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Sensory Strategies & Resources

Sensory Strategies & Resources

SENSORY SMART SNACKING

Here are some sensory smart snacks for school-aged children:

  • Crunchy and chewy foods help make kids more alert by engaging their senses.
  • Sipping or sucking can help organize and calm children.
  • Fresh fruits and vegetables,whole grains and calcium rich foods make them healthy overall.

Sensory Smart Snack Ideas:

  • Pears 
  • Apples
  • Cucumbers
  • Carrot sticks
  • Celery sticks
  • Dried fruit (Cherries, apricots, mangos, and raisins)
  • Orange wedges
  • Rice cakes
  • Granola bars
  • Graham crackers
  • Fruit leather
  • Low fat yogurt with a straw
  • Applesauce with a straw
  • Cheese sticks and chunks of cheese
  • Whole grain cereal and crackers
  • Popcorn
  • Chewy whole grain bagels
  • 7 grain chips
  • Bagel chips 

EXERCISES FOR SELF-REGULATION AND CALMING

 If your child struggles with emotions, anxiety, attention and focus, here are some calming activities to help support self-regulation:

  • Frog Jumps-Hop, hop, back and forth like a frog
  • Bear Walks-Hands and feet on the floor, hips high-walk left and right
  • Gorilla Shuffle-Sink into a low sumo squat, with hands on the floor, shuffle around the room. 
  • Starfish Jumps-Jumping jacks as fast as you can, with your arms and legs opened wide. 
  • Cheetah Run-Run in place, as fast as you can. Just like the fastest animal in the Sahara
  • Crab Walk-Sit and place your palms flat on the floor behind you near your hips. Lift up off the ground and crawl. 
  • Elephant Stomps -March in place lifting your knees as high as you can and stomping the ground as hard as you can. 

STRATEGIES FOR SELF-REGULATION AND CALMING

  • Deep Breaths 
  • Blow into your hands
  • Place your hands in your pockets
  • Make a fist then relax hands
  • Ask for a hug
  • Count to 5 

PLAY TIME HEAVY WORK ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

Heavy work activities can be integrated into play time. Alot of games and activities that your child is already doing on a playground can be classified as heavy work.   Here are some play time suggestions:

  • Climb a tree
  • Push someone on a swing
  • Play on a teeter totter or seesaw
  • Build a fort
  • Obstacle course
  • Pillow fight
  • Pull a wagon or sled filled with objects or with a person riding in it
  • Play catch with bean bags
  • Play catch with a large ball
  • Climb up a slide
  • Monkey bars
  • Climb at the playground (ladders, rock walls, domes, etc.)
  • Carry a pile of books
  • Play statue (adult stands as straight as possible and child tries to push adult)
  • Carry a bucket of water or sand
  • Push a bobo doll or punching bag
  • Play tug of war (you can use a rope, blanket, scarf)
  • Resistance cycling (adult or child face each other, put feet together, and pedal)
  • Push a door (adult puts resistance on a door while child tries to push the door closed)
  • Hand pushing game (adult and child place hands together and push back and forth)
  • Dig in the dirt, garden, or sandbox
  • Do pushups
  • Squish, knead, and play with play dough or silly putty or theraputty
  • Ride a scooter board on your tummy and use hands to move