Fall weather is here and what better way to enjoy it than by grabbing the whole family and heading outside? Soak in the beauty of the changing leaves and take a deep breath of the crisp air. Now get ready to have some fall fun with some sensory friendly activities:
Rake Leaves
Provides proprioceptive input into their muscles and joints, increasing body awareness and strength.
Have your kiddo use a rake or slide on some gloves and start gathering leaves into colorful piles around the yard.
Jump in!
Provides some movement (vestibular input) as well as crashing (proprioceptive input).
Now that your child has worked hard on gathering piles, allow them to run and jump into the leaves.
Play Games
Build your child’s perceptual and discrimination skills and motor input while playing some of your favorite games.
Hide and seek
Provides your child with tactile (touch) input as well as works on some discrimination skills.
Instead of hiding people, scatter objects in piles of leaves and have your kiddo find them. To make things a little more difficult, have them close their eyes while they search and try to guess what the object is.
Leaf Blowing Race
Provides oral motor input as well as heavy work through their mouth.
Using a straw, instruct your kiddo to blow a leaf across a sidewalk or table. Include the whole family for some friendly competition.
Scavenger hunt
Works on visual perceptual skills and discrimination.
Create a list of common fall related objects and have your kiddo search for them. Add other siblings into the mix and see who can find the most objects.
Arts & Crafts
Improve fine motor skills and tactile input by having your child tap into their imagination and create cute works of art. For less mess, move your workspace outdoors!
Pumpkin carving (with assistance)
Facilitates fine motor skills as well as providing a great wet tactile activity.
Visit a pumpkin patch or a local grocery store and have your kiddo pick out their favorite pumpkin. Grab your carving tools and have your child scoop out the insides and play in the mess while picking out the seeds to toast later. For out-of-the-box designs find pumpkin carving templets online!
Finger Painting
Provide your child with tactile input.
Have your child cover their hand and forearm in brown paint and press it onto paper to create a tree trunk. Then dive into all of the fall colors—yellows, oranges, reds—and have your kiddo fill the empty branches with leaves using their fingers.
For tactile input sensitive children, you can opt to have them use a paint brush or have a towel on hand to wipe the paint away.
Go for a walk or bike ride
Provides movement and works on bilateral coordination and balance.
Get the family moving with a stroll through the neighborhood while the weather is still nice. This is also a great time to spark up conversation with your child to see how they are doing with therapy and schoolwork!
Reference:
14 Fall Sensory Activities For Your Child With Special Needs – Friendship Circle – Special Needs Blog”. Friendship Circle — Special Needs Blog, 2020, https://www.friendshipcircle.org/blog/2012/10/23/14-fall-sensory-activities-for-your-child-with-special-needs/.