OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY SENSORY APPROACHES

Sensory Approaches


Proprioceptive input
sensory information that contributes to the sense of body position, body awareness, and movement

  • Bouncing

    • On another person’s knees

    • Large Yoga Ball

    • Peanut Ball

  • Chewing on Foods

    • Chewy type foods (gummy candy, gum, dried fruit)

    • Crunchy type foods (crackers, chips, vegetables, nuts)

  • Climbing

    • Playground (i.e., up and down a slide)

    • Rock Wall

  • Crawling

    • Making an obstacle course (incorporating tunnels)

  • Drinking through a straw

    • Thicker liquids like shakes or milkshakes

  • Hanging

    • Upside down

    • Monkey bars

    • Pull up bar

  • Jumping

    • Trampoline

    • Bed

    • Jumping jacks

  • Kicking

    • Ball

    • Using a stretch band tied around the legs of a chair

  • Pushing

    • Pushing a heavy load of laundry across the floor

    • Push ups

  • Running

  • Stomping

  • Squeezing

    • Kinetic Sand

    • Magnetic Beads

    • Nee-doh

    • Playdoh

    • Stress balls

  • Walking

    • Crab walking

    • Wheel barrow walking

  • Weighted Clothes

    • Weighted Vest

    • Weighted Shirt

    • Weighted Blanket

  • Yoga Poses

    • Downward facing dog

    • Plank Pose

Heavy Work
calming sensory activities that involve resistance and activate the body's proprioceptors

  • Carrying

    • Bags from the grocery store 

    • Heavy backpack

    • Boxes with heavy items

  • Digging/Shoveling

    • Dirt

    • Leaves

    • Sand

  • Pulling Objects

    • Theraband

    • Rope

    • Playing tug a war

  • Pushing Objects

    • Heavy laundry baskets

    • Grocery Cart

    • Vacuum

  • Stacking

    • Chairs

    • Wooden blocks

Deep Pressure
tactile sensory input that provides proprioceptive information to the body

  • Hugging someone tightly or being hugged

  • Massage

  • Rolled into a blanket tightly

  • Rolling yoga ball gently while the child is laying on the floor 

  • Sitting with a weighted blanket or lap pad on

  • Squeezing body with deep pressure (i.e., arms, legs, feet, head)

Sensory Activities
These activities incorporate various modes of movement and can help with sensory dysregulation

  • Gymnastics

  • Horseback Riding

  • Music Class

  • Swimming

  • Yoga