vestibular

Free Heavy Work Activities Cards

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Heavy work activity cards Spring themed gross motor tasks

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 with a Spring theme to add gross motor exercise and brain breaks as well as sensory processing input.

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.

FREE Spring Heavy Work Cards

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    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:

    Spring fine motor kit set of printable fine motor skills worksheets for kids.
    • Lacing cards
    • Sensory bin cards
    • Hole punch activities
    • Pencil control worksheets
    • Play dough mats
    • Write the Room cards
    • Modified paper
    • Sticker activities
    • MUCH MORE

    Click here to add this resource set to your therapy toolbox.

    Spring Fine Motor Kit
    Spring Fine Motor Kit: TONS of resources and tools to build stronger hands.

    Grab your copy of the Spring Fine Motor Kit and build coordination, strength, and endurance in fun and creative activities. Click here to add this resource set to your therapy toolbox.

    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.

    Outdoor Sensory Swing

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    outdoor sensory swing

    Today, we have a fun blog post on outdoor sensory swings. Did you ever look at the swings at the park and think about the sensory impact? Sensory swings are typically used in the therapy clinic, a sensory calm down space in schools, or even in homes. But, taking them outdoors to incorporate all of the benefits of nature is a must! Let’s break it down…

    Outdoor Sensory Swings

    Taking sensory diet activities and other sensory play activities into the outdoors is as easy as walking outside! There are so many opportunities for outdoor sensory experiences using the world around us.

    Add a few key components like water, chalk, playground equipment, toys, and tools and you’ve got a sensory gym right in your backyard. While we’ve shared a lot of outdoor sensory diet activities here on The OT Toolbox, there are so many sensory experiences that are just plain fun right outside.

    Using outdoor sensory activities in occupational therapy is a great strategy to support sensory and emotional regulation needs.  

    Today, we’re talking about taking the sensory processing experiences up a notch using an outdoor sensory swing!   We were lucky to try out the (Amazon affiliate link) Harkla Sensory Pod Swing, and it has been a huge hit with my own children.

    The Occupational Therapist in me can’t help but see how awesome this sensory swing is for addressing sensory needs right in the home…and in the backyard!

     
     
    Use an outdoor sensory swing for the ultimate sensory experience for kids with sensory processing needs, self-regulation challenges, attention, and more.

    Add an Outdoor Sensory Swing to your Child’s Sensory Diet

    Sensory diets play a huge part in the lives of so many children. Kids with sensory processing needs, attention issues, self-regulation challenges, and other areas. Read more about the goals of a sensory diet looks like in kids and how a tool like a sensory swing can play a part in addressing sensory needs.
     
    In fact, there is much research on outdoor sensory play.

    The fact is, research shows us that some of the developmental and primary tasks that children must achieve can be effectively improved through outdoor play. These include: exploring, risk-taking, fine and gross motor development, absorption of basic knowledge, social skills, self-confidence, attention, language skills, among others.   

    So knowing the benefits of being outdoors when it comes to addressing sensory needs, taking the sensory tools used in a sensory diet outdoors can be the obvious next step.   

    Use an outdoor sensory swing like the Harkla pod swing for calming sensory input when outside.

    Why take a sensory swing outdoors? 

    The outdoors offers so much to our senses naturally. Sights, sounds, tactile experiences, and even air pressure can have a bountiful sensory impact!   

    A bright day can be alerting to the child who struggles with alertness. A warm and sunny day can have a calming effect.  

    A slight breeze can offer a brush with the nerve endings on the skin, alerting the child. It can be a calming change from indoor air.   The feel of grass on a child’s toes can bring awareness and body perception.   

    Background noises can be an opportunity to develop auditory processing skills. In fact, there are many ways to address auditory processing needs through backyard auditory processing activities.   

    Ambulating to a sensory swing area is an opportunity to address balance and stability in a natural and functional environment.   

    Swinging provides an opportunity for improved body awareness as a child learns how their body moves and responds to movement. Taking an indoor sensory swing into the outdoors provides a change in routine that can “wake up” the child’s awareness about certain movements.   

    The outdoors offers a vast tactile play box!

    From the feel of a tree’s bark to pebbles and stones, playing outside combined with needed sensory input a sensory swing offers can promote skills like:

    • Fine motor strength
    • Precision
    • Graded grasp
    • Separation of the sides of the hand
    • Bilateral coordination
    • Crossing midline
    • Balance
    • Endurance
    • Core stability and strength
    • And so many other skill areas!   
    Use this outdoor sensory swing for outdoor calming sensory input in kids with sensory processing needs.

    Outdoor Sensory Swing 

    When we received our Harkla pod sensory swing, the kids were eager to put it up in our home.

    After some time waiting for this to actually happen, because as we adults know, making changes to the home can sometimes take longer than expected, we finally decided to try it out in the outdoors.   

    We took the sensory pod swing and the attachment components to a large tree in our backyard. After a quick installment, it was clear that the outdoor sensory swing was a success.   

    Use a sensory swing outside as part of a sensory diet for calming sensory input.

    What a calming experience this was!   

    For the mom of four kids, it can be overwhelming during summer days when the kids are free from routine. All four of the kids swung in the Harkla sensory pod swing and were noticeably more calm and relaxed.   

    The enclosed pod provides a calming nook where kids can relax or calm down.    For the child with sensory needs who thrives after use of a sensory swing in therapy, taking the sensory swing outdoors can be a beneficial and therapeutic experience.   

    I love that the swing can be used indoors or outdoors. Simple attachment mechanisms make this swing easy to install. The adjustable strap allow the swing to be attached at a preferred height for safety.   

    Use a sensory swing to help kids calm down and organize sensory input for improved self-regulation with an outdoor sensory swing.

     Since using the pod swing outdoors, we’ve used the swing several times outside on our big, shady tree. My older kids use the pod swing as a cozy reading nook. What a way to work on that summer reading list!  

    I did bring the swing in after we used it, just so it wouldn’t get soaked in the next summer rainstorm. Putting it back up was easy, using the installment belt and clip.   

    For those without a tree branch that would hold kids, a regular swing set can be an optimal placement for the sensory swing. Simply pull the regular swings to the side or remove the chains and attach the sensory pod using the belt and clip.  

    The price on the sensory pod swing is great for those looking for a sensory swing that can fit within a budget.   

    As a therapist whose seen many therapy equipment catalogues, this is a great price! There is a coupon on the website for saving 10% on your first purchase, along with free shipping in the US.  

    We will be using this outdoor sensory pod swing all summer and installing the swing indoors, too. When the swing is not in use, just unclip the belt!  

    Click here to purchase the Harkla Sensory Pod Swing.

    Click here for more outdoor sensory diet activities and ideas.

    Harkla sensory pod swing is great for calming sensory input at home.

     

    Disclaimer: The information presented here is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to diagnose or treat children with sensory needs, or other areas. Using a sensory swing can have a wide variety of responses on children. Also, recognize that every outdoor experience is different for each child as the environment is different in each experience. Consult your child’s occupational therapist for individualized recommendations. The OT Toolbox provides educational information only and is not responsible for any issues. Reading information found on this website acknowledges your consent to this disclaimer.   This post contains affiliate links.    

    The Sensory Lifestyle Handbook
    The Sensory Lifestyle Handbook

    The Sensory Lifestyle Handbook walks you through sensory processing information, each step of creating a meaningful and motivating sensory diet, that is guided by the individual’s personal interests and preferences.

    The Sensory Lifestyle Handbook is not just about creating a sensory diet to meet sensory processing needs. This handbook is your key to creating an active and thriving lifestyle based on a deep understanding of sensory processing.

    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 Diet Activities at the Playground

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

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

     

    Playground sensory diet activities that kids can use for sensory needs, perfect for occupational therapists who are creating sensory diets for kids with sensory processing needs.



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


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


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


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


    Playground Sensory Diet Activities



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

    Accommodations for addressing sensory needs in the backyard

    For kids with sensory needs, it can be overwhelming on a playground with running children, background noises, or other sensory input. Try these accommodations for addressing sensory needs in backyard play:
     
    Proprioceptive input such as firm touch to the shoulders

     

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

     

    Throw and play catch with a weighted ball 

     

    Baby wipes to clean hands if child is sensitive to messy hands or dirt
    Sheltered area if child is sensitive to wind blowing on skin
    Wear a lightweight wind jacket
    Hat with brim to reduce bright light or intense light in eyes or on face
    Sunscreen with firm touch before going outdoors
    Wear sunglasses
    Wear headphones to reduce background noise
    Sports bottle with straw
    Calming, chewy snacks
     


    More about outdoor sensory diet activities


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

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


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

     

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

     

     

     

     
     

    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.

    Outdoor Sensory Diet Activities for Playing in the Woods

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    Kids just don’t get much time to play outdoors anymore. We talked about the impact that reduced outdoor play has to do with sensory processing needs in kids in our recent Outdoor Sensory Diet Activities post. We chatted about the benefits of outdoor play in a typically developing child as well as those with sensory processing needs. This post covers the benefits of playing in the woods or a wooded area of a backyard or park. This might be a great recommendation for families who are going camping this summer and need some sensory strategies. Playing in the woods offers so many opportunities for sensory input, movement, gross and fine motor work. Not only that, but playing in the woods is a calming and organizing way to play! 


    These activities can be used as part of a sensory diet of specific activities and sensory tools designed to meet specific needs of an individual. 


    This will help when explaining about what a sensory diet is and what a sensory diet looks like for kids with sensory needs. 


    These ideas would be a great addition to all of our summer occupational therapy activities here on The OT Toolbox! 

    Occupational therapists can use these sensory diet activities for wooded areas to recommend sensory diet activities for outdoors or as part of a home program for children with sensory processing needs or SPD.

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

    Wooded Area Sensory Diet

    Fallen tree balance beam
    Jump in leaves
    Climb small trees
    Look Up scavenger hunt
    Bird watch
    Touch tree trunks
    Natrue collection
    Picnic in the woods
    Magnifying glass to find bugs
    Lift rocks and inspect what’s underneith
    Hike
    Climb rocky areas
    Play in streams
    Climb steap hills
    Ride bikes on a trail
    Bug hunt
    Collect sticks
    Build a fort
    Climb trees
    Scent scavenger hunt
    Carry a backpack full of supplies


    Accommodations for addressing sensory needs in a wooded area

    For kids with sensory needs, the sensations of the outdoors and a wooded area can be too much for the child to tolerate. Try these accommodations for addressing sensory needs in backyard play:

    Calming snacks for a picnic
    Drink water from a sports bottle with a straw
    Wear sunglasses
    Wear a brimmed hat
    Wear high top shoes or shoes that provide proprioceptive input
    Wear shoes that the child is able to tolerate
    Compression clothing
    Wear a lightweight wind jacket
    Be cognizant of the scent of bug spray
    Recognize early signs of sensory overload and head back to the house or car before a meltdown occurs (Leave on a happy note)


    How to incorporate sensory play into playing outside

    Sensory diet activities can be specific to sensory system like these vestibular sensory diet activities. Sensory activities can be prescribed according to need along with environment in order to maximize sensory input within a child’s day such as within the school day. Using authentic sensory input within the child’s environment plays into the whole child that we must understand when focusing on any goal toward improved functional independence. 





    Many sensory diet activities can naturally be found outdoors. In fact, outdoor sensory diet activities are a fun way to encourage sensory input in a child’s environment and without fancy therapy equipment or tools. 


    It’s a fact that kids are spending less time playing outdoors. From after-school schedules to two working parents, to unsafe conditions, to increased digital screen time, to less outdoor recess time…kids just get less natural play in the outdoors. Some therapists have connected the dots between less outdoor play and increased sensory struggles and attention difficulties in learning. 

    Knowing this, it can be powerful to have a list of outdoor sensory diet activities that can be recommended as therapy home programing and family activities that meet underlying needs.

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

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

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


    Be sure to grab the Outdoor Sensory Diet Cards and use them with a child (or adult) with sensory processing needs!

    Outdoor sensory diet activity cards for parents, teachers, and therapists of children with sensory processing needs.

    More about outdoor sensory diet activities

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

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

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

    The Sensory Lifestyle Handbook is a resource for creating sensory diets and turning them into a lifestyle of sensory success through meaningful and motivating sensory enrichment.
    Occupational therapists can use these sensory diet activities for wooded areas to recommend sensory diet activities for outdoors or as part of a home program for children with sensory processing needs or SPD.

    Sensory Diet Activities at the Beach

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    Whether you live at the beach or just travel to the beach for an annual family trip, it can be overwhelming for a child with sensory needs to cope with the sensory input that a trip to the beach can cause. The beach has so many sights, sounds, scents, and textures that can be used to meet sensory needs. For the family that is travelling with a child with sensory processing challenges, the beach can be both a blessing and a source of sensory overload. Use the strategies listed below to address sensory needs on a trip to the shore and the tactics to address hypersensitivity during a beach trip. These sensory diet activities at the beach can be a powerful tool or recommendation by occupational therapists and part of an outdoor sensory diet. 


    Knowing what a sensory diet is and how it can be used within a sensory lifestyle is a big part of integrating sensory activities and sensory play, even while travelling or for the family who lives at the beach or water area. 


     
    Kids with sensory processing challenges or SPD can use these sensory diet activities at the beach, perfect for Occupational Therapists to recommend as a home program for beach play or for families travelling to the beach for vacation.
     

     

    Sensory Diet Activities at the Beach

    Make a sandcastle
    Rake the sand (for pulling and pushing proprioceptive input)
    Bury feet or hands
    Sprinkle sand on hands or toys
    Fill a bucket with water
    Carry water from the shore to dry sand
    Dig wet sand 
    Dig dry sand
    Make a “wet castle” using wet sand
    Firm pressure massage with sunscreen
    Carry a bucket of sand
    Scoop and pour sand
    Scoop and pour water
    Inspect tide pools
    Pick up, scoop, and carry pebbles
    Jump low waves
    Sit at water’s edge for sand play
    Bury a toy and then find it
    Play visual discrimination games with sand toys: Child can look at a collection of toys then one is removed and the child needs to determine which is missing
    Play beach “I Spy”
    Roll up in a beach towel burrito with heavy input
    Fill a gallon sized bag with sand for a DIY weighted lap pad or shoulder pad
    Pull or push a bin or wagon of beach toys
    Carry a beach bag
    Fly a kite (great for visual motor skills, visual scanning, and proprioception)
    Catch and toss a beach ball
    Play beach ring toss
    Chase waves
    Look for seashells
    Rinse and clean seashells



    Kids with sensory processing challenges or SPD can use these sensory diet activities at the beach, perfect for Occupational Therapists to recommend as a home program for beach play or for families travelling to the beach for vacation.

     

    Accommodations for addressing sensory needs at the beach

    Children with sensory processing challenges can be overwhelmed given all of the sights, sounds, scents, and textures that the beach provides. Try these accommodations for addressing sensory needs in backyard play:
     

    Play in a baby pool to enjoy water without the waves
    Use a large beach blanket and weight down edges
    Be cognizant of hot sand
    Provide calming snacks
    Wear long sleeved sun clothing

    Wear water shoes instead of sandals or bear feet
    Proprioceptive input such as firm touch to the shoulders
    Bucket of water to rinse hands if child is sensitive to sand
    Sheltered area such as a wind tent or low umbrella if child is sensitive to wind blowing on skin
    Wear a lightweight wind jacket
    Use baby powder to remove sand
    Hat with brim to reduce bright light or intense light in eyes or on face
    Wear sunglasses
    Wear headphones to reduce background noise
    Be aware of certain sunscreens which as a strong scent
    Bring extra dry towels
     

    How to incorporate sensory play into playing at the beach

    Sensory diet activities can be specific to sensory system like these vestibular sensory diet activities. Sensory activities can be prescribed according to need along with environment in order to maximize sensory input within a child’s day such as within the school day. Using authentic sensory input within the child’s environment plays into the whole child that we must understand when focusing on any goal toward improved functional independence. 

     

     
    Many sensory diet activities can naturally be found outdoors. In fact, outdoor sensory diet activities are a fun way to encourage sensory input in a child’s environment and without fancy therapy equipment or tools. 

    It’s a fact that kids are spending less time playing outdoors. From after-school schedules to two working parents, to unsafe conditions, to increased digital screen time, to less outdoor recess time…kids just get less natural play in the outdoors. Some therapists have connected the dots between less outdoor play and increased sensory struggles and attention difficulties in learning. 
     
    Knowing this, it can be powerful to have a list of outdoor sensory diet activities that can be recommended as therapy home programing and family activities that meet underlying needs.
     
    That’s where the Outdoor Sensory Diet Cards and Sensory Challenge Cards come into play.
     
    They are a FREE printable resource that encourages sensory diet strategies in the outdoors. In the printable packet, there are 90 outdoor sensory diet activities, 60 outdoor recess sensory diet activities, 30 blank sensory diet cards, and 6 sensory challenge cards. They can be used based on preference and interest of the child, encouraging motivation and carryover, all while providing much-needed sensory input.
     
    Here’s a little more information about the Outdoor Sensory Diet Cards
    • 90 outdoor sensory diet activities
    • 60 outdoor recess sensory diet activities
    • 30 blank sensory diet cards, and 6 sensory challenge cards
    • They can be used based on preference and interest of the child, encouraging motivation and carryover, all while providing much-needed sensory input. 
    • Research tells us that outdoor play improves attention and provides an ideal environment for a calm and alert state, perfect for integration of sensory input.
    • Outdoor play provides input from all the senses, allows for movement in all planes, and provides a variety of strengthening components including eccentric, concentric, and isometric muscle contractions. 
    • Great tool for parents, teachers, AND therapists!
     
     
    Outdoor sensory diet activity cards for parents, teachers, and therapists of children with sensory processing needs.
     


     
    The Sensory Lifestyle Handbook is a resource for creating sensory diets and turning them into a lifestyle of sensory success through meaningful and motivating sensory enrichment.
     
     
    Kids with sensory processing challenges or SPD can use these sensory diet activities at the beach, perfect for Occupational Therapists to recommend as a home program for beach play or for families travelling to the beach for vacation.

    Be sure to grab the Outdoor Sensory Diet Cards and use them with a child (or a sensory diet for adults) with sensory processing needs!

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

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

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

    Get The Sensory Lifestyle Handbook here.

    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 Diet Vestibular Activities

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    The vestibular system is a powerful one! It can be a confusing one when we consider how it impacts our body’s ability to regulate. The vestibular system is one of the three systems that impact all of the others and therefore all learning, cognition, and occupational performance. the vestibular system develops early in life and plays a very important role in early development. for these reasons, today we’re talking about Sensory Diet Vestibular Activities. These are vestibular activities that can be used in a sensory diet and a sensory lifestyle full of meaningful sensory activities. The vestibular activities listed below are those that impact an individual in many ways.


    Use these sensory diet vestibular activities to address sensory needs such as hyperresponsiveness or hyperresponsiveness to vestibular sensory input, creating a functional and meaningful sensory lifestyle for kids.








    The Vestibular System



    Understanding the vestibular system can help explain how and why we need to incorporate vestibular activities into our daily life.


    Here is an explanation of the vestibular system from a neurological focus.


    Here are vestibular red flags indicating a problem with the vestibular system and how that looks in a child’s day.


    Check out those two links above to get a good background on the vestibular system and how it impacts every activity and function that we perform. In fact, the vestibular system plays a huge part in coordination of our head movements with the stimulation in the environment. 


    + We are then able to copy words and phrases from the board in the classroom by shifting our vision from the table surface to the overhead board without losing our place.


    + We are able to watch a moving object like a soccer ball as it travels across a field.


    + We are able to read a speech while looking up at our audience, without losing our place on the cue cards.


    + We are able to hold our body in a specific position such as a downward dog yoga position while concentrating on deep breathing.


    + We are able to maintain our head positioning while cutting with scissors or while riding a bicycle.


    The vestibular system plays such a huge part in our daily tasks in a manner that happens naturally and without effort!


    It is easy to see how a problem with the vestibular system could result in major issues with functioning!

    Sensory Diet Vestibular Activities

    The sensory vestibular activities listed below are playful ways to promote performance and tolerance to movement activities. They are also challenges against gravity to help kids with difficulties in equilibrium, balance, self-regulation, and adjusting to typical sensory input. The vestibular system operates through receptors in the inner ear and in conjunction with position in space, input from the eyes, and feedback from muscle and joint receptors, is able to contribute to posture and appropriate response of the visual system to maintain a field of vision. This allows an individual to detect movement and changes in the position of the head and body. Dysfunction in the vestibular system may result in hypersensitivity to movements or hyposensitivity to movements.

    When
    providing vestibular input as an intervention strategy for sensory needs,
    various movement patterns should be considered. Depending on the individualized
    needs of the child, activities can be designed to include movements such as:

    Prone swinging
    Seated swinging
    Standing swinging
    Linear movements
    Vertical
    movements
    Rotary movements
    Angular movements
    Upside down
    movements
    Horizontal
    movements
    Challenges to
    balance
    Inverted head
    Unstable base of
    support
    Starts and stops
    in motion
    Changes in
    direction

    Changes in speed

    Vestibular Hyperresponsiveness

    Some children may present with vestibular hyperresponsiveness.


    This looks like a variety of things in children. As we know, every child is uniquely different. The indicators of sensory hyperresponsiveness listed here are only just a few ways that vestibular hyperresponsiveness may present in kids: 

    • Overly dizzy with motions
    • Resistant to moving activities such as
      swings, slides, elevators, or escalators
    • Fear of unstable surfaces
    • Unable to tolerate backward motions
    • Unable to tolerate side to side motions
    • Illness in moving vehicles
    • Avoids swings or slides
    • Gets motion sick easily
    • Gravitational insecurity
    • Challenges with unstable surfaces
    • Dislike of moving surfaces 

    Try adding some of these vestibular activities into a sensory diet or sensory lifestyle. (These are just a FEW activities that can be used by children. Activities can be modified to include all of the movement planes listed above.)


    Sensory Diet Vestibular Activities for Hyperresponsiveness: 

    • Skipping
    • Prone activates with arms supporting the upper body at the shoulders and elbows
    • Slowly adding activities in the quadruped positioning
    • Adding a support for jumping, hopping, balance activities
    • Crawling
    • Walking
    • Sliding
    • Rolling
    • Being pulled on a blanket or sled (indoor works, too!)
    • Throwing bean bags at a target
    • Throwing/catching a ball
    • Movement obstacle courses
    • Wheelbarrow races

    Vestibular Hyporesponsiveness

    On the flip side, a child can present with hyporesponsiveness of the vestibular system. Hypo-responsiveness of the vestibular sense may present in a child as an under-responsiveness or underreaction to vestibular sensation. This may look like the actions listed below. Remember that every child is different. This list is only a sample of the various ways a child can present when they are impacted by hyporesponsive vestibular system.

     
    Hyporesponsiveness of the vestibular system examples:
    • Constant movement including jumping,
      spinning, rocking, climbing
    • Craves movement at fast intervals
    • Craves spinning, rocking, or rotary
      motions
    • Poor balance on uneven surfaces
    • Constantly fidgeting
    • Increased visual attention to spinning
      objects or overhead fans
    • Bolts or runs away in community or group
      settings, or when outdoors or in large open areas such as shopping malls
    • Difficulty maintaining sustained
      attention
    • Impulsive movement
    • Constantly getting up and down from desk
      in the classroom
    • Walks around when not supposed to (in the
      classroom, during meals, etc.)
    • Loves to be upside down

    Sensory Diet Vestibular Activities for Hyporesponsiveness: 

    Children with hyporesponsiveness of vestibular input may benefit from a variety of activities. Below are just a jew of these ideas. Try using these sensory diet vestibular activities when addressing hyporesponsiveness of vestibular sensation: 

    • Therapy ball
    • Fidget tools
    • Cushion or partially deflated beach ball on the floor under feet at a desk or chair. 
    • Tie therapy band (TheraBand) or a resistive cord around the legs of a student’s chair for use as a foot fidget
    • Provide appropriate play-based opportunities for movement needs (sit and spin toy, see saw toy, rocking chair, trampoline)
    • Weave vestibular input throughout the day and prior to fine motor/visual motor activities
    • Ensure the feet touch the ground or have support when seated in a chair or on the toilet

    Sensory diets and specific sensory input or sensory challenges are a big part of addressing sensory needs of children who struggle with sensory processing issues. Incorporating a schedule of sensory input (sensory diet) into a lifestyle of naturally occuring and meaningful activities is so very valuable for the child with sensory needs. That’s why I’ve worked to create a book on creating an authentic and meaningful sensory lifestyle that addresses sensory needs. You can watch for more information on this book coming very soon. If you would like to be the first to know more about this book (and want to grab some upcoming freebies related to sensory lifestyles and sensory diet activities, sign up here. You’ll be the first to get some awesome tools for addressing sensory needs in motivating and meaningful ways.

    The vestibular system is one of the bodys senses and responsible for awareness of our body in space and gravitational insecurity during tasks. Kids can use balance beams to work on integration of the vestibular sense, perfect for children who seek movement, run into objects, fear certain positions, have trouble visually tracking items in reading and written, and more. Occupational Therapy with a balance beam activities. Try these vestibular sensory activities with the family this Fall Try these sensory integration therapy ideas at the playground for vestibular and proprioceptive sensory input. Indoor Ice Skates proprioception and vestibular sensory play activity
     
     
     
    Vestibular sensory play activity for indoor play. This shot put game is a great way to incorporate the vestibular system into play. Super easy and fun Frisbee Vestibular activity for indoor play this winter. Get the kids moving! Try these backyard vestibular sensory activities for summerMake a wobble balance disc from ice for sensory input and balance training. This helps kids with attention, strengthening, and fidgeting while incorporating sensory needs like proprioception and vestibular integration.
    These vestibular activities for a sensory diet are great sensory ideas for addressing hyperresponsiveness or hyporesponsiveness to vestibular input as well as adding vestibular sensory input into a sensory diet or sensory lifestyle.

    Train Themed Sensory Ideas

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    Kids with sensory needs can benefit from a themed intervention.  The child that craves sensory input can benefit from a set of sensory activities that are designed around their special interests.  The same holds true for the child who pulls back from sensations.  A set of sensory activities with a special theme can be motivating for the child who avoids specific sensations, positions, or textures.



    This post is one in a series of special-themed sensory activity sets.  You can find all of the special interest activities on our Sensory Interests Series.  Maybe there is a set of activities that is perfect for your child’s individual interests.  You’ll find everything from sports to dolls to cooking, with more special interest sensory themes coming soon!


    These activities and interest-led sensory-based ideas can be a great addition to a sensory diet. Read more about sensory diets.


    Use these train themed sensory ideas to help kids with sensory processing challenges to get the sensory input they crave and need using a special interest and motivating activities.

    Add these resources to the ones you can find here under sensory diet vestibular activities to meet the sensory needs of all kids. 




    If there is a special theme you are looking for, shoot me an email at www.theottoolbox.com and I will do my best to come up with a set of activities based on that theme.


    Need information about sensory processing? Grab this free sensory processing booklet.

    Use these train themed sensory ideas to help kids with sensory processing challenges to get the sensory input they crave and need using a special interest and motivating activities.

    Train themed sensory ideas for kids

    Does your child LOVE trains?  These sensory activities are designed to meet sensory needs in a motivating manner.


    Train Themed Proprioception Activites

    Push 2×4 wood pieces or wooden blocks with both hands down a driveway or sidewalk.  There is a lot of history and research based on using sanding as a means of therapeutic intervention.  Pushing a wooden block along a resistive surface applies proprioceptive input through bilateral resistive wrist, elbow & shoulders.  Add additional blocks of wood to create a train.


    Fill a cardboard box with books or other heavy items.  Push it along a carpeted room.  Add other boxes to the train. Try to keep them in a line.  This is a great way to work on motor planning and core strength as kids balance to keep the boxes in the train aligned. Try this with books or crates.


    Blow a train whistle.


    Draw tracks on a paper with pencil.  Children can use a rectangular school eraser as a “train” to erase the train track lines.  Draw the lines with heavier pressure for more required proprioceptive input.  Drawing with lighter strokes requires less heavy work.  Also try a kneaded eraser.


    Fill a laundry basket with books, blocks, or other heavy items.  This can be a train cargo car that needs loaded and unloaded in order to set off on a delivery.  Kids can act like a crane with whole body movements.


    Fill a plastic sandwich bag with dry beans.  Reinforce the edges and sides with heavy duty tape like duct tape.  Cover the entire plastic bag to create a DIY bean bag.  Stick train stickers to the outside of the bean bag.  Use them to play target games.


    These train beads would come in handy for heavy work to the hands.  Hide them in silly putty, slime, or thera-putty.  Hide them in play dough and then freeze the dough to add more resistance.  Kids can find and hide the train beads for proprioceptive input through the hand and finger joints.


    Tape pieces of paper to the floor in a line.  These are the “tracks” of a train.  Kids can hop, leap, or jump from paper to paper as an indoor heavy work activity.


    Use sidewalk chalk to create train tracks on a large sidewalk or driveway.  Hop, run, leap, skip, or jump on the track from stop to stop.


    Stick masking tape to the floor of a carpeted floor.  Ask kids to send animals on the train! They can do different animal walks along the tracks to get from train stop to train stop.  Animal walks that add proprioceptive input include: bear walk, crab walk, frog hop, or donkey kicks.



    Vestibular Train Themed Sensory Activities

    Make a train with friends and walk over couch cushions and outside down slopes and on slanted grassy surfaces.

    Use a therapy scooter board to pull the child using therapy band or a hoola hoop. The child can pretend they are on a train as they ride in various directions.

    March along a path or balance beam like a train.


    Oral Sensory Motor Train Themed Sensory Activities

    Make a Train Whistle to address oral motor and proprioceptive needs. Kids can use a recycled cardboard tube such as a paper towel roll. Using a sharp pencil, punch a hole in the middle of the tube. Cover one end with a small piece of wax paper and attach with a rubber band. Use the tube like a kazoo. When kids blow into the hole, a buzzing noise like a train whistle is produced. Use this DIY train whistle craft as a tool for sensory needs.

    Auditory Train Themed Sensory Activities

    Use a train whistle to create loud or soft whistles.  Listen for the volume of the whislte and play a matching game where kids need to copy the intensity of sound.  Try this with patterns, too.


    Tactile Train Themed Sensory Activities

    Make an easy train themed busy bag. Ask kids to guess the items in a bag without looking and just using the sense of touch to identify shapes and items. This activity is based on the children’s book, Steam Train Dream Train.

    Train Themed Snacks

    Make this crunchy train theme graham cracker snack.
    The kids can help make this healthy train themed snack using fruits and vegetables.


    Train Themed Transitions

    Train Themed Sensory Activities for On-The-Go

    These activities are designed to be taken out of the home or classroom.  Use them while out in the community, while in the car, or when traveling.

    Create a travel sensory bag with fidget toys, train activity cards, sensory snacks, or weighted tools.  This train key chain is a great fidget tool that can be attached to backpacks, jackets, binders, or belt loops. 



    Use these train themed sensory ideas to help kids with sensory processing challenges to get the sensory input they crave and need using a special interest and motivating activities.

    More Train Sensory Tools

    There are other sensory tools that kids can have in their arsenal as a tool for self-regulation:
    Self-talk
    Yoga stretches
    Behavior chart
    Reward/Goal Chart

    Use these train themed sensory ideas to help kids with sensory processing challenges to get the sensory input they crave and need using a special interest and motivating activities.

    Sensory Strategies for the School Based OT

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    For the child with sensory challenges, the classroom can be an overwhelming place.  All of the sensory systems are touched on in the classroom.  When sensory systems are challenged, learning is a struggle.  School based OTs are often times consulted when students struggle with physical or sensory issues that result in educational deficits.  


    Previously, The OT Toolbox has shared free ways to incorporate sensory motor experiences into the classroom.   You might be looking for more resources that can be used to address many sensory needs in the classroom.  Below are sensory resources for the school based occupational therapist and strategies that can be incorporated into OT in the school. 


    These are strategies to fill your therapy toolbox and address everything from inattention to sensory meltdowns.


     
    School-based OTs can utilize this resource of sensory strategies for school based OT and occupational therapy intervention in schools.
     
    These tong activities would be a great addition to summer occupational therapy activities and home programs!

    Sensory Resources for the School Based OT

    This post includes affiliate links.
     

    This is a great article written on sensory integration practices in the school setting.  It includes the clinical reasoning and practices that go along with sensory practice in the school.  Of interest are sensory screening and evaluation recommendations for school settings, sensory intervention and treatment delivery options, and recommendations.  Also included is a table with approaches and sensory strategies for Occupational Therapy intervention in the classroom or school setting.  

    Case studies include IEP goals or 504 accommodations related to sensory processing interventions.


    Assessments for sensory needs can include direct observation of the child’s performance in the school setting.  Observing a variety of tasks during the school day can be helpful to analyze the demands of specific activities, including needs and strengths in tool use, fatigue, sequencing, spatial concepts, social interactions, physical requirements, cognitive abilities, etc.  A child transitions through a variety of settings during a school day and is challenged in various environments which might present differing needs or abilities.  The school-based OT should assess a student’s sensory and neuromuscular functioning in these various environments.  


    Many students who struggle with sensory challenges benefit from a sensory diet during the school day.  This specialized diet of sensory activities and input should be designed by an occupational therapist who assesses and identifies the student’s particular needs and strengths or interests.  Sensory diets in the school can include many different tools, not limited to fidget tools, specialized seating, movement breaks, weighted lap pads or vests, calming scents, limited or structured visual adjustments, chewing tools, or other activities.  Read more about the goals of a sensory diet. 


    Use this free Sensory Processing Disorder booklet for passing on sensory processing information to parents and teachers. 

    Fidgeting Tools for the Classroom

    Fidgeting with items can help with attention, regulation, and focus.  Try these fidgeting options in the classroom:

    Adapted Seating in the Classroom

    Adapted seating can be a sensory strategy that helps with fidgeting as well.  Sensory needs can overflow to wiggling, poor posture, slouching, and decreased focus.  An altered seating system is sometimes used to address a weak core strength and resulting inefficient posture as well.  Try these sensory-based seating ideas:

    • Cheap Alternative Seating Option
    • Movement seats like a disk cushion are great for allowing movement for improved attention.
    • Wobble Seat uses the idea of a therapy or stability ball in the form of a stool.  This is great for classroom use because the giant therapy balls tend to roll away from desks.
    • This Guide to Alternate Seating is a resource that can benefit many individuals in the school, including teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, and school-based therapists. 
    • Special cushions
    • Bean bags
    • Intertubes
    • Therapy balls
    • Wedge seats
    • Support added to the seat
    • Etc.

    Self-Regulation in the Classroom

    For the child who struggles with sensory processing disorder or is challenged with impaired responsiveness, interventions in regulation can be used in the classroom:

    Sensory-Based Interventions for the School Based OT

    Here on The OT Toolbox site, we have a huge collection of sensory-based play and sensory experiences that meet various needs.  Find all of the sensory activities here and how these experiences can address discrimination needs, improve participation, and address sensory modulation. 


    Sensory Integration Approach to School Based OT

    A sensory integrative approach is based on the work of A. Jean Ayres, PhD, OTR, and identified as Ayres Sensory Integration.  For school-based practice, sensory integration and praxis needs are addressed by assessment and interventions occurring in natural sensory-rich spaces.   A sensory integration approach utilizes interactions between the OT and the student in a sensory-rich environment in a playful approach that allows for adaptation to novel challenges addressing reactivity, postural skills, praxis, and perceptual skills.  
     
    Read more about sensory-based interventions and sensory integration approaches to school based OT and how these approaches look in meeting needs of students here.
     


    Chewing Tools for Classroom Sensory Needs

    • Pencil Topper Chews come in a variety of textures and toughness to meet sensory needs.
    • Chewable jewelry  is often times appropriate for the classroom, because the variety of necklace or bracelet styles on the market are discreet while meeting sensory needs. 
    • Here is information on how to choose the right chew tool for addressing sensory needs.

    Push In or Pull Out OT Services in the School

    Sensory needs can be addressed by strategies from the school based OT both in and out of the classroom.  For the child who receives occupational therapy services at school, therapy can occur in any aspect of the child’s day where needs are limiting educational abilities.  
     
    OT services completed with a “push in” model allow the therapist to identify needs in the classroom. Therapists can then intervene, and provide adaptations, modifications, and tools during classroom activities.  Consultation with teachers and professionals can occur right in the classroom during daily tasks and in a natural setting.  Sensory strategies can easily be a collaborative nature with teachers and paraprofessionals when performed right in the classroom and in the natural environment of the child’s day.  
     
    Therapy being competed in a “pull out” model can address sensory diet needs and development that is then utilized throughout and within the student’s daily activities at school.  Specific skill assessment and development can occur in pull out services.  
     
    References:
    Occupational Therapy for Children and Youth Using Sensory Integration Theory and Methods in School-Based Practice. Am J Occup Ther 2015;69(Supplement_3):6913410040p1-6913410040p20. doi: 10.5014/ajot.2015.696S04.
    School-based OTs can utilize this resource of sensory strategies for school based OT and occupational therapy intervention in schools.
    You may also be interested in the free printable packet, The Classroom Sensory Strategy Toolkit.
     
    The Classroom Sensory Strategy Toolkit is a printable packet of resources and handouts that can be used by teachers, parents, and therapists. Whether you are looking for a handout to explain sensory strategies, or a tool for advocating for your child, the Classroom Sensory Strategy Toolkit has got you covered.
     
    And it’s free for you to print off and use again and again.
     
    In the Classroom Sensory Strategy Toolkit, you’ll find:
     
    • Fidgeting Tools for the Classroom
    • Adapted Seating Strategies for the Classroom
    • Self-Regulation in the Classroom
    • 105 Calm-down Strategies for the Classroom
    • Chewing Tools for Classroom Needs
    • 45 Organizing Tools for Classroom Needs
    • Indoor Recess Sensory Diet Cards
     
    Sensory Strategies for the Classroom
     

    Free Classroom Sensory Strategies Toolkit

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      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.

      Outdoor Balance Beam Ideas

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      Balance beams are a great tool for addressing areas like vestibular sensory input, core strength, balance, visual motor skills, and attention.  Here are outdoor balance beams and balance beam ideas that don’t require a playground or fancy equipment. These balance beams for kids are helpful in building the skills needed for reading, writing, visual processing, sensory processing, self-regulation, and more. Read more about balance beams and how they sneak in so many skill areas in a post we wrote on how balance beams help with sensory needs.

      Try these outdoor balance beam ideas to help kids work on sensory needs, vestibular sensory input, and gross motor skills like core strength and balance.





      Recently, I shared ideas for indoor balance beams.  The indoor balance beam ideas are perfect for adding movement and core strengthening to those rainy days that keep the kids inside but the kids are bouncing off those very walls that keep them cozy and dry?  I wanted to share some outdoor balance beam ideas that you may not have thought of.


      Add these resources to the ones you can find here under sensory diet vestibular activities to meet the sensory needs of all kids. 

      Outdoor Balance Beam Ideas Kids Love

      This post contains affiliate links.

      You don’t need fancy equipment! Use sticks to make a balance beam.

      Use 2x4x16 feet or 2x4x8 feet wooden planks to create a large-sized balance beam in the lawn or on the driveway.  Large pieces of wood can be found at hardware stores. Moving those large pieces is a workout for kids that can be calming with all of that proprioceptive input!


      Not interested in moving big pieces of wood?  Try using rocks, patio pavers,  bricks.  


      These glow-in-the-dark pebbles would be fun to create a low path at dusk!


      Try chalk drawn on a driveway or sidewalk.  Make the balance beam lines bend and curve to really challenge balance.


      Skip the chalk and make a balance beam with the cracks that are already in the sidewalk or driveway!


      Use a jump rope or long rope to create a balance beam line.


      Use sticks and twigs to make a balance beam in the grass.


      Make a narrow balance beam using leaves or wildflowers like dandelions.


      Create a balance beam with leaves.


      Walk along a fallen log.


      Use commercial versions of balance beams that are available, including a portable foam balance beam.  This would be perfect for outdoor obstacle courses.  


      Other ideas include: Make a portable roll-up balance beam using a yoga mat cut into strips (easily add it to your therapy bag!) and balance pods.

      Try these outdoor balance beam ideas to help kids work on sensory needs, vestibular sensory input, and gross motor skills like core strength and balance.



      What ideas do you have for outdoor balance beams?