1. Body Sock
A Body Sock is one of my favorite materials, lycra. It is great tool to give kids proprioceptive and deep tactile input into their joints as well as remove the visual information. Removing visual information helps to decrease input in the environment and help calm our nervous system, and the lycra fiber feels great on the skin and joints.
Weighted balls are great to get proprioceptive input into the joints. They are also a great tool to work on strengthening. Children can place the balls into a laundry basket, push them, lift them, and catch or throw the balls. Using weighted balls is an east way to get heavy work in while around the house.
For some children, it is nice to be in a quiet space, removing the visual input. My favorite sensory tent recommendation can be found on Amazon. The tent has twinkle lights that add a really nice effect. You can expand play in tents, ranging from pretending you are in a campfire or that you are just playing inside with your trains. You can really do so much when you are in a sensory tent!
These are great, because when you have the velcro ball on the mitt, you really have to pull it off, which engages your child’s core strength. This activity also works on throwing and catching. These mitts are an easier option to catch than normal mitts and kids tend to enjoy it. They tend to be very fond of the sound of the velcro. At home, you can practice throwing from close proximity or further away based on how well your child can throw.
The other thing I found I really love, are these sensory costumes. These costumes are nice and soft, for our kids who want to dress up, without the scratchy material that so many costumes have. You can even duplicate them to have halloween costumes for next year, so size up!
The next thing I like to recommend to families is the Melissa and Doug Color Wow, where you just fill up a paint brush with water, and the color wow is colored with the wet paintbrush. It adds a great coloring effect and it dries right up so you can reuse it. The Melissa and Doug Color Wow is really great for road trips and keeps kids occupied without worrying about the mess actual painting creates.
The final thing I recommend are the Yogarilla Yoga Cards. These are great, simple, yoga poses that come very large print for kids to be able to copy. They are fun for both kids and adults and can be used as a family activity.
Thanks for reading! Let us know in the comments what your favorite sensory friendly toys and activities are for your home. Sensory Innovation Therapies wishes you and your family a great holiday season.
