100+ Awesome and Easy Sensory Diet Activities - Your Kid's Table

This is the ultimate list of sensory diet activities for kids. Many ideas can be done with common household items and are easy to use and put into your routine!

I’ve been wanting to write this post for a while now.  

It’s a big one, filled to the brim with sensory diet activities you can use for your child or toddler. Heck, many of these ideas work for adults, too. 

No matter what your age, the following list will be a great jumping off point for creating a sensory diet or for adding some new activities into the mix. 

But there are a couple of guidelines that are incredibly important to follow whenever you use any sensory activity with your child… 

 

Guidelines for Sensory Diet Activity

1. Never ever ever force your child to do any sensory diet activity. Sensory activities aren’t homework or medicine, and they work best when a child is motivated to participate in them.

It’s really important to keep in mind that in many cases, kids may be refusing a sensory activity because it is overwhelming to their unique sensory system, even if it isn’t to yours. The finger paints that you may think aren’t so bad to touch, can actually be perceived as painful to your child.

That’s not to say that you can’t demonstrate, model, and encourage. That’s what we OT’s do, we want to push kids out of their comfort zone just a little and follow THEIR lead as much as possible.

Experiencing new sensory input can have wonderful effects on their development, but when we force them to do so, it’s almost a guarantee that it will backfire.

 

2. This list is meant to inspire, not overwhelm. If you’re just getting your feet wet with sensory diets, then take it slow and just pick a few activities that seem really manageable.

Try them a few times and see if your child has a positive response. I have focused on keeping these activities simple, with little or no set-up.

 

3. Your child’s sensory needs may change from day to day or even hour to hour, remember that just because a particular activity or strategy didn’t work on this list today, doesn’t mean it won’t tomorrow.

The idea is to have a toolbox full of sensory activities that you can pull from as you need to. However, not all activities will benefit your child. There will be some they don’t like or seem interested in, ever. That’s fine.

 

If you aren’t quite sure what a sensory diet is or if your child needs one, then check out This post on how to create a sensory diet just for your child. 

It comes with a free printable sensory diet template and you’ll be able to hone in on those beneficial activities even better.

Understanding what they are, and who they’re for, will help you create a sensory diet that is easy to manage and that really makes a difference in your kid’s life. 

And, if you’re concerned your child with sensory “issues” needs more help, then head over to sensory integration therapy to find out!

Affiliate links used below. See our full disclosure.

 

Sensory Diet Activities

You will find that all of the activities are organized into different groups, please note that there is some crossover, and duplications, as appropriate. 

Many of these activities give sensory input to several senses. While there are categories listed (calming, alerting, etc.), please note that these are generalizations. It is possible your child could have a different response, as everyone’s sensory system is unique. 

Again, make sure you watch how your child responds during and after the activity:

  • Do they seem calmer?
  • More attentive?
  • Focused?
  • Are they sleeping better? (Check out sensory tips for sleeping)
  • Or eating better?
  • Are they interacting and communicating more with others?
  • Did they follow directions more easily?
  • Were they able to learn something quicker?

Making these observations will help you determine how they are responding to a particular sensory diet activity, and when you should use that activity or one similar to it again!

And, you can snag my custom set of sensory diet cards, that include the most powerful and versatile sensory diet activities, for yourself!

*Get a seat in the free 3 Expert Secrets to Calm and Focus Your Kid with Sensory Activities. What you learn can change everything, you’ll get a free workbook and checklist too!*

 

Sensory Activities That Improve Attention, Focus, & Engagement

Below, you will find many of the activities include a link to a DIY tutorial or an affiliate link, as some of these tools might be new to you. Everything on this list are sensory tools and toys that I love and use.

(Often called organizing activities because they typically allow kid’s sensory systems to become more balanced which leads to improved learning, communication, sleep, eating, etc.)

100+ Awesome and easy sensory diet activities that you can start using in your home today! Find the best activities for your kid.

Jumping

  • on bed
  • couch
  • trampoline

 

Climbing

 

100+ Awesome and easy sensory diet activities that you can start using in your home today! Find the best activities for your kid.

Swinging

  • outdoor swings
  • indoor swings
  • porch swings
  • swinging child in a blanket

 

Riding

  • scooter board
  • bikes
  • scooters
  • skateboard
  • roller blades
  • sleds
  • any of the above over bumps or down hills
  • seesaw

 

100+ Awesome and easy sensory diet activities that you can start using in your home today! Find the best activities for your kid.

Pushing/Pulling Heavy Objects (Heavy Work Activities)

  • carrying groceries
  • pushing empty garbage cans inside
  • raking leaves
  • pulling weeds
  • shoveling snow
  • vacuuming
  • pushing grocery cart
  • carrying a laundry basket
  • a rope tied to a door knob or heavy object (see image at top)

 

Chewing

 

Vibration (is alerting versus calming when used in short bursts)

 

Playing active games

 

Drinking something cold

 

Swimming

 

100+ Awesome and easy sensory diet activities that you can start using in your home today! Find the best activities for your kid.

Crashing and jumping into pillows (put all of your pillows or stuffed animals in a pile on the floor)

 

Playing with textures (Stimulates the tactile sense)

  • shaving cream
  • finger Paint
  • mud
  • wet sand
  • water
  • ice

 

Blowing

 

100+ Awesome and easy sensory diet activities that you can start using in your home today! Find the best activities for your kid.

Rolling on a large ball on back or belly

 

Sitting on a large ball

  • during meals
  • for homework/in school

 

Scratching their back vigorously for a few minutes

 

Spinning (***a very intense sensory experience, best for kids to spin themselves even if they love spinning. Be very cautious of spinning a child, and only do so a few times in both directions. This is important because it will help balance out their system.)

 

Sensory Activities That Are Calming

 

Wearing Tight Clothing

 

Wearing compression or weighted vests for 10-20 minutes during difficult times of the day (i.e. transitions)

 

Quiet time in sensory tent

 

100+ Awesome and easy sensory diet activities that you can start using in your home today! Find the best activities for your kid.

Playing in sensory bin (tons of ideas, the sky is the limit)

  • rice
  • beans
  • birdseed
  • sand
  • cloud dough
  • noodles

 

Massage

 

Kneading playdough or therapy putty

100+ Awesome and easy sensory diet activities that you can start using in your home today! Find the best activities for your kid.

Handling fidget toys (a wide variety of options)

 

Squishing and squeezing

  • hugs
  • squeezing into tight spots or behind furniture
  • wrapping up tightly in blanket
  • sleeping in stretchy sheets that are tucked in on sides
  • laying under a large yoga ball

 

Sit or stand or a wobble cushion or wiggle seat (great for meals, homework, and crafts)

 

Using essential oils (different types of oils are used to calm or be alert, check out this get start guide)

  • in room diffusers
  • applying to skin
  • in bath

 

Listening to rhythmic or soft music

 

Wearing noise cancelling headphones

 

Watching slow moving or soothing images

 

Drinking something warm

 

Sucking on a piece of hard candy or a lozenge

 

Slow rocking

  • Rocking chair
  • Hammock
  • Glider

 

Using heavy or weighed blankets or lap pads (check out the whole guide for weighted blankets here and how and when to use weighted lap pads.)

 

Sensory Activities for Toddlers

If you’ve got a younger child at home, many of these activities will work. But if you’re needing age-specific ideas for your little one, check out this post on  sensory activities for toddlers.


 

Now that you have this huge list of sensory diet ideas, what’s next?

How do you know which activities to use with your child and when? How often should you do them?

Those are all very important questions, and to answer all of those, you’ll want to grab a seat in the my new free workshop: Expert Secrets to Calm + Focus Your Child with Specialized Sensory Activities

As an OT, sensory is one of my specialties, in the workshop, we’ll be giving you our expert know-how with the practicality of real-life mom.

This sensory stuff can get overwhelming pretty fast, and for good reason, in the workshop, we’re going to be putting an end to that! 

Click here to save your seat 

 

More Sensory Diet Activities

 

Powerful Proprioceptive Activities that Calm, Focus, & Alert

Everything Oral Sensory: The Total Guide

Sensory Strategies for Wild Kids

13 Easy Sensory Strategies for the Classroom

 

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Alisha Grogan is a licensed occupational therapist and founder of Your Kid’s Table. She has over 18 years experience with expertise in sensory processing and feeding development in babies, toddlers, and children. Alisha also has 3 boys of her own at home. Learn more about her here.

 

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