1. Visual schedules

A visual schedule provides your child with a list of tasks or activities they need to complete. This can ease your child’s anxiety by giving them clear expectations about what they will be doing that day.

2. Reduce clutter

Reducing clutter in the room means less things that can distract your child from the task in front of them. Having a space with minimal clutter or decoration can be a good place to go for homework.

3. Dim the lights

If your child is unable to focus when they are in a very bright room, try dimming the lights. If you are not in a space that has a light dimmer, you can turn off the overhead lights and turn on a lamp. By turning off very bright lights, your child may better pay attention to what you are asking them to do.

4. Eye breaks

If your child is in a busy room/ area, have them take eye breaks for 5-10 minutes. Have your child blink, focus on a different object, or cover their eyes without putting pressure on their eyes.

5. Fiber optic lights

Fiber optic lights can provide calming and stress reducing stimulation for your child. Some of these lights can change colors and space which can get and hold your child’s attention!

6. Bubbles/Bubble lamps, Lava Lamps, Sensory Bottles

All these items that have moving visual items can grasp your child’s attention. Having them watch these items float around can be very calming and help them relieve their stress.

7. Muted or Calming Colors

Calming colors usually include blues, greens, purples, blacks and white. Painting your child’s room or having toys in these calming colors can help decrease your child’s stress and anxiety.

8. I-Spys, Mazes, Connect the Dots, Matching Games

If your child struggles to notice things in the environment around them, try playing games or doing worksheets that requires them to pay more attention to what is in front of them. This can help your child become more aware of their surroundings and be able to locate items easier.

9. Calming or Sensory Corner/Spaces

Having a calming place that your child can go to when overwhelmed can help them reduce their stress and anxiety. This can be a small corner with a bean bag or chair that has calming colors and minimal clutter.

10. Spinning Toys, Fidgets, Fans

If your child often watches or gets excited watching movement, provide them with spinning toys or fidgets to watch while seated.

1. Noise Canceling Headphones or Noise Reduction Headphones

In loud or noisy environments, an easy solution may be to put noise canceling or noise reduction headphones on your child. This will block out or reduce distracting sounds so that your child can better pay attention. Please keep a close eye on the child when they are wearing them. They may not be able to hear you call their name or miss things that might make them safety alarms such as car horns or fire alarms.

2. Calming music

Playing soothing or calming music can help reduce your child’s anxiety and stress. There is calming music on YouTube and streaming platforms such as Spotify or Apple Music.

3. Calming Corner or Space

Having a calming place that your child can go too when overwhelmed can help them reduce their stress and anxiety. This can be a small corner with a bean bag or chair, minimal clutter, and calming music.

4. Earplugs

Like the noise canceling headphones, earplugs can block out or reduce distracting noises. Please supervise your child, so they do not miss any safety concerns within the environment. Please note that some children may not tolerate having something inside of their ears and prefer headphones.

5. Games, Rhymes, Connect movement with sounds

If you child has difficulty following directions, come up with fun ways to help them remember what they need to do. Coming up with a chant or rhyme can be a fun way to remember. Connecting movements to instructions can also be a fun way to help your child remember what they need to do. Doing the movement may spark their memory.

6. Musical Instruments or Clapping

If your child often makes sounds, give them musical instruments or play a song they can clap along too.

1. Aromatherapy or Diffusers

Having a diffuser going in the room with lavender or vanilla can be calming and reduce your child’s stress. Some smells can be triggering so take not of that and avoid putting them into the diffuser.

2. Scented Art Supplies, Playdough, and Toys

Scented markers, paints, playdough, toys, and sensory bins are another way to provide calming smells. Calming scents can reduce anxiety while they play.

1. Introduce one food at a time

By introducing one new food at a time, you are less likely to overwhelm your child. Encourage them to at least touch or lick the food before you put it away. By touching it or licking the food, they may realize that it is not as scary as they think. Keep any eye out for any food allergies or reaction to new foods.

2. Chewing Gum

If the child puts nonfood items into their mouths, consider giving them gum. The gum provides oral and tactile sensation while they are chewing. Supervise your child when they are chewing so they don’t get it into their hair or begin choking.

3. Crunchy Foods

Also, if your child puts objects into their mouths, you can consider giving them crunchy foods to chew on. Chewing can be calming and help relieve their anxiety. Keep a close eye on them for any signs of choking.

4. Chew Toys

There are chew toys available for children that put nonfood items into their mouths. These can be calming to your child, but make sure to keep an eye on them for any signs of choking.

1. Fidget Toys

Fidget toys provide input to your child that often touches everything around them. There are many fidget toys available such as fidget spinners, pop-its, stress balls, fidget cubes, and pop tubes. These are available online and in most stores like Walmart today.

2. Textures

- If your child enjoys feeling different textures, you can make a texture board with different fabrics. This can be calming to children that often fidget or touch things around them.

- If your child does not like touching certain textures or is reluctant to touch anything new, slowly introduce new textures them. This can give them time to adjust to new things.

3. Fingerpaint

Finger painting is a fun way to help your child regulate with tactile sensation. Pick out their favorite colors and see how creative they can be!

4. Playdough, Kinetic Sand, Similar Play Equipment

Playdough, kinetic sand, or other doughs/sands are a great way to give your child some tactile input. Having your child make objects out of the dough can help them become more comfortable with different sensations.

5. Sensory Bins

Sensory bins are bins filled with sand, rice, or beans. Then throw in tiny cars, animals, or other objects that your child loves. Have them use their hands and look for the tiny toys. This provides input to your child’s hands that can calm them or help them get the input they are searching for.

6. Deep pressure/ Squeezes

Deep pressure is applied anywhere on the child’s body to help them calm down and get past any overstimulation. This is through weighted blankets, tights hugs, or other proprioceptive activities listed below.

7. Weighted Activities

See Proprioception.

Important Please Read Before Continuing: Please note that vestibular input can be very strong and can easily lead to overload. In other words, a little goes a long way. Use caution when swinging or spinning your child. Do not spin for more than 5 to 10 minutes. Too much spinning can cause your child to become disoriented and lead to flushing, vomiting, dizziness, too much excitement, withdrawal, sweating, and changes in breathing. Some children may not be able to know when they are reaching their limit so watch them carefully. If you notice any nausea, vomiting, flushing, dizziness, too much excitement, withdrawal, sweating, and changes in breathing stop immediately. You can provide the child with proprioceptive input to help relieve those symptoms.

Vestibular input can be inhibitory or excitatory.

· Inhibitory is slow, predictable, or rhythmic movements (such as back-and-forth or side to side motion). This can be calming to the child that is hypersensitive to vestibular input.

· Excitatory movement is fast, unpredictable, or without rhythm. This can be good for children that are hyposensitive and can’t sit still.

1. Spinning

Spinning your child can be on a spin board or on a flat swing. This can help calm a child that is very hyper and unable to sit still. Please watch your child while they are spinning. Spin the child 10 times in one direction at the rate of one spin per second. Then stop for one to two seconds and spin 10 times in the other direction. 10 minutes of spinning can last the child for up to 6 hours. If your child is not showing a response while sitting, you can put them on their stomach on a swing. Spin a max of 10 times, then stop for 1-2 seconds and change directions.

2. Swinging

Swinging can also be in a sitting, standing, or on their belly. Watch them closely for any signs of overload, distress, or safety concerns if standing.

3. Scooter Boards

Scooter boards are another fun way to provide vestibular sensation to your child. Have them sit on their bottom or lay on their belly and push themselves around! You can incorporate different things like puzzles or other toys with multiple pieces. Place the puzzle pieces on one end of the room and the board on the other end of the room. Have the child roll on the scooter board back and forth to retrieve all the pieces.

4. Obstacle Courses

Create an obstacle course with different items in your home like couches, pillows, or crawling under objects.

5. Balance Beams

Balance beams are great for your child’s vestibular system! They challenge your child to pay attention and focus to be able to balance across the beam. These can be available online or you can also make one at home if you are crafty! These are also found at some public parks.

6. Dancing

Dancing is another great way for your child that seeks vestibular input. All the moving around can help improve their balance, coordination, and strengthen their muscles.

7. Running, Skipping

Running and skipping can help improve your child’s coordination, and strengthen their muscles.

8. Rock Walls

Rock walls and other climbing activities improve your child’s balance, coordination, strength, and problem-solving skills. Watch your child closely as they climb to ensure they are being safe and do not fall.

9. Playground Equipment

Playground equipment like monkey bars, slides, climbers, and so on are a great way to provide vestibular sensation to your child that seems to never sit still. Take them to the park or another area and let them explore!

10. Riding a Bike

Riding a bike can improve your child’s balance and coordination. Watch your child closely to make sure they are not getting too close to dangerous areas.

11. Animal Walks

Animal walks such as bear crawls, crab walks, and frog jumps can be another fun way to help your child that has a hard time sitting still. Check out https://lemonlimeadventures.com/animal-walks-sensory-diet/ for different sensory walks that your child can do.

12. Yoga Poses

Doing yoga is another fun way to improve your child’s balance and coordination. Have your child try to hold a pose for 5 to 10 seconds!

13. Twister

Twister can be a fun game you can do to work on the vestibular system! Twister can also be a great way to help your child identify colors and the left and right side of their body.

14. Therapy or Yoga Balls

Therapy balls can help your child that is seeking vestibular input. Have the child sit on the therapy ball during tabletop tasks. When they fidget, they will have to balance themselves. You can also have them gently bounce on the ball or rock them in different directions.

15. Jumping on a Trampoline

Jumping on the trampoline can help your child improve balance and build their strength and endurance!

16. If your child is sensitive to vestibular input (hypersensitive i.e., becomes dizzy or fearful of movement) introduce movement slowly. Watch your child closely while playing on any of the above toys or activities for signs of distress.

The proprioceptive system receives input from your muscles, joints, and tendons. It also helps you determine where your body is in space, how to move your body, and how much force to use. Proprioceptive activities are often seen as “heavy work.” This means that these are activities that provide deep pressure to the child’s muscle and joints. When children become distressed after spinning, swinging, or other movement activities, provide proprioception.

1. Animal Walks

Animal walks such as bear crawls, crab walks, and frog jumps can be fun way to provide the deep pressure the child needs. By crawling or jump, they are putting their body weight through their hands and legs. This provides input to their brain about where their arms and legs are in space. Check out https://lemonlimeadventures.com/animal-walks-sensory-diet/ for different sensory walks that you can do with your child.

2. Wall Pushups

Wall pushups provide deep pressure through your child’s hands. Add wall push ups into an obstacle course or a hallway sensory walk.

3. Yoga Poses

Yoga not only helps with balance and coordination but can provide your child with deep pressure through their arms and legs! This pressure can be calming and help your child be able to focus.

4. Trampoline

Trampolines provide deep pressure through your child’s legs when they bounce.

5. Carrying, lifting, pushing, pulling, heavy items

These activities can include pushing or carrying baskets, carrying groceries, taking out the trash, and mopping. These tasks and chores around the house not only teach the child how to do household chores but provide deep pressure.

6. Weighted Blankets

Weighted blankets should be approximately 10% of your child’s body weight plus 1. Weighted blankets provide deep pressure all over the child’s body that can be very calming.

7. Weighted lap pads and Weighted Vests

These should be no more than 10% of the child’s body weight. Like the weighted blanket, these can provide deep pressure to calm the child. These can be more functional and used while the child is doing other tasks.

8. Body Socks

Body socks provide calming deep pressure as it hugs tightly against your child. Use these when the child needs to be in a calming corner or space.

9. Bean Bag Chairs

Bean bag chairs can provide a deep pressure while the child is sitting or laying on it. Use these for heavy work when you have the child push or pull it into a new location.

10. Therapy Balls

Therapy balls can provide deep pressure to the child in many ways. Have the child push the ball around the room or up and down a wall. Bouncing on the ball can also provide pressure. Kicking the ball can provide pressure through their feet. Have the child lay down and roll the ball over their body.

11. Crash Pads/Mats

If your child is frequently crashing into walls or throwing themselves into the floor, having a crash mat can be a tool to have in the home. The crash mat provides a padded, safe place to land. You can have the child push and pull the mat around the room to provide heavy work. Lasty, use them in obstacle courses for something for the child to climb over.