Sensory supports are physical activities that can be calming or arousing in order to support children in getting a "just right" state for being learning-ready. Sometimes, children cannot respond to sensory information in a meaningful and consistent way. A child may have difficulties using sensory information to plan and carry out an action, impacting the ability to learn. Below are some strategies and ideas to help children better maintain the "just right" state to facilitate their learning. The ideas and suggestions can be used for ALL children and not solely those who have been "diagnosed" with sensory processing delays.
Heavy Work
Heavy work is any type of activity that pushes or pulls against the body. These activities can help children feel centered as it engages a sense called proprioception, or body awareness. Heavy work can be calming and regulating, decreasing the amount of stress and anxiety while increasing focus and attention.
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Movement
The human body and mind are programmed to have movement on a very frequent and regular basis throughout the day. Below are some movement break ideas that can be used prior to seated work and to break up “learning time”, so students can learn more effectively. Remember: A movement break needs to incorporate the whole body, it does not have to be noisy and it does not have to take long (even 30 seconds to 1 minute of movement can be enough).
1) Cross Crawls: With feet shoulder width apart, bring right elbow to left knee at waist height with back straight. Alternate bent elbow to touch opposite knee. This can be done standing, lying on the floor on tummy, or crawling. By moving through the invisible midline of the body it creates more nerve networks between the hemispheres of the brain, making communication faster and more efficient.
2) Jumping Jacks: With feet together and arms at side, jump with legs at shoulder width apart and arms lifted to side of the body (abducted) to shoulder height.
3) Stride Jumps: Same as jumping jacks but the stride is forward and back not out to the side. Arms can move forward and back with feet and to increase challenge ( arms are opposite to feet).
4) Burpees: Combination of push up and jumping jack. A) Start standing up, B) Jump down with legs out as if in push up, C) Jump back up into standing D) Do two footed jump with hands stretched up above head. Then do it all over again. A- D is considered one burpee.
5) Push ups: Some kids struggle with push ups, so allow students to work at their level. Variations include: knees on ground with feet on ground; knees only on ground; Full plank position, back straight; on fingertips; on forearms; go down and lift up one hand up in the air as you come up; go down and clap with both hands as you come up and so on.
6) Popcorn: A quick way to get going and then calm down, squatting with feet flat on the floor, put arms bent at elbows and hands out in front(hand bent at wrist), slowly begin to bounce up and down like a piece o popcorn. Go faster and move ¼ ways up then ½ way, then ¾ way until popcorn pops where you jump up and slowly slow back down. “Now the Popcorn is ready” (they really feel it in their quadriceps muscle.)
7) Seat/Bum Walk: This gets all the parts of your body working together. It develops coordinated reciprocal movements. Sit on floor with legs straight in front of you. From the shoulder your arms are straight out front, lift up one side of your bottom by tilting and push forward a little. Then shift body weight and do the same thing, move forward then backwards.
8) Bicycle Spins: Propped on elbows on your back on, extend legs back & forth as if bicycling. To make it more challenging, change directions.
9) Chair Push up: Heavy Work; prepares arms for writing by working shoulders and hands. Sit in chair with feet flat on floor, put your hands to your sides with palms on seat of chair, and push up so that your bottom comes off the chair and feet come up off the floor. Use your arms and hands to help push you up and lower down, not your feet. Do as many chair push ups as your age.
10) Push the wall down – Kids lean into the wall with feet about 1 foot back from the wall and they push against the wall with their arms.
11) Windshield Wipers: With arms outstretched bring arms in front of face and out again (10x, then arms to the right and bend to the left: what is important here is that you keep elbows up at shoulder height to maximize working against gravity).
12) Figure 8’s/ Infinity Walk: These are a figure 8 drawn sideways (called infinity). Performed slowly with the eyes watching the hand and no head movement. Can be done alone in the air, on whiteboard, on desk, in pairs and the infinity walk. It improves vision skills and communication between right and left hemispheres.
13) Would You Rather – Ask a would you rather question and have student show their choice by moving to one end of the room or the other. Have a few kids share why.
1) Cross Crawls: With feet shoulder width apart, bring right elbow to left knee at waist height with back straight. Alternate bent elbow to touch opposite knee. This can be done standing, lying on the floor on tummy, or crawling. By moving through the invisible midline of the body it creates more nerve networks between the hemispheres of the brain, making communication faster and more efficient.
2) Jumping Jacks: With feet together and arms at side, jump with legs at shoulder width apart and arms lifted to side of the body (abducted) to shoulder height.
3) Stride Jumps: Same as jumping jacks but the stride is forward and back not out to the side. Arms can move forward and back with feet and to increase challenge ( arms are opposite to feet).
4) Burpees: Combination of push up and jumping jack. A) Start standing up, B) Jump down with legs out as if in push up, C) Jump back up into standing D) Do two footed jump with hands stretched up above head. Then do it all over again. A- D is considered one burpee.
5) Push ups: Some kids struggle with push ups, so allow students to work at their level. Variations include: knees on ground with feet on ground; knees only on ground; Full plank position, back straight; on fingertips; on forearms; go down and lift up one hand up in the air as you come up; go down and clap with both hands as you come up and so on.
6) Popcorn: A quick way to get going and then calm down, squatting with feet flat on the floor, put arms bent at elbows and hands out in front(hand bent at wrist), slowly begin to bounce up and down like a piece o popcorn. Go faster and move ¼ ways up then ½ way, then ¾ way until popcorn pops where you jump up and slowly slow back down. “Now the Popcorn is ready” (they really feel it in their quadriceps muscle.)
7) Seat/Bum Walk: This gets all the parts of your body working together. It develops coordinated reciprocal movements. Sit on floor with legs straight in front of you. From the shoulder your arms are straight out front, lift up one side of your bottom by tilting and push forward a little. Then shift body weight and do the same thing, move forward then backwards.
8) Bicycle Spins: Propped on elbows on your back on, extend legs back & forth as if bicycling. To make it more challenging, change directions.
9) Chair Push up: Heavy Work; prepares arms for writing by working shoulders and hands. Sit in chair with feet flat on floor, put your hands to your sides with palms on seat of chair, and push up so that your bottom comes off the chair and feet come up off the floor. Use your arms and hands to help push you up and lower down, not your feet. Do as many chair push ups as your age.
10) Push the wall down – Kids lean into the wall with feet about 1 foot back from the wall and they push against the wall with their arms.
11) Windshield Wipers: With arms outstretched bring arms in front of face and out again (10x, then arms to the right and bend to the left: what is important here is that you keep elbows up at shoulder height to maximize working against gravity).
12) Figure 8’s/ Infinity Walk: These are a figure 8 drawn sideways (called infinity). Performed slowly with the eyes watching the hand and no head movement. Can be done alone in the air, on whiteboard, on desk, in pairs and the infinity walk. It improves vision skills and communication between right and left hemispheres.
13) Would You Rather – Ask a would you rather question and have student show their choice by moving to one end of the room or the other. Have a few kids share why.
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14) Isometrics – Examples include pushing through palms and hooking fingers and pulling.
15) Commando Crawl – Involves crawling with forearms instead of hands with tummies on the floor. Have students commando crawl underneath a row of desks/chairs for heavy work. Remind them to keep their heads down.
16) High Knee Marching – This is about going slow to a steady rhythm (about sixty beats per minute) and encouraging knees to reach waist height. This is hard for kids, they often want to go fast or bend at the waist to reach their knee.
17) Cocoon – Begin in a sitting position with knees bent and feet flat on floor, lace arms and hands under knees, keep chin tucked in as the feet come off the floor in a rocking motion. Hold this position up to one minute. Children who have problems with the position will most likely also have motor planning problems as well.
18) Butterfly Extension/Superman Pose –Helps tone neck and back muscles for sitting at the desk. Lying on stomach, legs straight and together, arms stretched out in front of you, lift legs and arms of the floor, looking straight ahead. Do not bend knees, or arch neck. Breathe!!! When tired of holding this position, “land” softly, rest and try again. Kids older than 5 should be able to hold for at least 30 seconds. Kids who have difficulty with this may also struggle with visual attention.
19) Balloon Volley – Use several balloons, and while students stay in their own desk they have to stretch twist, turn and reach to keep the balloons up in the air.
20) Over and Under with the Medicine Ball. With kids standing in their rows in single lines, student one passes the medicine ball over their head and second student passes it under their legs and so on until the end of the line. You can have the students turn around and do it again with each doing the opposite move so they each have a turn at both under and over.
21) Get the Wiggles Out. While standing, reach your arms up high & catch an invisible ball. Put the wiggles on one arm and then on the other arm. Your arms will begin shaking. Only your arms, everything else in still and quiet. Now take the wiggles of your arms, and put them first on one leg, then on the other (shift weight). Only your legs shake. Keep everything else quiet. Now take off the wiggles off your legs and put them on your face. Your face muscles will shake. Everything is still and quiet. Take the wiggles off your face and throw the invisible ball back up into the air. Slowly lower your arms to your sides and sit back in your chair quietly. (Tool Chest: For Teachers, Parents, and Students, page 1) Henry OT
22) I’m Alive, Awake, Alert, Enthusiastic
I’m Alive, Awake, Alert, Enthusiastic
I’m Alive, Awake, Alert,
I’m Alert, Awake, Alive
I’m Alive, Awake, Alert, Enthusiastic
Recite above and do the following actions:
Alive: Bend down and touch toes
Awake: touch knees
Alert: Touch Shoulders
Enthusiastic: Reach high in the air
Then reverse from shoulders, knees toes for 4th line.
23) 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 – Students stand up and the teacher has them do five different movements in descending order. For example, the teacher would say: “Do five jumping jacks, march four times, hop on one foot three times, spin around two times, give your neighbor one high five (pausing in between each task for student to do it).
24) 60 second crawl clean up: The rules are you have to crawl around the room, no feet and have the kids pick up as much garbage, scraps of paper, etc. for sixty seconds.
25) Movement Activity Videos – Check out GoNoodle
These graphics of animals take you through a number of stretches and movements. A fun way to get the body moving and taking a break from sedentary activities.
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These activities take movements and put them into a variety of games.
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These yoga cards will teach you a number of yoga moves with pictures and descriptions on how to do them. There is also a reference as to why the pose is called that name. A fantastic way to move and stretch.
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This Blackfoot Movement Story was created as an introduction to the Blackfoot Creation Story. This is a summary of some of the main parts of the longer more detailed story and gives an idea of how things were created from the Blackfoot perspective. The creation story was made into a movement story because it helps students to be involved in the story and to remember it well. Some of the movements, such as deep breaths, can help with sensory needs such as anxiety and focusing. Some movements, such as the squeezing, can support body awareness and self-regulation.
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Breathing
Breathing is a great tool to help handle emotions. It allows you to slow down both mentally and physically, helping you take notice of how you're feeling allowing you to relax and become calm in the face of overwhelming emotions. Deep breathing allows more oxygen into your bloodstream, opening up your capillaries giving you a sense of calm and more abilities to process information.
Eight different breathing exercises to help children focus on their breath and breathing. Visual and written instructions included.
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Brain Breaks
Helping students stay engaged in learning is always a big focus of teachers in the class. Brain breaks are simple activities where students are given a short mental break taken during regular intervals. While at home learning, taking these regular brain breaks will allow your child to better focus on tasks and have a better mental capacity to continue the learning activities. Breaks to play video games or watch T.V. can sometimes cause more difficulties to readjust back to learning. Attached are some suggested activities to break up the learning while keeping your child engaged in a learning state of mind.
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Mindfulness
What is Mindfulness?
To bring attention to the present moment
Mindfulness encourages you to take notice of your thoughts and feelings
Why should I practice Mindfulness with my child?
Emotional and behavioural wellness!
Stress and anxiety reduction
Self-regulation
Improvements in sleep, concentration, attention, academics, self-awareness, and empathy!
Teaches them a skill they can use ANYWHERE and at ANYTIME!
Mindfulness Resources
Books
“Sitting Still Like a Frog” by Eline Snel
“Mindful Games” by Susan Kaiser Greenland
“Breathe Like a Bear” by Kira Willey
“Peaceful Piggy Meditation” by Kerry Lee MacLean
Websites
25 Fun Mindfulness Activities for Children and Teens
7 Fun Ways to Teach Your Kids Mindfulness
Mindfulness for Kids International
Pocket Mindfulness
The Chopra Center
Mindfulness Activities
Notice What is Around You
On your way home from school, note the different weather conditions. Feel the rain, the cold on your cheeks, the wind that nearly blows you off
your feet, the sun that warms you up. Maybe you also notice that thunderstorms either scare or excite you. (from “Sitting Still Like a Frog”, Eline Snel)
Body Relaxation
Butterfly Body Scan
Sit or lie down comfortably with your eyes closed. Breathe naturally, noticing how it feels to breathe in and out.
Now picture a beautiful butterfly that’s as light as a feather. It can be any colour you like. Take a minute and focus on your butterfly.
Imagine your butterfly floating nearby. We’re going to pretend that the butterfly rests on different parts of our body, and when it lands, that
part of our body feels relaxed and pleasant.
Let’s start with our foreheads. Imagine your forehead relaxes when the butterfly rests on it.
Imagine the butterfly floats off of your forehead and moves to one shoulder and rests. That shoulder relaxes. Continue with the image of the butterfly resting of different parts of the body.
Relax your whole body and rest, feeling the steady rhythm of your breathing. (from “Mindful Games” by Susan Kaiser Greenland)
Deep Breathing
Candle Breath
Imagine you’re holding a candle.
Take a long breath in, and sloooowly blow the air out towards your candle.
You want to make your candle flame wiggle, but… DON’T BLOW IT OUT!
Long breath in, slooooow breath out.
Long breath in, slooooow breath out.
Long breath in….now blow your candle out! (from “Breathe Like a Bear” by Kira Willey)
Belly Breathing
Lay on the floor with a small stuffed animal on the lower part of your belly.
Take a deep breath in through your nose.
Concentrate on drawing the breath all the way down into your belly – give the stuffed animal a ride!
Breathe in for 3, out for 3.
Watch Elmo Belly Breathe!
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The best way to teach Mindfulness is to participate in it with your child!