5 Favorite Sensory Play Items

When schools and therapy centers across the country closed in mid March, as a parent one of the first thoughts that ran through my head was, “how am I going to incorporate therapeutic activities into our day to day life at home?” My 7 year old daughter Ellie has cerebral palsy along with other complex medical conditions and receives physical, occupational, and speech therapy services through school as well as privately. When things shut down I suddenly was thrust into the role of home-therapist, a daunting task for any parent, let alone in the midst of a global pandemic. I quickly scanned through an Amazon Wishlist I had been compiling throughout the year and purchased a plethora of items to try out with my daughter. Below I complied a list of my 5 favorite sensory play items, along with suggested activities to go along with them.

*I am not a therapist or trained professional. Please consult your child’s therapy team before using equipment and items My recommendations come from personal use as well as suggestions from other families.*

5 favorite SENSORY play items

1. Activity Tray

   
   These colorful large trays are perfect for messy sensory fun! You can put waterbeds, kinetic sand, shaving cream, colored rice inside them and let your kids play! You can use spoons to practice scooping and mixing, measuring cups to practice pouring, or throw in your child’s favorite figurines for a search and find.

2. Ball Pit

For indoor or outdoor sensory fun, throw this pack of 200 plastic balls in an inflatable pool or the bathtub and let your child roll around, kick them, or throw them in the air.

3. Bubble Tube

Bubble tubes have a calming, relaxing effect and fills the room with soothing colorful lights and fish. Turn on your child’s favorite music and relax!

4. Water Play Mat

Fill with AquaMat water and roll around bouncing up and down as the water within the mat moves. Fun for kids of all ages!

5. Sensory Swing

Hang outdoor from a tree or swing frame or indoor from a hook or door frame, this stretchy swing is perfect for sensory seekers! Curl up tight in a ball or stretch your limbs out, this swing is a great therapeutic addition to any household!

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