the trampoline or therapy ball.

590. I love to use wheelbarrow walks and deep breathing.

591. We love using Mad Mattr as a calming therapy tool for a quiet time, a homemade lycra swing indoors for touch free squishes and, on a really good day, our ninja line with a net between the top and bottom lines creates a place to bounce while engaging arm, core, and leg muscles (lots of heavy work along with proprioceptive input and seems less likely to dysregulate him than the trampoline alone). And swinging like a monkey from an indoor swing rope to crash into a crash pad has long been a favorite!

592. Many of my students enjoy using a weighted blanket while listening to a story as a calming technique.

593. My little girl, almost 4 years old has allways enjoyed swinging. Since she was a baby it has calmed her through sickness, frustration and after a long day at school. It is still her favourite activity.

594. My kids love going through the tunnel and being rolled on by a vestiball. I also incorporate mindfulness technique and deep breathing as a calming strategy. Yoga, exercise routines, and animal walks are also some of my go to activities.

595. I love incorporating the swing into a sensory motor obstacle course or having kiddos lie in the swing in prone to gather puzzle pieces and to assemble a puzzle.

596. I love this type of swing because the child can get movement while the enclosure allows for other sensory input to be reduced so that the student”s brain can focus on one form of input, that being vestibular

597. Environmental modification including dimmed lights, natural lighting, a calm/peace corner and teaching the students HOW to use these items

598. My go-to’s are vibration, low lights/mood lights and deep breathing exercises.

599. Heavy work is my go to! Jet mobile scooter board or your classic wheelbarrow or bear crawl 🙂

600. Currently a new grad so still building my toolbox but I love incorporating Orbeez or the cocoon swing for my kiddos 🙂

601. Lycra swing is calming and organizing

602. I love turning the lights out and using a flashlight and shadows to decrease external stimuli to my easily over-aroused kiddos.

603. I have recently made several glitter bottles to use calming tools for my students.

604. We use a tent in a quiet darkened room. We encourage our son to meditate by being quiet and having alone time. We use the zones of regulation and encourage him to self advocate when he feels like he needs a break.

605. I have a ball pit in my sensory room that my students love to use.

606. We use weighted blankets, bear hugs, deep pressure massages with my son. We are still trying to figure out what works.

607. I love a weighted blanket for me. It is my favorite.

608. I like to utilize the swinging and some calming/soft music with some of my kiddos who’ve experienced trauma to encourage regulation. Slow rocking especially is one of my favorites to help with when fight or flight kicks in.

609. I like to use different art mediums as sensory up-or down-regulators. Markers drawing lines can be very calming for some because it is a more cognitive task, while playing with wet clay is a more intensely tactile experience that can be too much for some but just right for others.

610. Lavender scents

611. Our school is just starting to adapt to sensory needs. We offer some weighted lap blankets and figit toys, but are needing to make bigger changes. The swing would be fabulous for our little school!

612. I love to use blowing activities, favorite is using a straw in bubble solution and water. So many possible variations for scent, color to add to keep it novel for kids. Not to mention so many things to blow, work on force, deep breathing for variable weights of pom poms, paper airplanes, straw rocket forms, etc. We work on deep breaths, coordination. It focuses, calms and keeps kids engaged. We can even practice alerting/calming with bubble play using touch, races and more!

613. I love fresh scents like Pine, Fir and Cedar. when I feel cooped up inside at work or at home I dab a little mix of these on a cotton ball and go back to work. They’re not food scents and they’re not floral either, and it clears my head to smell the outdoors. I also love water beads for something to plunge my hands into to take a break from crafting or cleaning.

614. Animal walks for alerting, soft music for calming ??

615. I most often use deep pressure (squeezes, squishes) or a hammock swing that I have available to me at one of my schools.

616. I love to use crash mats to give squishes as a calming strategy and also using the squeeze machine. So many of the kiddos I work with love the squeeze machine.

617. I love using a weighted blanket and deep pressure to help with sensory regulation. The children enjoy using a calming tent with coloured lights to regulate their body and get them ready to learn.

618. I love the jump and crash. Jump on trampolinne 10x then crash onto cushions, then deep squeezes with bean bag.

619. We have a small room that is equipped with a bubble tube, rope lights and lava lamps. This has worked wonders to help calm some our children who are struggling to be in the school environment. To increase the level of alertness swinging on a trapeze bar and crashing into a large homemade crash pad is my go to activity.

620. I really love the Astronaut Training Protocol. I have seen it work with so many different children with a wide variety of diagnoses. It works on the vestibular, auditory, and visual systems all at one time. I have loved getting trained and now implementing this with my kiddos at the clinic.

621. My students enjoy “balloon breathing” as a calm down tool. We blow up an imaginary balloon until it is nice and big, hold it and show each other how big our balloons are, and then let them out (with fun balloon noises and hand motions to go with it)!

622. I work with children who have autism and many of the kiddos need a sensory break throughout the day. My favorite activity is to provide deep, proprioceptive squeezes and see the kids faces light up with laughter. It’s a fun activity that a lot of kids enjoy.

623. I love to play bumper cars and bounce the swing with a therapy ball or cushion.

624. I love tactile activities for calming, especially shaving cream, pudding, sand, anything for messy play

625. I like using therapy balls for sensory input. You can do so much with it, engage the core during sitting, have the child bounce on it, have the child prone and weight bearing or doing an arm walk forward and back, use it to provide deep pressure to the child… The possibilities are endless!

626. I love using sensory bins with a variety of items; dry pasta with spoons, bowls; “snow” made with hair conditioner and baking soda with small toys to bury and dig out; shaving cream with small items to search for.

627. I love to use rolling child over a therapy ball and the rolling ball over child for calming.

628. My go to is rolling a yoga ball over a students back- great relaxing + deep pressure input!

629. The best way to calm my daughter down is to sing to her. No matter how upset she is, once I start singing to her she calms right down and soon starts singing herself.

630. I love using deep pressure with therapy ball or games to calm and increase attention to tasks.

631. I love using the platform swing in different ways to engage children such as swinging while throwing bean bags into a target or lying prone on the swing to do some activities. It’s fun and it provides vestibular input!

632. I frequently use linear vestibular input on the platform or bolster swing for calming. I also like to have kids find and hide “treaure” in theraputty

633. I enjoy using lights and relaxing music to self-regulate.

634. I like a bubble bath for calming sensory input. I enjoy it myself but love to use this when my kids are really wild and need some calming before bed.

635. I have found that my kiddos respond to deep squeezes during stressful language activities. Sometimes we use rolling balls across arms and legs, or we will swing them in a blanket.

636. I use calming music, stressballs, and movement (stand on one leg, put your hands on your head, knees … I work with classes of 34 to 36 grade 4 children. I also have 2 beautiful grandchildren, of which the eldest is now 4 years old and sometimes act out when frustrated. I think the swing would word wonders for him.

637. Actually it depends. I personally like many different techniques but the one i find most effective for my son would be the swing or ball pit to calm himself especially when he is a very hyper mode. Deep squeezing technique also work wonders and promotes bonding too.

638. My friend uses trampoline bouncing for her little one it’s so effective.

639. Play dough! To calm my 3 year old when he is overtired and keeps getting frustrated. Playing with play dough and giving him a variety of loose parts keeps him calm and occupied.

640. We love using the sensory bin we put coloured rice in there with loads of different things for them to feel and touch

641. To calm our daughter we use magnesium oil and deep pressure or massage, often whilst reading to her. She calms so fast and loves the sensation.

642. I like to use breathing, visualization and “grounding”, walks, bubbles, rain sticks and water bottles, prone activities and deep pressure. It’s not one strategy fits all, so good to have a variety.

643. My son loves using a weighted blanket to help him calm down

644. My daughter loves twirling her pencil or a hair tie with bubbles. She also loves to colour

645. My favorite for school kids is to massage down either side of the spine with deep, even, and steady pressure!
     Thanks for giving away such great prizes!

646. Yoga is my go-to calming activity for my students AND myself! Childs pose is grounding, creates a safe feeling, and is calming. Inversion, like downward dog, also works well. Lots of moves from kundalini yoga give strong vestibular input also.

647. My favorite proprioceptive sensory activity is the body sock!! I have the students stretch out and flap their “wings” like a bird, play Simon says while in the body sock, have them sit and “row their boat”.

648. I like to use calming music while completing the motor/sensory walk in the hallway. The walk is set up in a way that animal walks can be incorporated into it if extra input is needed.

649. My son likes the wheelbarrow walking and preschool yoga. We take walks away from overwhelming stimuli to regroup and rejoin.

650. My favorite calming activity is to incorporate deep breathing using a Hoberman ball to provide visualization for inhales and exhales. If they are the big ones the kids can actually be inside the ball while it expands and contracts.

651. Calm down – area in the classroom with a bean bag, visual of breathing/counting, fidgets to help re-regulate.

652. I like to use different smells to help children either aleet or calm.

653. I love doing obstacle courses that incorporates animal walks, the rock wall, swing, the tunnel, scooter board, etc.

654. I love using deep pressure and calming music!!

655. I like to use different smells to help children either aleet or calm.

656. Swings are great for sensory regulation…not just calming; but alerting as well. For calming, slow rhythmic movements in a room with lights dimmed can help calm and relax. For alerting, quick movements with starts/stops and directional changes, on tummy in swing- reaching to retrieve objects then throwing to a target.

657. We have a bubble lamp that has fish and a little bobbing submarine in it that the kiddos love. My absolute favorite is the brushing technique, it is an instant wave of calm over a kiddo.

658. At our school, we love using the Sensory Path we created. It is full of heavy work activities. We would really like to have a swing to add to our walk area.

659. We turned our undercover area into an outdoor sensory area and purchased swings for our students to use throughout the school day. We purchased a pod swing and a platform swing. The pod swing offers propreoceptive input and pressure during movement whilst the platform swing is large enough for students to lay on with a comfy cushion whilst getting the rhythmic forward and backward movement. Some students benefit from listening to calming sounds through headphones whilst on the swing. Staff have collected data to compare student behaviour before and after the implementation of the swing as a sensory break. The results indicate that students who accessed the swing had a decrease in behaviour incidents and were generally more regulated and therefore were able to engage in learning activities. We are now looking to extend our sensory area and would love the addition of a new swing. Thank you and good luck everyone ?

660. I absolutely LOVE deep pressure! It is super grounding and I have had a lot of success with it in my personal life as well as with the students I work with on my Level 2 Fieldwork Experience.

661. I really enjoy incorporating heavy work activities, sensory bins, jumping on trampoline and swings for sensory input!

662. When I don’t have access to a swing, I use my rolling chair to provide rhythmic, predictable vestibular input paired with music with simple beats/bass (i.e. heartbeat sounds, drums, low instrumentation) for a child exhibiting high arousal levels and arrythmic, unpredictable vestibular input paired with polyrhythmic music (i.e. happy jazz for preschoolers) for a child exhibiting low arousal levels.

663. Most of my kiddo’s love SM obstacle courses and incorporating a swing into them any chance they get.

664. I love teaching and empowering my student on “what does your body need”. When instructed at an early age, you are equipping the child/student to learn self regulation strategies that allow for new adventures.

665. I love doing sensory motor obstacle courses catered to the kiddos specific sensory needs

666. I love using lycra swings for calming and “bulldozer” with the therapy ball for calming input.

667. I use sensory bins, soft music, calming jars and movement exercises.

668. Using a few yards of lycra as a blanket swing is a favorite calming activity. Also love blowing bubbles in water or soapy water for nice big breaths

669. I love sensory bins too!!

670. I work with students in 3rd-6th grade and the most common calming tool we use is music. Teachers can play it for the whole class, it can be listened to while doing independent work or used for transitions. Kids love to be able to make their own “calming music play list.” Many times we pair their playlist with the swinging.

671. I find deep pressure such as big bear hugs or weighted blankets help my children calm. They also love watching water timers and fidget toys such as squishy balls help them relax.

672. Lycra swings and crash pits!

673. Love anything weighted and sensory paths with animal walks

674. I work in early intervention and I suggest helping mom to do housework. Vacuuming, mopping, putting wet laundry in the dryer, carrying groceries in and putting them away, etc.

675. Breathing can be done anywhere so that’s my first go-to, a rainstick or rocking in a chair

676. I love animal walks that provide proprioceptive input! From there, deep breathing exercises are my go-to!

677. I like to use animal walks activity to get my kids ready to learn. Also, I use yoga cards to encourage and teach self-regulation.

678. In my classroom, bear walks are a lifesaver. When Kids are calmer, we use mindfulness technique of breathing. The pre-k kids sit with legs in a pretzel, and pretend they have a pizza on their lap. They breathe in to “smell the pizza,” and breathe out to “cool the pizza.” We breathe in for four, and out for four; we add counting of the breaths as they get good at the technique.

679. I love Using our acrobat swing (rainbow swing) and having the kiddos climb through the different layers. Sometimes we make it more challenging for them and put it on more of an incline to give them lots of full body input!!

680. As simple, and low tech as it sounds, bean bags chairs are my go to for the classroom!

681. I love swings for calming, and providing vestibular input for some of my seeking friends! I love this swing, we actually have one at one of our schools, I would love another for a different school!
     Thank you!

682. My favorite go to is on the move joint compression. Working in the public school kids are always transitioning to a different place and not so successfully all of the time. Using hands on joint compression or resistance is portable and requires no equipment and all teachers and school personnel benefit from watching the techniques being applied when and where the child needs the input.

683. We use volcano breathes right now as we are building up sensory items. He holds his hands almost in pray in front of his chest then blows out and raises his hands like a volcano. It is such a great way to regulate without needing any objects.

684. I absolutely love these swings. I get the most use out of the one we have at school when my students are extremely escalated. I can suggest the swing, the reply (regardless to how escalated they are) is always yes. We can spend as little as 30 seconds in the swing and my students mood change. We come back to a regulated place to reason and have a conversation. These swings are a god-send.

685. I love using wrapping and singing or calm music to calm young kids down

686. I love calm sensory hugs around the shoulders and grounding pressing lightly on the shoulders for a few seconds with a shoulder squeeze.

687. How do I pick just 1?!!? I love rhythmic movements or deep pressure (making a taco, sandwich, cookie – whatever my students are into!).

688. Fluffy blankets and glitter squish balls do wonders. We also have a sensory bin 🙂

689. I love to use swings to start off a session to help my students self-regulate and to increase their attention. Hope to win!!!

690. I love using sensory bins.

691. For lack of a designated OT room, I use the school’s playground. Army crawl up a slide, rope climbing, swinging upside-down from the monkey bars, animal crawls through a rope tunnel are favorites amongst my students. Also, proprioception and deep pressure from an exercise ball ‘steam roller’. For some, a game of “Twister’ does wonders!

692. This school year I have added my homemade version of sensory pathways in several of our schools hallways! The kids love the wall push-ups, hop-scotch, planet jumps, and lazy eight foot path! We also add in animal walks and the kids are giggling!

693. I love using deep pressure propreoception with weighted vests, taco presses or heavy work activities, like chair push ups, bear crawls, crab walks, wheelbarrow walks, trampoline bounce etc.

694. I love to create sensory bags and incorporate a theme that the patient is interested in.

695. Low lights and calming music are effective.

696. I work as a school-based OT serving Pre-K-4th grade. I have so many students that struggle with sensory modulation and sensory regulation that prevents them from functioning well in the general education classroom. Often times, these kids are seen as “bad” behavioral problems and Instead of trying to get to the root of the problem they are punished. I would love to use this swing for my sensory seekers to provide proprioception/deep pressure input promoting a more calm appropriate arousal level so they can participate in the school environment!!

697. The pretzel ( crossing ones arms while applying compression) is one of my go to therapy tools for self regulation and calming. It works with 2 year olds to 15 year olds.

698. I love crash pads! So many ways to use them and I can find something for any kiddo.

699. I have a pretend birthday cake with candles on it when my preschool students are getting anxious or frustrated I tell them to go blow the candles out on the cake and they will go over to the little sensory area/ calm down corner and do deep breathing to blow out the candles on the cake. I actually had one student who had a ton of meltdowns every day and honestly has maybe one a week now from doing this deep breathing when he’s frustrated. I also have a disc swing in my classroom always wanted to swallow that snuggles them up and have not been able to afford it!

700. Recently used shaving cream for an art project. In the past I’ve seen it as calming sensory input. What was interesting about the group I did this with was that it was calming for one student but alerting for another. Just reminds me that every kid is unique and may respond differently than originally anticipated.

701. I love to play music and dance with my son or mu students. They love Ol’ Town Road and any song that gets their groove on the move. My son loves loves to be squished by the couch cushions and cooking gets him cutting, chopping and stirring.

702. I am a fan (because a lot of my kiddos are) of brushing and joint compressions. Especially if we can incorporate some soft music!

703. I love the weighted blanket. I made one for my daughter to help her calm her anxiety.

704. I love using a weight blanket. I made one for my daughter to help her calm her anxiety.

705. A large scooterboard for calming organizing vestibular input being pulled by a therapist or parent!

706. I like to use heavy deep pressure work. My students love when we make “hamburgers” or “hotdogs” using a therapy ball. I have them lay on a mat while I slowly roll the ball over their body with pressure as they list all the ingredients.

707. One of my new favourite activities is tyre swing ‘taming’. One of the kiddos I see likes to pretend he’s taming (or sometimes simply clinging on to) Toothless the Dragon with giggles galore! A more calming favourite has to be peanut ball squishes though.

708. Of course my go to strategy is individualized to each of my students, but I love recommending Setting up a little quiet space to parents- in the child’s closet, a quiet corner , etc. it can be really powerful for a child to be able to chose when to get away from chaos !

709. I use a therapy ball and roll it on the back of the student. We make a “sandwich”, rolling the ball back and forth to give the child deep pressure.

710. Deep pressure massage using peanut ball, rocking chair and trampoline

711. A sound App played on an audio device to hear all sorts of calming sounds is perfect for my kids. Hearing the ocean waves, trickling waterfall, forest creatures, birds chirping and constant rain is so peaceful and relaxing any time of the day

712. My favorite calming or alerting sensory activity is any activity with the suspended lycra.

713. pressure, asking for a hug and sand (hard to type with sleeping baby)

714. Sensory bins are a favourite for me…I love how the contents can be easily swapped around to suit the individual.

715. Aside from the proprioceptive and vestibular input mentioned, I have been using ice therapy as a calming strategy (recommended by my supervising OTR). We freeze beads and other small objects in water. When client becomes dysregulated, I bring out an ice cube tray and have them attempt to extract the cubes. We then rub them on our palms/tops of hands. Attempts to remove the small objects frozen in ice provides more sensory exploration. Caregivers have reported that at home, clients eating ice cubes provide regulation.

716. Sensory bins, weighted blanket, trampoline and crash pad

717. My favorite sensory thing is super cheap and simple. We call them our gel bags, a ziplock filled with hair gel, food coloring and glitter optional. Duct Tape to seal it closed. It feels great, can just smoothe it back and forth or draw or write on it too.

718. I like doing yoga poses and movement to creat calmness within.

719. Calming music and calming exercise.

720. Love all these suggestions!!! We use “stomping jumps” a lot when things are getting a little overwhelming. To try and get that deep pressure. We also use wall pushes – to try and push over a brick wall and star jumps. Alternatively if they need more calming – removing from situation and letting them choose music on Spotify 🙂

721. Joint compressions work as a calming charm. I also use ropes and elastics to stimulate a push/pull response and challenge the kids to reach objects while being provided resistance. Resilience starts early!

722. I love love LOVE playing with water beads in a sensory bin. Such a soothing activity.

723. Growth mindset & perseverance. Tasked to move from swinging on her back in the Lycra swing into a standing position. My daughter really got upset and nearly gave up. She loves the calming Lycra swinging but the praxis & strength elements of this task felt too tricky, too alerting. But she kept trying & she eventually achieved it. Afterwards she was so happy and it lasted all day through school it had such a great impact on her wellbeing. We love the Lycra swing!

724. My student loves to use a therapy body sock. He curls up in it, then slowly opens up his body, holds the pose for 5 seconds, then curls back into a ball. He calls this exercise a “splat.”

725. I love using toys with vibration such as a handheld massager! The kids who crave tactile sensation love to give themselves a massage and it also helps with arousal as well as helping to provide proprioceptive input if pressed hard enough to the joints!

726. I love reading through all of these strategies in the comments! My son’s favorite calm down techniques are to chew gum and to be in his sensory sack!

727. I like heavy work activities such as pushing weighted objects or hauling weighted objects. Obstacle courses, trampolines, balanced with dark and quiet times throughout the day.

728. calming music, nature sounds, dim room with lava lamp

729. Deep breathing by tracing their hand (up the fingers for inhale, down the fingers for exhale). Bi-lateral taping on their legs or butterfly hug taps.

730. My calming corner has a small water fountain that creates a soothing sound for my students when they are dysregulated.

731. It seems there are a majority of children on my caseload that are oral seekers, so I’m always recommending the green textured chewy tube with the chubuddy lanyard.

732. I love placing pictures of movement exercises such as wall pushups, wall sit, burpees etc outside of the classroom for students to do for movement breaks.

733. I love to use quiet music and weighted balls or yoga to modulate the kiddos I work with. Sometimes with a swing and then the yoga or weighted balls.

734. I love anything with deep pressure, weighted lap pads, weighted blankets etc.

735. My kids love bouncing on an exercise ball!

736. My favorite strategy to use for students to calm their minds or bodies is music.

737. I like to use strategies that are always available in the school setting such as wall push-ups, animal crawls and hugging self.

738. I love having my kids crawl on all fours through an elastic tunnel! Provides great deep pressure. They also love being made into sensory burritos on the mats!

739. I like massages to help my kids

740. I like to use Yogarilla poses and kids love them as well!

741. I love these too but don’t currently have access to a swing, so the giveaway is very appealing!

742. Blowing bubbles helps my oral seekers.

743. My favorite calming methods are weight and music.

744. One of my go to sensory regulation activities is using swings, compression tunnels and scooterboards for proprioceptive input, paired with puzzles or matching activity.

745. The trampoline is our favorite way.

746. Tactile bins, heavy work, animal walks

747. We love to bounce on a ball and love standing and twirling for alerting sensory activity. We incorporate the twirling into our dancing and makes it fun with the music. We so hope to win this swing she still falls off the bed or couch at 3 years old she just doesn’t realize where she is in relation to the floor. Thanks and Merry Christmas you all are AMAZING! ?❤️

748. I use a diffuser with essential oils and yoga for the whole class. I have one student I successfully use deep pressure on.

749. I have used various swings with my clients. I especially like using a platform swing with the child in prone to promote them performing heavy work with either a bilateral coordination or strengthening component.

750. I love using music, lights and sensory bins. Some of our school sensory/motor rooms have a trampoline, scooter boards, crash pads and rocking chairs as well.
     This swing would be a great addition to one of those rooms!

751. My students love our platform swing! A lycra one like this would be awesome!

752. I love using cozy spots- bean bag chairs are great!

753. My favorite sensory toy is the yoga ball

754. My favorite calming activity for my students is slow rocking laying prone on a large therapy ball

755. I find tweezers activities with small objects like popcorn seeds really calms my kids down

756. I like to have my kids push a basket around to try to find and collect all the hidden wrist weights. I also love to use swings in a variety of ways as alerting and calming tools.

757. I love using hand massage and storytelling to calm children.

758. My son responds well to a big hug and my calmness to help him calm down. Having some place to go like this swing that wraps around him I think would be a great place for him to learn to regulate his emotions/ calm himself down.

759. Sensory Bin with beans and collecting items from the bin

760. My students respond well to quiet music with deep breathing and tactile feedback of squishy balls or self hugs

761. I love to use wheelbarrow walking for heavy work and proprioceptive input before we do any fine motor tasks. It can be sped up or slowed down to both energize or calm and I always have just the tools I need with me! ?

762. Fidgets! I don’t think I do anything without something in my hands to fidget with 🙂

763. Using upper extremities to propel a scooter board in prone position to complete a simple puzzle or ring toss activity.

764. My favorite sensory calming item is shaving cream or any tactile play- It helps the kids slow down and we get to do a variety of things with it.

765. I love doing “squishes” and “rolling out coookie dough” on kids’ backs with a therapy ball while they lay on their tummies. So relaxing for so many kiddos!

766. Sensory motor obstacle courses!

767. I love to use glitter bottles with kids paired with deep breathing exercises. I also like to make them with different shaped beads. I make a list with some of my students of what the different beads symbolize so they can think of that when they see that shape. This might be a positive mantra or affirmation, or a calming strategy.

768. My most favorite activity and the most productive that I’ve found is using the therapy ball with the child in prone. They put both hands on the floor and “walk” them back and forth. Some times I’ll have them pick up balls and throw them. This provides so much input for writing!

769. My kiddo really likes swinging while listening to music in headphones. It really helps her calm down and block out stressful stimuli.

770. Lately we’ve been experimenting with essential oils. They don’t work during a meltdown but they seem to help with a calming pre-anxiety routine, stopping for a deep breath (or 5) and inhaling. My son loves-loves-loves lavender. We’ve incorporated it into his nightly routine and even used it for anti-monster spray a couple weeks ago! Did you know that monsters can’t stand lavender? 😉

771. I like to use linear movement in an enclosed space with the lights dimmed.

772. I love using proprioception and balance to help regulate the sensory system.

773. I love to get my students spinning!

774. I love teaching breathing exercises and squeezes as calm down tools for the kiddos (and adults) I work with 🙂

775. I like the Kore stools for alerting, postural control, and quiet fidgety behaviors for classroom seating.

776. Compression vests are one of my favorite calming strategies. They helped my son tremendously, and they have helped many of my students. For some of my students, it is almost like putting on the vest is like flipping a switch. It is amazing to watch!

777. Balancing yoga poses for concentration are my favorite!

778. I like to play animal tag with a twist for an alerting activity. Whenever you get tagged both people have to switch to a new animal. Depending on the animal you may or may not be able to climb on top of things or crawl under things. It can be a good alternative for kids who get to activated by regular tag.

779. I enjoy making an obstacle course for the kiddos. I change it up every so often and sometimes have the kiddos make their own (which they love). I include a variety of activities such as trampoline, swing, ball pit, and slide.

780. I like to have the child build their own obstacle course, incorporating jumping, crawling, swinging, and other proprioceptive tasks.

781. A sensory strategy often used with my students, and we use at home – dimmed lights, soft calming music, and comfortable furniture / bean bag chair / blankets

782. Actually, my two favorite sensory tools are the pod swings (like the one mentioned above) and body sox! Just this morning, one of my pre-school students was very dysregulated, having an extreme meltdown, and he independently went and cuddled into the pod swing in the classroom. I provided him some slow, linear input (spinning riles him up) , and after about 10 minutes, he independently sat back at the table and attended to the original directed activity. I LOVE when kids can use sensory tools on their own to self-regulate- they know their bodies best!

783. My kids I work with all love the ball squash( they relax and you put the ball on top and calmly roll it.. depending no how much weight the child’s needs) … I
     do it before or after depending on the activity of the session.

784. I have a “mermaid fabric” wall in my calmdown/safe place area with a basket of sensory toys for self-calming and exploration. The children gravitate to this wall and enjoy the tactile exploration! We also practice motor imitation (up, down and around stop) and calm breathing while stroking the fabric.

785. Playdough or putty is almost always so calming for many of my kiddos, especially scented playdough.

786. Sensory pathways.

787. We love watching glitter “happy” bottles settle for calming!

788. therapy ball, swing, breathing, wighted blankets, trampoline.

789. Swings! Swings can be calming for some and alerting for others depending on the movements done.

790. For my son what works best is getting under a heavy blanket and me or Dad sitting next to him.

791. I have an old-school air-dyne schwinn bike in one of the school buildings that I work in – the kind that you have to pedal with your feet and push with your arms simultaneously! The kids LOVE that bike! It is fantastic for heavy work input, and it conveniently has a fan – that gives them a little breeze while they bike, but also provides a nice, soothing white noise.

792. I have a sensory processing room that includes many of the things mentioned such as obstacle course, calming videos and music, exercise balls, a crawling tunnel, fidgets, etc. One thing that is missing would be this swing. My students would love it!

793. Kinetic sand has worked wonders in our room, supporting children to calm down and refocus, as has a firm ‘press down’ massage. For those needing more of a whole body outlet for excess energy, jumping on the mini trampoline or riding bikes/trikes is beneficial.

794. I love using proprioceptive activities such as wheelbarrow walking or crab walking. and of course weighted blankets!

795. both of my boys love to jump on the trampoline and then jump onto a crash pad. Then they like to be “steam rolled” with a therapy ball!

796. We don’t have a lot of sensory tools in our school district so we have to be creative. I love heavy work activities. I have the students push and pull on the chairs going across the room for extra input before a sit down task.

797. Wheelbarrow and animal walks are my favorite no-equipment activities that provide nice proprioceptive and vestibular input

798. I love using the yoga ball for calming sensory input- either rolling the ball over the child’s arms and legs or having them roll on it and walk out on their hands for proprioceptive input.

799. I like to use the platform swing and therapy ball!

800. My students love our spinner cups on the playground. It is hard when the weather gets too bad to go outside.

801. Mindfulness Exercises that include movement highly preferable in my therapy office. This provides an in the moment opportunity to grow kiddos emotional awareness & viability when they are made to pay close attention to their present state of mind and body. Then of course naming that state or feeling providing a broader emotional vocabulary.

802. My clients love getting rolled up tightly in a stretchy fleece blanket! We call it Burrito time! 🙂

803. I love to use obstacle courses that include a variety of movements including crawling and climbing.

804. I enjoy providing heavy work/balance tasks for my older students. Like using 2 bolsters to “crawl” forward on across a mat. They have fun and get some good organizing input before returning to class.

805. My students love to relax under the rolling of a giant physioball!! They love the idea that they are getting steam rolled, so to speak!!

806. Deep pressure— steamroller, making the child into a pizza, hot dog or burrito

807. My go-to calming sensory tool is having them climb anything nearby – rock wall, tire tower, mat wall – for good heavy work and proprioceptive input. I find that they are a LOT calmer after!

808. By far, a single-point suspension swing (such as the one that you are giving away) is the best equipment to promote calm. I have found that just twenty minutes of gentle, lineal swinging can promote both calm and alertness for hours afterward. A swing should be included in every OT’s equipment! My fingers are crossed that I win this for the special-needs school that I have been tasked with creating a “cozy room” for our children that have difficulties with modulation.

809. I love using my sensory buckets for tactile play–rice, aqua beads, beans.

810. I love to use a lycra swing with slow, linear input for calming and a gross motor obstacle course to raise arousal!

811. I let my son ride in the back of the buggy and have tablet time. He has lots of visual integration apps for his vision issues. This will usually calm him enough to get through the shopping time. We also have lots of squishy things on hand so that he doesn’t ask for more.

812. I get my kids to jump on a trampoline every morning to help wake up his system. My son loves to come up with the number of bounces he needs and then bounces away.

813. I love having students bounce on a therapy ball for alerting input.

814. Love blowing bubbles for calming, downward dog, and wrapping my kiddos up in beanbag chairs (like a taco) for deep pressure.

815. I like wheelbarrow and animal walks to warm up, jumping on the trampoline, using weighted blankets and lap pads, using a sensory corner in the room with beanbag chairs, small tent, pillows, weighted blankets, and soft music.

816. Sensory walks or obstacle courses are great sensory tools. I like to include a change in direction, jumping, crawling, balancing and weighted balls.

817. I love using deep pressure for calming.

818. Definitely our hammock swing great for calming and transitioning

819. It depends on the kiddo, but lavender scented rice sensory tub is always a good toolD

820. I like to teach children self regulation techniques such as deep breath’s, animal walks, self hugs, and taking sensory breaks.

821. I love to use a Walrus air cushion (Southpaw UK), kids love it and you can use it for alerting and down-regulating. I use it like a projection device to propel kids in the air to alert and measure their righting responses and balance, using tactile, prop and vestib, but also rock gently, applying heavy pressure through shoulders whilst talking through guided imagery….works a treat in relaxation.

822. My students need a lot of sensory stimulation during the school day. They often go for sensory bin, oral sensory toys, and weighted blanket. They also love the swing!

823. deep breathing with mindfulness is my on the spot go to

824. I love using deep breathing (bumble bee breathing) and joint compressions to help calm my kids down. My kids love it as well!

825. Yoga is something I’ve tried this year with all my kids as we have a ton of kids that struggle with self regulation.

826. We love cosmic kids yoga!!

827. I like using heavy work, calming music, and swings!

828. I have students jump on a mini trampoline and crash onto large bean bags. I find it very helpful to calm them before doing tabletop work.

829. My little loves pressure – a favorite right now is the “steamroller” at her school.

830. I love this swing and also deep pressure through use of a heavy rolling pin.

831. I love incorporating obstacles courses into the treatment session. You can design them to be alerting or even calming by doing slow heavy work or proprioceptive obstacles. All my kids love coming up with new ideas for the obstacle courses.

832. One of my favorite calming tools for preschoolers is hugs/pressure touch. I also often use calming music, spa music

833. I use it to help the child calm down or for sensory stimulation

834. I LOVE my weighted blanket! I’ a graduate student, have high anxiety, and am sensory sensitive and it is great to calm my nerves and emotions!

835. I love using switch operated lights (Christmas ones) to project onto the walls

836. I use the therapy swings for balance, vestibular regulation, strength, calming, cooperative play and more!

837. My daughter loves using a vibrating brush on her arms and legs. She could do that for hours. It’s one of the few ways she can sit still for long periods of time!

838. I love gentle rocking in a swing of multiple types for slowing down and decreasing stress and anxiety and regulation.
     Sometimes it is hard to get the child in the swing and to relax but when they do, some go to sleep!!

839. I find that scented putty is soothing to students. I also like the visual sensory tools such as lava and glitter lamps.

840. Stepping outside for awhile seems to really have a calming influence.

841. I use the weighted blanket more than any other sensory tool in my toolbox.

842. My students love dots and squeezies from s’cool moves.

843. Slow, linear swinging with the lights dimmed, weighted blankets/lap pads,, deep breathing, scented oils to calm or alert.

844. I have made my beanie babies weighted and my students can pick one and put it on their lap for pressure weight

845. A great calming tool I use is a smelly candle with a feather sticking out where the wick is. “Smell the candle, blow the feather”. This encourages deep breathing and the kids love to watch to feather move with their breath.

846. Currently we use the “cloud” for calming along with dimmed lights and relaxing music

847. calming music and lights

848. I love to use bubbles to encourage deep breathing and use of weighted blankets

849. We do birthday candle breaths, slowly so we don’t blow out the “candles”!

850. I love using calming music and lights. Kids also love the kinetic sand

851. Since I don’t have access to a swing, I rely on sensory bins with rice or beans, therapy ball with both activites on the ball or having them lay on the ground and rolling the ball over them with varying degrees of pressure, bear hugs, or rolling them up in a blanket/mat.

852. Love seeing and knowing about your products.

853. I love using a ‘calm down’ tent with overhead lights and weighted materials inside.

854. My kids favorite calming tool this year has been the different colored bottles that you flip. I use them during testing. Each child has one as a calming technique. They have stayed calmer and enjoy just a minute brain break that keeps the stress minimal.

     Lori Cleveland

855. I love music and putty as sensory tools.

856. I love using a calming space with soft lighting, calming music, a bean bag and weighted blanket.

857. Love that this swing looks light weight and easy to hang. Also like the fact that it come with an inflatable pillow, which I have never tried before.

858. My favorite sensory activity’s are all horse related… brushing a horses, being lead on a horse, the smells, textures and motion. Input can be varied for alerting, calming, organizing.

859. Flashlights!

860. I love to use calming classical music with deep pressure and rocking, especially with my younger kiddos. For alerting, I love to use our very large therapy ball (it’s like waist high on me), and place kids in different positions (sitting, standing with support, prone) and do bouncing while we sing Monkeys Jumping on the Bed. I really like this activity because I can grade it down to use with my more involved neuro kiddos and get them some prone work!

861. I use 5 deep breaths with my students and my son. The slow counting of breaths really helps to calm them!

862. My son really enjoys working with kinetic sand and I recently got him a weighted blanket. When he’s upset he calms down under a blanket stroking the tassels on the end. Even if I don’t win the wealth of knowledge in these comments are great!

863. I love using deep pressure via mat squishes making kiddos into tacos, burritos, cookies etc.,

864. Sensory bins!

865. My favorite calming strategy is a weighted item of the child’s choice (lap pad, neck wrap, stuffed animal) while they rock in a child size rocking chair.

866. I love using swings as part of an OT session for vestibular input and able to put kids in a variety positions to actively engage their core
     .

867. I love slow linear motion with some soft low music

868. A quiet corner is great for my kids. They like to go under a table covered with a blanket or into a tent. They just want to get away for a little bit. Some like a weighted blanket. Kinetic sand is very popular with my kids right now.

869. My students have really been loving tactile bins as a calming activity. I personally love music and its calming effect.

870. I love using the swing to get my kids ready for the activities I have for our OT session. I also like using the Sensory walk we have on campus as we walk to OT.

871. I find deep pressure is a go to. But another favorite is oral-motor activities, like blowing bubbles or sucking through a straw or from a water bottle..

872. My grandson loves to rock in the lazy boy chair and hold vibrating toys. In the classroom I have used a tent with pillows, play with gooey gunk, or shaving cream, a sensory table with flour, and calming meditative music.

873. I work in preschool and love to use a therapy ball because it is so versatile. You can bounce them on it for stimulating, roll on top of the child for deep pressure, have child rock over it on their stomach or back, work on shoulder and core strengthening along with proprioceptive input, roll it back and forth, sit on it while doing fine motor activities…

874. Play-doh and making imaginary food is always a big hit. It can work on so many skills (bilateral coordination , finger isolation, hand strength, etc!).

875. A breathing techniques that we use at the preschool level is: “Smell the flowers, now blow out the birthday candles.”

876. It really depends which of my son’s sensory issues is the more heightend.
     We use crash mats and body slams, ear protectors, sunglasses, compression sack, movements/stretches, blowing bubbles even ipad time. It really depends on what he needs.

877. Earl Grey tea sitting on the porch under a blanket on a cold winters morning.

878. I have found that deep pressure has been very effective. A lot of my students will request the “burrito roll”. This provides calming especially prior to nap time for the ones who are constantly moving and can’t settle themselves to sleep.

879. My favorite sensory activity is deep breathing! I find it very effective for myself when feeling overwhelmed and for the children I work with when we take deep breaths together.

880. A lot of my students do well with deep pressure input, wall push ups, planks, animal walks, pushing or carrying weighted items. Although it depends so much on the kid; I appreciate reading through everyone else’s favorites!

881. My son responded well to the use of a swing in his therapy which surprised me as he usually doesn’t like the swings! He wraps himself up in it and asks to be pushed slowly. Im so glad this works for him, but now I need to win one for home!

882. I like to use swings as a calming strategy.

883. I love the weighted products. Blankets, lap pads, teddy bears. We also use darkness with lava lamps or projector lamps. Anything to calm the brain…

884. AHHH I would LOVE to have this swing for my treatment room! I love heavy work and deep pressure! Love sensory bins and weighted blankets

885. My favorite is the therapy ball! It’s so versatile.

886. I like to offer my students several sensory options. I collect fidget toys. I have lots of stress balls. I recently got some rubber stars that are meant as hand strengthening tools. The texture and firmness is different on each star. My kids love them.

887. We love the following:
     *Yoga ball
     *Yoga swing
     *Balance board

     I loved reading other comments above and they gave me a few new ideas to try!

888. I like the canoe, swing and weighted itiems for calming activities. The kids can wiggle right in the canoe and swing for deep pressure or swaying effect.

Comments are closed.