Today’s free resource in the Spring Week tools are these free Heavy Work activities in printable card version, with a Spring theme! These are just the thing to get kids moving and adding much-needed gross motor movement into the classroom, home, or occupational therapy session. I modeled these printable exercise cards off our heavy work teletherapy activities freebie, so these are the perfect addition to your therapy toolbox.
Heavy Work Activities
Heavy work activities help kids to incorporate balance, endurance, and motor planning into functional activities. By integrating the proprioceptive sense and vestibular sense, or balance, equilibrium, position in space, and movement, kids are able to better move their body with awareness of how their body moves. This body awareness is needed for most every activity.
Adding resistance, or heavy work activates the muscles and joints in the body and “wakes them up”. Proprioception and calming vestibular work can have an organizing effect on kids. This enables a ready state for completing tasks.
Getting kids to incorporate the whole-body movements that they need to regulate and develop strong, healthy bodies isn’t always easier, now more than ever. That’s where the Spring Gross Motor activities come into play. These are whole body activity, Spring-themed activities that make fun brain breaks.
Functional Heavy Work
Many heavy work activities can be incorporated right into the daily tasks. Things like pushing a vacuum, moving furniture, carrying a laundry basket are day-to-day chores that add a ton of heavy work input.
Other heavy work tasks can integrate these senses as well.
Tasks like using a moldable eraser, coloring with crayons vs. markers, or pulling on socks offer heavy work just as well, on a smaller scale.
These are all strategies that play into a sensory lifestyle, or a sensory diet that is well ingrained into the day-to-day tasks. You can learn more about creating a sensory lifestyle into every day activities in my book, The Sensory Lifestyle Handbook.
Heavy Work and Gross Motor Skills
There’s more about heavy work than just sensory processing benefits.
Heavy work tasks improve balance, core strength, motor planning, equilibrium needed for movement changes, stability, coordination, and movement patterns. All of these skills require equilibrium of the vestibular system for movement and changes in planes. They also require position in space changes. Heavy work has so many benefits!
There’s more: Heavy work input also incorporates areas such as range of motion, flexibility, motor planning, crossing midline, muscle tone, and core stability.
Free Heavy Work Activity Cards
Would you like to get your hands on a set of free heavy work printable activities? This is a free resource that you can print off and use in therapy sessions, in home programs, as classroom brain breaks, and to just get those kids moving.
To grab this free resource, enter your email address into the form below.
More heavy work brain breaks and Spring activities
You can find more Spring brain breaks and heavy work activities in the Spring Occupational Therapy Activities Pack. Right now, it’s a BONUS add-on to our newly released Spring Fine Motor Kit!
Spring Fine Motor Kit
Score Fine Motor Tools and resources and help kids build the skills they need to thrive!
Developing hand strength, dexterity, dexterity, precision skills, and eye-hand coordination skills that kids need for holding and writing with a pencil, coloring, and manipulating small objects in every day task doesn’t need to be difficult. The Spring Fine Motor Kit includes 100 pages of fine motor activities, worksheets, crafts, and more:
Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.
There are so many benefits to getting the whole family out for a family nature walk. Besides the physical exercise and family time, nature walks are powerful tools to incorporate all of the senses without any sensory equipment. Research tells us outdoor sensory play has many benefits. Use the sensory activities described here to learn and explore all of the senses (including the proprioceptive, vestibular, and interoceptive senses!) and add these sensory nature walk ideas to an outdoor sensory diet to help kids achieve an optimal sensory state so they can complete functional tasks and daily occupations.
Nature Walk Sensory Benefits
A nature walk and all of its colors, sights, and sounds make for a multi-sensory experience that can be easily shared as a family. There are so many sensory benefits when going on a nature walk or simply just by getting outdoors. The sensory input, learning and development, and simple family connection are just a few long-term benefits that can be provided by hiking in the woods.
Nature walks promote wellness by meeting many different needs:
Facilitate engagement and an alert state of regulation
Learning and cognitive benefits
Play and activity
Social interaction
Rest and sleep
All of these benefits make a family nature walk perfect for a family fun day! Or, pull out the flashlights and headlamps and go on a night walk as part of a family fun night.
Sensory Nature Walk
Stimulating the senses can help a child reconnect with their inner self, helping them identify how their body calms and relates to a free-flowing natural environment. Parents can help facilitate a child’s interaction in nature and the outdoors by simply being aware of a few activities that can be enjoyed as a family while experiencing the outdoors. Every sense can be utilized and engaged with a few fun ideas.
To help get you started, take look at the sensory components of a nature walk:
Nature Walks and the Visual Sense
The visual (sight) sense can be stirred by the abundance of colors with the trees and leaves and don’t forget to take some time to seek out a few outdoor critters or insects which can add a little element of fun while observing.
Try these visual processing activities during a family nature walk:
Play a game of I-Spy during your outdoor adventure. Think about playing using colors or items found in the environment. Take turns, and work on building vocabulary while playing this game.
Do a scavenger hunt and look for certain things found in the woods (you can find printable nature scavenger hunts on the internet).
Complete some nature rubbings with paper and crayons. Maybe rub some leaves within a notebook or complete rubbings of different types of tree bark.
Take a notebook and write down items you see in nature. It can be a nature journal that adds an opportunity to work on handwriting.
Auditory Processing and Sensory Walks
The auditory (hearing) sense can be jostled by the crunching of leaves under the feet as well as the snapping of twigs that can be heard while walking along a path or in the woods.
Snap twigs and listed to the cracks. Maybe even taking some time to build a few fun critter forts allowing for snapping of twigs to measure and build.
Also, try snapping twigs and building letters to add a little handwriting into the nature walk.
Listen for the birds and their chirping of songs and listen for some rustling of leaves when squirrels and other critters move about the woods.
Maybe the breeze is blowing, is it causing the trees and leaves to sway back and forth? Close your eyes and simply just listen to hear (it adds another fun element).
Gustatory Sense and Family Walks
The gustatory (taste) sense can be provided a little nudge, with adult supervision of course, if you find some wild blackberries or strawberries. They can be yummy to eat, but they do require cleaning so you may want to wait until you get back home to eat them so they can be properly cleaned for complete safety. If you are not that adventurous though, that’s okay you can still stimulate the gustatory sense on your walk if you work to prepare a fun trail mix before you leave the house so you can eat it on your outdoor adventure.
Bring a cold drink- A water bottle can be added to a backpack and brought along for a cold drink during a family walk. Remember the proprioceptive and oral motor benefits to drinking through a sports bottle, or a straw in a water bottle with a straw lid.
Nature walk snacks-Don’t have time to make trail mix, that’s okay too, you can just grab some granola or granola bars or maybe even some veggie sticks or beef jerky!
Tactile Sensory Nature Walk
The tactile (touch) sense can be heavily engaged with all of the different textures that can be explored and possibly gathered on your nature walk. Try some of these strategies on your nature walk:
Take some time to feel the leaves, moss, tree bark, rocks, dirt, and even a few fuzzy critters that can be given a little lift to their next destination.
Tossing rocks into small streams or even walking through puddles of water could provide a multi-sensory experience.
Write a few letters in the dirt with use of broken twigs as a pencil.
Take some time to feel the warmth of the sun or the breeze on your face as you walk.
Be sure to collect some nature items along the way though so you can explore them later either in a sensory bin or in an art project.
Play toss and catch with pine cones as appropriate. Toss and catch to each other or have kiddos toss to themselves including back and forth between their left and right hands.
The olfactory (smell) sense can be triggered by taking time to smell the dried leaves, flower scents, and even the smells that get blown as the wind or breeze lifts them through the air. Let’s face it, the wilderness has many smells that are unidentified and when mixed together create scents that are unusual kind of, musty. Even decaying wood has a very unique smell. Try these olfactory activities:
Smell flowers
Close your eyes and smell the air. Can you identify any scents?
Talk about scent words and the meaning of those terms. Some concepts to explore are: fresh, musty, moldy, sweet, sour, dry, etc.
Proprioception and Nature Walks
The proprioceptive (muscles and joints) sense can be impacted if you allow the child to lift heavy rocks, larger limbs and even just jump from higher elevations such as large rocks. All of the walking, climbing, and exploring adds heavy work input that tells the body where it is in space so the legs and body as a whole can move. Heavy work is a calming and regulating source of getting to a calm and alert state. Consider these opportunities for adding proprioceptive input on a nature walk:
Allow them to climb some trees and hillsides.
Explore trails with variations on elevation.
Consider the walking surface. Walking through a field, even trail, flat trail, or wooded hiking trail, or paved sidewalk offer different variants of heavy work though the legs and core.
Add hopping, jumping, bending, leaping, galloping, or skipping as you walk.
Even just the act of walking up and down the trail inclines can provide muscle and joint input that can be regulating for some kiddos.
Carrying water bottles in a backpack is an additional opportunity for heavy work.
Nature walks and the Vestibular sense
The vestibular (movement) sense can be activated as a child moves their body around the trees and rocks even while crawling up large rocks and trees. Incorporate vestibular input through these ideas:
Have them try some simple spinning with their eyes open and closed and arms outstretched to get a unique view of the outdoors maybe even doing some somersaults or cartwheels.
Allow them to try out their balance skills as they walk across a downed tree or along a trail of rocks.
Climb trees.
Run up hills.
Roll down grassy hills.
Nature walks and interoception
The interoception (inner body awareness) sense can be explored by the act of simply disconnecting from technology and other distractions and identifying how the body feels during this change of setting and heavy multi-sensory environment. An additional benefit of family walks is the connection to sleep (described more in detail at the bottom of this post.) Sleep has been noted to be included in the interoceptive processes much like hunger or thirst, as a brain process similar to other homeostatic processes.
Incorporate interoception in nature with these strategies:
Work on identifying their feelings and bodily responses to the sensory input such as noticing their breathing, heart rate, temperature, or possibly if they feel either tired, hungry, or thirsty.
How do you feel? A walk can change how you’re feeling. Maybe you feel re-energized and more alert. Talk about it.
Mindfulness is impacted by nature. Take deep breaths. Can you feel your heart rate slowing down?
Thirst inventory- How do you feel after a hike in nature? Thirsty? Dry mouth? These are signs that your body is thirsty. Some people struggle with this internal awareness. Talk about the signs of thirst and how the body reacts to this need and then afterwards once you’ve got a drink.
Nature Walk Activities
A nature walk is a fun time to collect items from nature for exploring. While out on family walk, collect items from nature such as rocks, pebbles, sticks, leaves, moss, etc. These items can be placed into a backpack or bag and brought home to explore and create. (Be sure to return items to nature, afterwards as long as they are free from paint or glue.)
After you’ve finished your outdoor adventure and you’ve collected some fun nature goodies from your walk, take those items home and create a sensory bin, fine motor craft kit, or maybe even use them in a fun art project. What can you collect?
Look for some of these items (and explore the visual sense as you seek and find items):
Acorns
Twigs
Leaves
Rocks
Feathers
Pine needles
Pine cones
Moss
Seeds
Grasses
Sand
Dirt
Sunflower seeds
Fallen tree bark
Nature Walk Sensory Bins
Use these materials to make a sensory bin. Add the items you’ve collected to a large bin, basket, or tray. Now it’s time to explore! Try these nature sensory bin ideas:
An added benefit of incorporating a nature walk into the family routine is that walks in turn promote rest. All of the physical activity of nature walks may be helpful in encouraging rest and as a result, sleep.
Additionally, research suggests a relationship between sleep difficulties and patterns of sensory processing issues in children.
Studies show that sensory processing differences, considerably including increased sensory sensitivities, sensory-avoiding patterns, sensory-seeking patterns, and poor sensory registration have been associated with changes in sleep quality. (Vasek, M., Williamson, J., Garden, J., Zwicker, J., 2015).
Occupational therapists play a role in sleep by offering tools and strategies to promote adequate and restful sleep. Because sleep is a necessary component of performing functional tasks and daily occupations, occupational therapists can assist with promoting adequate and healthy sleep by using evidence based methods, once of which can include physical activity such as family nature walks.
A final note about sensory walks
Take a seasonal nature walk to simply allow children to explore with their senses while building skills needed for learning and development! Allow children the freedom to explore at their own pace and to be creative. Give them the opportunity to come up with a fun, family activity outdoors. They’ll surprise you!
Don’t live near a colorful hiking area? Take some time to visit a farm, a pumpkin patch, a flower garden, a cornfield, or even the beach. Really, just get outdoors and explore anywhere! By being outside away from technology and other distractions, children can rejuvenate their bodies and minds while stimulating their senses.
Try these resources to incorporate the sensory system when in the great outdoors:
Create the “right kind” of sensory experiences to improve regulation, attention, focus, body awareness, motor development, and sensory processing.
90 outdoor sensory diet activities
60 outdoor recess sensory diet activities
30 blank sensory diet cards, and 6 sensory challenge cards
They can be used based on preference and interest of the child, encouraging motivation and carryover, all while providing much-needed sensory input.
References:
Mark Vasak, James Williamson, Jennifer Garden, Jill G. Zwicker; Sensory Processing and Sleep in Typically Developing Infants and Toddlers. Am J Occup Ther 2015;69(4):6904220040. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2015.015891
Regina Parsons-Allen is a school-based certified occupational therapy assistant. She has a pediatrics practice area of emphasis from the NBCOT. She graduated from the OTA program at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute in Hudson, North Carolina with an A.A.S degree in occupational therapy assistant. She has been practicing occupational therapy in the same school district for 20 years. She loves her children, husband, OT, working with children and teaching Sunday school. She is passionate about engaging, empowering, and enabling children to reach their maximum potential in ALL of their occupations as well assuring them that God loves them!
Here, you can get a mask social story for kids with sensory needs. Trying to help kids with the task of wearing a mask? Social stories are a great tool for explaining concepts using pictures and affirming words. This social story about face masks is an important one for kids. Whether face masks are needed for immunity needs, doctor or hospital visits, health or safety needs, or something else, it can be important concept to address with children and a social story about masks is a great visual tool.
Social Story about Wearing Masks
When our kids were moving from full virtual to hybrid learning, so that means kids that have been out of the classroom since March are now going to be back in the physical school location, wearing masks was a new and different thing!. And, getting kids to wear masks…and keep those masks on…can be a real concern, especially for kids with sensory needs!
Today, I’ve got a free teletherapy slide deck to help kids learn the importance of wearing a mask and it covers the sensory concerns that might come up with mask wearing. This slide deck is a social story for mask wearing with sensory issues, so it adds a story component while allowing kids to understand why they need to wear a mask when it feels itchy or scratchy. This slide deck is free, so grab it below.
Wearing a mask with sensory needs
For kids with sensory needs, wearing a mask can be a big problem. But some schools, businesses, and situations require a mask for entry. So how does the child with sensory needs deal with this situation? For some, the softest of face masks can feel scratchy or itchy. It can make others feel like they are contained. Still others are frustrated wtih the feel of mask straps behind their ears.
Kids with sensory needs and masks don’t mix!
That’s why I wanted to put this social story together and get it into your hands. Because some kids are truly struggling with wearing a mask and don’t understand why they need to have this itchy, scratchy fabric attached to their face!
Wearing a Mask Social Story
Some kids respond really well to social stories, so this slide deck should be a good way to teach this concept. I’ve made the slide deck interactive, so kids can read through the slide, and move the checkmark to the “finished” square once they understand the concept on each slide.
The slides cover various aspects of masks for kids with sensory needs, including how masks feel on the skin, or how they may make a person feel hot.
I’ve also included slides in this social story that tell the reader they can ask for help if they need it when wearing a mask.
Some children may chew on their face mask to meet oral sensory needs as calming input when they attempt to self-regulate. However, another sensory tool could be used in place of the mask. This sensory social story helps kids to understand that by reading the words of the story and by matching those words to the image.
Kids with sensory needs or those with sensory processing disorder may feel the temperature difference between having a mask on or off. This mask sensory story covers those issues.
You’ll find slides for kids that feel that mask move in and out with their breath, as well. All of these sensory sensitivities can be very apparent with the use of a face mask!
Free slide deck for wearing a mask with sensory needs
To get this slide deck, enter your email address below. By doing this, I am able to deliver the slides to your email inbox.
Be sure to log into your Google drive first. You will get a pdf that you can save and use over and over again. Click the document to make a copy of the slide onto your drive.
Use the slide deck in “edit” mode to allow students to move the check marks on each slide as the individual slide is read. You can also use this slide deck in “present” mode, but the movable piece won’t work.
Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.
These auditory sensory activities are a variety of backyard sensory play ideas that can be used as tools for addressing auditory sensory processing needs at home. using what you’ve got in (or outside) your house is a great way to work on auditory processing needs with kids. Think about all of the backyard sounds that can be used as therapy tools to help with auditory memory or auditory comprehension. In fact, the backyard is the perfect place to work on sensory needs with kids.
This blog post is part of my backyard sensory play series. It’s an old post here on The OT Toolbox, but it’s one that I’ve revamped to make into a movement and sensory challenge to help kids be active and building therapy skills at home.
The auditory sensory activities listed here can be used as part of a sensory diet for kids. Some of the ideas are great auditory seeking activities. Others are great for helping to challenge those with hypersensitivity to sound. In either case, the auditory sensory activities can be used as part of a sensory diet for those with needs.
If you are looking for information on how to create a sensory diet and use these movement activities with kids, then you are in the right place. Here are more outdoor sensory diet activities to get you started with sensory needs and the outdoors.
Auditory Processing Activities
Try these auditory processing ideas this summer. Each activity can be modified to make is a challenge for auditory seeking or auditory sensitivities.
Neighborhood Listening Scavenger Hunt- Notice the sounds in the neighborhood. Ask your child to locate or name the origin of the sounds as they walk around the neighborhood. If the sound is too far away, ask them to name the origin. During this activity, they need to discriminate between sounds.
Auditory Hide and Seek- Play a game of hide and seek with sounds. They child that is searching for kids can make a call and each hider responds with their own sound. The person who is looking for others can determine who is making the sounds they hear and locate each child one at a time.
Listening Tag- Play a game of tag in the backyard as children race to tag one another. When the person who is “it” comes near another person, they can tag a person unless the runner sits on the ground and makes a noise. When the child sits, they are on “base” and safe from being tagged. They can stand up again when the child who is “it” makes the same noise.
Noisy Toy Positioning Game- Use a squeaky toy or bike horn in this noisy toy game. Have one child hide with the toy and make it squeak. The person who is looking for the toy needs to describe where the toy is hidden by using descriptive words like “over”, “under”, and “left”.
More auditory Sensory Activities
Bell parade
Kazoo sound hunt
Listening for birds or animals
Record backyard sounds and play back the recording. Try to recognize and name the sound and where it was located in the yard.
Fill containers with items from the backyard. Shake plastic containers or even paper bags with the items and see if your child can name the objects.
Play Marco Polo in the yard!
Looking for more backyard sensory ideas for summer?
The Summer Sensory Activity Guide is the place to find everything you need for a summer of sensory input. Use the sensory activities described in the booklet as a guide to meet the individual needs of your child. The activities are not a substitute for therapy. Rather, they are sensory-based summer activities that are designed to address each sensory system through summer play. Activities are described to involve the whole family. Right now, the Summer Sensory Activity Guide is a free bonus item to the new Summer Occupational Therapy Activities Packet.
The Summer OT Activities Packet is a collection of 14 items that guide summer programming at home, at school, and in therapy sessions. The summer activities bundle covers handwriting, visual perceptual skills and visual motor skills, fine motor skills, gross motor skills, regulation, and more.
You’ll find ideas to use in virtual therapy sessions and to send home as home activities that build skills and power development with a fun, summer theme. Kids will love the Summer Spot It! game, the puzzles, handouts, and movement activities. Therapists will love the teletherapy slide deck and the easy, ready-to-go activities to slot into OT sessions. The packet is only $10.00 and can be used over and over again for every student/client!
Wobble Ice Disk– Add vestibular input with a DIY wobble disk. Kids can help to make this heavy ice disk, adding proprioceptive input for a hot summer day.
Use a therapy ball– A large ball or a therapy ball/ exercise ball is a great way to add movement, heavy work, and calming proprioceptive input into backyard play.
Make a Water Bin– Water play is a great way to spend hot summer days in sensory play.
The Auditory Processing Kit is a tool to support learners by building skills in listening comprehension, auditory processing needs, and much more. The tools offer support to learners with hyper-responsive or hypo-responsive auditory systems. Therapists love the hands-on activities to support learning and active listening through play and handwriting tasks.
Listening Comprehension
Fine Motor Listening Skills
How to Improve Listening Skills Poster
Clap It Out Syllables Orthographic Activities
Beginning Sounds Letter Activity
Rhyming Words Activity
Activity Listening Activity
Hearing Skills Activity
Auditory Memory Strategies
What Does Active Listening Look Like?
Whole Body Listening Activity
Whole Body Listening Poster
Listening and Motor Skills Game
2 Step Direction Cards
How to Support Hyper-Responsiveness of the Auditory Sense (handout and info sheet)
How to Support Hypo-responsiveness of the Auditory Sense (handout and info sheet)
Auditory Processing Tools Cards
Auditory Processing Speed -2 Digit Numbers
Auditory Processing Speed -3 Digit Numbers
Auditory Processing Speed -4 Digit Numbers
Use the handouts and posters to teach about the auditory system and auditory challenges, with strategies to support individualized needs. Get your copy of the Auditory Processing Kit today.
Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.
Sensory swings are a wonderful tool for improving sensory modulation in kids. We’ve covered different swings in the past, including specific types like a platform swing. Here, we will discuss how and why a sensory swing is used for modulation of sensory needs. Sensory swings are powerful sensory strategy when it comes individuals with sensory processing needs. Let’s discuss how sensory swings can help with sensory processing and modulation.
This content is part of our week-long therapy giveaway event, where we are collaborating with brands to give you the opportunity to win various therapy items, toys, and games as a thank you for being here and a celebration of our profession and those we serve.
You’ve seen the issues in classrooms and in homes. There are kiddos struggling with self-regulation and management of sensory processing. We notice the child that gets overwhelmed or stuck on a direction to complete a worksheet. We see a child who breaks down and resolves into a pattern of hitting, biting, kicking, or damaging property. We notice the child that can’t sit upright in their seat to listen to their teacher. We can identify the child who bites on their pencil to the point of nibbling on eraser bits and chunks of wood. We see the actions and we see the results of a real need. Sometimes, we can even predict the events or situations that lead to these behaviors.
What we don’t see is the internal struggle.
We miss out on the feeling of overwhelming sensory input. We can’t feel the emptiness or the detached sensation. We miss out on what’s happening inside those beautiful, intelligent, and awesomely created brains and bodies.
While we can connect the dots from event to behavior, our biggest struggle as advocates, educators, and loved ones is to know the true internal path that connects those dots.
An occupational therapist analyzes the occupational domains that a child or individual pursues. They determine any difficulties in modulation, discrimination, praxis, motor skills, and other components that impact those occupations. In providing sensory-based interventions, therapists use tools to move their clients to optimal levels of arousal for functioning.
The sensory swing is one of those ways to help with sensory modulation.
What is Sensory Modulation
As discussed in the book, The Sensory Lifestyle Handbook, sensory modulation is the organization and regulation of sensory input through the central nervous system to enable skills and abilities such as attention, activity levels. This skill is an efficient, automatic, and effortless occurrence in those with typically developing individuals.
Sensory modulation is defined by Dr. A Jean Ayres as “the neurological process that organizes sensation from one’s own body and from the environment and makes it possible to use the body effectively within the environment. The spatial and temporal aspects of inputs from different sensory modalities are interpreted, associated, and unified” (Ayres, p. 11, 1989).
Problems with sensory modulation result in difficulty responding to and regulating sensory input. A child with sensory modulation disorder might withdrawal as a result of their responses. They may become upset by noises or sounds. They may become overly distracted or obsessed with specific stimuli.
Sensory Modulation in a Nutshell
Essentially, sensory modulation is the ability to take in sensory input, sort it, and respond to that input. Modulation results in function, alertness, awareness of self, and awareness of the world around oneself.
When sensory modulation is stalled, moving slowly, or running on hyper speed, we see disorganized, over-responsive, or under-responsive individuals.
As a result, children struggle to complete functional tasks, follow directions, learn, manage emotions, interact socially, etc.
How to Help with Sensory Modulation
Sensory modulation issues can be improved to impact a child’s arousal state so they can be effective and function in daily living tasks, in school, emotionally, and socially. Some sensory strategies to help with modulation are listed below.
Use the expertise of an occupational therapist to identify and analyze modulation levels. Identifying strengths and weaknesses can play a part in helping to understand other underlying areas that need addressing and play into sensory modulation concerns. Functioning individuals may require specific levels and intensities of specific sensory input, which can vary across different environments or on a day-to-day basis.
Use sensory activities to add proprioception, vestibular input, or touch input to help with arousal states, and calm or alert levels in order to function in tasks.
Create a sensory diet that allows for sensory use across environments and sensory tools or strategies to address changes in modulation or arousal.
Set up a sensory station to successfully integrate sensory activities into daily lives. Sensory stations can occur in the home, classroom, or on-the-go.
A sensory swing can be used to impact sensory modulation in all of these strategies.
Use a sensory swing for Modulation
A sensory swing can be a calming place to regroup and cope. It can be a safe space for a child to gain calming vestibular input through slow and predictable motions.
A sensory swing can be a source of intense vestibular input as a means to challenge arousal levels.
A sensory swing can use a firm pillow base to provide proprioceptive feedback and heavy input while addressing tactile defensiveness.
A sensory swing can be a means for combining calming or alerting motions with coordinated movement strategies to impact praxis, postural control, and perception.
A sensory swing can be used with others as a tool for building social skills and emotional regulation.
A sensory swing can be used as an outlet for meltdowns before they turn into biting, kicking, hitting, or yelling.
A sensory swing can be a transition tool to provide calming vestibular input before physical actions and executive functioning concepts needed for tasks such as completing homework, or getting ready for bed.
INDOOR Sensory Swing
Want to address modulation and impact sensory processing needs in the home, classroom, or therapy room? we’ve talked about how sensory swings impact sensory processing and the ability to regulate sensory input. Let’s take things up a notch by getting a therapy swing into your hands.
One sensory swing that I’ve got in my house is the Harkla sensory swing. We’ve used this exact swing as an outdoor sensory swing, but it’s a powerful tool when used as an indoor swing. Today, you have the chance to win one of your own. Using a Harkla swing as an indoor swing provides opportunities for modulation in various environments and as a tool to regulate emotions, behaviors.
Over or under inflate to provide more or less base of support and a challenge in postural control. Additionally, this swing holds up to 150 pounds, making it an option to address sensory modulation for adults.
Use the cocoon swing to create a relaxation space or sensory station right in the home or classroom. With the easy-to-install swing, a sensory diet space can come alive using the Harkla Therapy Swing!
Occupational therapists use pod swings to address sensory modulation, attention needs, regulation, or sensory processing disorder. The cocoon swing we’re giving away below provides a hug-like effect to address sensory needs or as a fun space to hang out in in the classroom or home. A few more details about this indoor swing option:
Comes with all the hardware for an easy setup, including a pump, adjustable strap, 4 bolts, carabiner, and a ceiling hook
Holds up to 150lbs for a safe place for your child
Includes an adjustable strap to make it easy to safely hang your sensory swings indoors from any height
Comes with easy-to-follow directions so anyone can hang it up
Free shipping & a lifetime guarantee
Harkla Sensory Swing Giveaway
This giveaway, sponsored by Harkla, has now ended.
TOns of Sensory Modulation Ideas
Some of the smartest and most creative folks I know are the readers of The OT Toolbox. I asked readers to tell me sensory strategies they personally love and use to address sensory modulation. Scroll through the comments…you might just find some new sensory strategies that will work for you! Hopefully we can learn from one another!
Also, check out these other soy suggestions based on therapeutic development through play.
Here on The OT Toolbox, we’ve had a Sensory Processing Disorder information packet available for a long time. The booklet is a free handout that offers an understanding on sensory processing concerns. It’s a handout that can be used to advocate for sensory needs and is one of our top sensory processing resources here on the site. I’m excited to say that this booklet has been translated into Spanish! Below, you will find a Spanish resource on Sensory Processing that can be used by therapists working with Spanish-speaking clients and families.
Sensory Processing Disorder Resource in Spanish
Sensory processing resources in Spanish can be hard to come by. For the client working in the Spanish-speaking community or for those looking for resources for their caseload, having a go-to booklet can make all the difference. Therapists need resources that don’t take time to create while supporting the clients they serve.
Many times, therapists use conversational Spanish, but a sensory resource translated into Spanish would be an asset to their therapy toolbox. The specific terms used in describing and understanding SPD and the sensory systems can be tricky to portray in translation.
This Spanish Sensory Processing information booklet is perfect for the therapist needing resources to educate parents and teachers.
You’ll find information on sensory processing, including each of the sensory systems and how these sensory systems present when sensory processing is a challenge. You’ll find each sensory system covered on its own page, including interoception, vestibular sense, tactile sense, and proprioception…all of which are big topics and can be difficult to portray in translating sensory information during occupational therapy sessions.
Pages in the sensory processing information booklet are easy to read and broken own by sensory system. For the full printable booklet, scroll below to enter your email.
In this sensory resource, you’ll find each of the sensory systems broken down and information telling how the sensory systems are related to behaviors, actions, and specific needs that we see. This resource is a powerful way to get the information across!
Occupational Therapy Resources in Spanish
Let me know if this resource is helpful to you! Would you be interested in more Occupational Therapy resources in Spanish?
Free Sensory Processing Disorder Booklet in SPANISH!
If there’s one thing that is certain, it’s that we are ALL “sensory”! So often, therapists or teachers hear the term “sensory” in the classrooms and clinics. The term sensory can sometimes be used as a noun to describe a child or behaviors that are a result of sensory processing needs. Today, I wanted to offer a handful of sensory memes that can help us to better understand that we are all sensory creatures. It’s the way we are wired as humans!
While there definitely are behaviors and actions that are connected or as a result of unmet sensory needs or in direct relation to an unregulated sensory system, sometimes the word “sensory” is just that. A word. So, let’s celebrate the sensory beings that we all are with a few sensory memes!
Sensory Memes
The sensory memes here are part of a Celebrating Sensory …celebration! If you would like a file with these memes delivered right to your inbox, scroll to the bottom of this post. You can get them as well as two sensory processing disorder packets for celebrating and advocating for sensory processing. They are free files for you!
We are all “Sensory”
Here’s the thing: we are ALL sensory! We all have ways that we keep ourselves regulated whether it’s by taking a deep breath when you’re feeling stressed, or by getting up and pacing during a phone call. You’ve seen so many forms of self-regulation in action:
Clicking a pen during a meeting
Quickly tapping a toe or wiggling one leg
Stretching
Taking a moment to take a deep breath and refresh
Needing to step away and sip cold water
Naps!
Sensory regulation comes in all forms. And, sensory processing needs can be met in so many ways. We are all different and in that, comes so many means of self-regulating.
For our kids who struggle with regulation, yes; The term “sensory” applies. But, we are ALL sensory!
For ideas to add sensory input into everyday play, try these sensory play ideas.
For information on sensory diets, we’ve got a lot here on The OT Toolbox. This article on What is a Sensory Diet can get you started.
HUGE Sensory Resource
Celebrate ability and kindness. Our kids are capable. Let’s power them by telling them.
You are strong, capable, loved, and so much more!
Celebrate what makes us different!
Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations.
Want to get these memes? These pics AND our Sensory Processing Disorder Booklet and the NEW Spanish version of the Sensory Processing Disorder Booklet are available in a massive printable file. Print off the booklets to start advocating for sensory processing today. Simply print and hand out! The memes can be used on social media.
Grab them by entering your email below. If you are using a school system’s email or an email on a .us, .edu, .gov or other email on a large system, the email delivering these files may be blocked as the email contains a file to access. You may want to enter a personal email address here to ensure delivery. For any issues with accessing these files, simply email contact@www.theottoolbox.com
Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.
When working with sensory kids and their families, one of the number one questions that is asked is—is this a sensory meltdown or a tantrum? It’s often hard to tell the difference between the two, and takes some detective work to figure out which one it is. Determining if a sensory meltdown is occurring is especially difficult because sensory thresholds for these children can vary day to day. So often we hear, “Is it sensory or a behavior” that is causing an action in a child. Here are the clues to help you discern the difference.
For more information on sensory processing, you’ll want to grab our free sensory processing disorder information packet. This is a handy printable designed to better understand SPD and what that looks like in our kids.
Behaviors of Sensory Meltdowns and Tantrums Look Similar
The challenge in determining whether behaviors are the result of a sensory meltdown or a tantrum, is that the child’s behaviors in both instances, are usually the same.
Behaviors that are observed during both a sensory meltdown and a tantrum may include:
• Screaming
• Hitting
• Kicking
• Name calling
• Hiding or avoidance
• Crying
The difference between a meltdown and tantrum however, can be often times, be found in the events prior to the behaviors.
For information on sensory play ideas, you’ll find a lot here on The OT Toolbox.
Tantrums
Tantrums are usually in response to the child not receiving a want/desire out of a situation, or not achieving a goal as they had planned. In these instances behaviors typically occur for an audience, and may cease when the child has achieved their goal. This may be a way of testing boundaries with the authority figure in the situation.
Tantrums can usually be resolved with consequences, reminders of the boundaries, removal from the situation, or distraction to the upset child. Children are also not typically emotionally drained after a tantrum and can resume their routine with ease. This is not necessarily the case when a sensory meltdown occurs.
Sensory Meltdowns
Sensory Meltdowns are the result of sensory overload, and reaction to the big feelings that overloads cause.
When in the throes of the sensory meltdown, the child is not able to control their reactions, behaviors, or emotions. These episodes may also leave the child inconsolable, even when distraction or preferred items are offered, or even when the parent ‘gives’ into what the child is demanding.
Meltdowns may appear happen without a trigger, or may be in response to an event that seems otherwise innocuous to the parent.
The main clue that the behaviors the child is exhibiting is sensory meltdown related is that the behavior does not achieve a want, need or goal.
In the case of a sensory meltdown, having a set of strategies available through use of a sensory diet can help with sensory overload, big feelings, and reactions.
Clues a Behavior is a Sensory Meltdown
• Reaction to event, feeling or overload of sensory input
• Is not to achieve a want, need, or goal
• Continues even without an audience
• Ends only when the child has calmed down and the feelings are out
• The child is very tired after the meltdown or appears ‘spent’
• The child may feel embarrassment or shame as a result of their actions—typically this is seen in older children.
These signs can show up at home, in the community, or in the classroom. Here are strategies for using a sensory diet in the classroom.
What can Trigger a Sensory Meltdown?
Sometimes, we can see a meltdown coming, and other times it seems to hit out of the blue. This is particularly true of children who are a little bit older, and understand what is acceptable and what is not. Because of this, parent’s often report that their children do GREAT at school, and then lose it at home.
Some clues that it might be a meltdown include:
• Being over tired or hungry
• Illness or general unwellness—allergies can be a trigger to this sense of general unwellness. This may include food allergies or sensitivities.
• “Holding it together” for long periods of time—going to school, camp, play dates, etc.
• Change in routines—extra day off of school, vacation, or parent traveling. Essentially, anything outside of the child’s daily routine being off may result in a sensory overload and meltdown.
It may take several hours, or several days before a meltdown occurs as a result of these triggers. As a result, it can appear as though there is no cause for the meltdown until the events prior to the event are examined. If you go back far enough into the past few days, a trigger is usually able to be found.
Whether it’s a tantrum, or a meltdown, behavior is a direct form of communication from kids to adults about what is going on in their life. Knowing the difference between the two can lead to recognition of triggers and patterns, implementation of prevention strategies and successful emotional recovery in both situations.
Tools for Sensory Meltdowns
The Sensory Lifestyle Handbook is a guidebook in strategies to help with sensory meltdowns. Taking the specific and individualized activities that make up a Sensory Diet and transitioning them into a lifestyle of sensory modifications, strategies, and techniques is a Sensory Lifestyle!
This book is for therapists, parents, teachers, or anyone who works with kids with sensory needs.
If you struggle with creating a sensory diet that WORKS…
If you are tired of trying sensory tools that just don’t seem to fit within a child’s busy day…
If you are overwhelmed and don’t know where to start with understanding sensory processing…
If you are a therapist struggling to set up sensory programs that are carried out and followed through at home and in the classroom…
If you are a teacher looking for help with regulation, attention, or sensory meltdowns and need ideas that mesh within the classroom schedule…
If you are looking for sensory techniques that kids WANT to use…
If you are striving to create a sensory lifestyle that meets the needs of a child and family…
The outdoors are the ultimate sensory experience for kids! It is possible to create the “right kind” of sensory experiences to improve regulation, attention, focus, body awareness, motor development, and sensory processing. Outdoor play provides sensory input in all planes, directions, and with multiple senses. This printable packet all about taking sensory diet activities into the outdoors. Outdoor sensory diets are the perfect way to add sensory input that kids need!
Research tells us that outdoor play improves attention and provides an ideal environment for a calm and alert state, perfect for integration of sensory input. In fact, outdoor play provides input from all the senses, allows for movement in all planes, and provides a variety of strengthening components including eccentric, concentric, and isometric muscle contractions. The outdoors are a vestibular, proprioceptive, tactile, and overall sensory-enriched goldmine!
There’s more: Providing opportunities for sensory diet activities in the outdoors encourages open-ended play, imagination, creativity, body awareness, learning skills, self-confidence, gross and fine motor development, attention, and social-emotional skill development.
It can be a real struggle to help kids manage tricky sensory-related challenges.
Parents find it difficult to weed through all of the information and pull out what will work for their child.
Teachers may struggle with kids who fall out of their chairs, can’t focus, and feed off other students. They may feel compelled to help these students but lack resources, time, or tactics.
Therapists may search for fresh ideas that provide the right kind of sensory input and will be carried over at home and at school, all while fitting into the child’s occupational performance sweet spot.
Do one or more of the categories described above sound familiar?
Maybe you are trying sensory strategies, searching for information, and creating sensory diets that just aren’t working. You’re doing all of the right things, but struggle to meet the sensory needs of an individual child.
They are a printable resource that encourages sensory diet strategies in the outdoors. In the printable packet, there are 90 outdoor sensory diet activities, 60 outdoor recess sensory diet activities, 30 blank sensory diet cards, and 6 sensory challenge cards. They can be used based on preference and interest of the child, encouraging motivation and carryover, all while providing much-needed sensory input.
30 blank sensory diet cards, and 6 sensory challenge cards
They can be used based on preference and interest of the child, encouraging motivation and carryover, all while providing much-needed sensory input.
Research tells us that outdoor play improves attention and provides an ideal environment for a calm and alert state, perfect for integration of sensory input.
Outdoor play provides input from all the senses, allows for movement in all planes, and provides a variety of strengthening components including eccentric, concentric, and isometric muscle contractions.
Great tool for parents, teachers, AND therapists!
Here’s the thing: Outdoor play is the ideal setting for incorporating the “right kind” of sensory input. A child who uses a therapy band in the classroom receives just one direction of proprioceptive input. Outdoor play provides sensory input in all planes, directions, and with multiple senses. The sensory diet cards in this free printable pack can be used in SO many ways to help individuals with specific sensory needs.
Check out more about outdoor activities…like play…and sensory diets:
There’s more:
Outdoor sensory diet activities are easy, fun, and motivating…and they make memories for the whole family while meeting the needs of a child with sensory processing challenges.
Outdoor sensory activities can be completed as a group or on an individual basis, and learning can be incorporated right into the tasks.
Teachers will find the outdoor recess sensory diet cards appropriate for the right kind of sensory-based brain breaks throughout the day.
The great outdoors is the biggest sensory gym you can imagine…and all of the sensory equipment is already there! From tree stumps, to hills, to pebbles, to pavement…outdoor sensory diet strategies can occur with little or no equipment.
Parents will love these outdoor sensory strategies that make memories for the whole family.
The whole family can join in on these sensory brain breaks! They provide the best kind of calming proprioceptive input, alerting movement, and sensory-based play that we ALL need!
The outdoor sensory diet strategy cards include a section of outdoor recess activities. These are perfect for the parent advocating for more sensory input for their child at school. The school playground is a powerful source of calming and organizing input!
Therapists will find the Outdoor Sensory Diet Cards a valuable tool in creating home programs. Every child needs more of this type of play!
Sometimes therapists run into issues with sensory diet carryover at home or in the classroom. These are sensory-based activities that kids will love and WANT to do!
As an added bonus, the Outdoor Recess Sensory Diet Cards included in this free packet can be used at any neighborhood playground, making a quick stop at a park a motivating means of incorporating much-needed sensory exercise.
The Sensory Diet Challenge Cards incorporate all of the senses and are a quick checklist of activities that can be used for easy sensory activities.
Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.
