There are some sensory activities for autism that can help individuals who are having this disorder.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is prevalent in the world affecting more than 1% of the population. Autistic children face challenges in their lives while the normal kids are going on with the normal functioning of their lives.
Engaging the kids in sensory play activities can help them in overcoming the sensory issue, together with the cognitive development. Sensory play activities are the best way to keep the kids engaged, motivated, educated, and entertained while you are at work and other kids are at daycare or school.
This read is meant to introduce you to some sensory play ideas, helping the children with autism to keep on track of learning with the sensory activities.
What are Sensory Activities for Autism?
Sensory play or sensory activity entails any activity that is used to stimulate the child’s senses of taste, smell, touch, hear, and sight. It also includes any such activity that incorporates movement and balance.
This sensory stimulation can help the kids learn, get entertained, and keep engaged in activities that can become a good learning source for them.
How sensory activities for autism help children?
Owing to the good support, kids with autism spectrum disorder can engage in and learn the tools and sensory activities which can help them in the management of issues related to their sensory processing disorder, and help them excel in life.
These sensory activities for autism help building the language skills, gross motor skills, social skills, and self control. This in turn helps these kids to become better learners.
How sensory activities for kids develop skills?
The sensory play activities will offer the natural activities for children with autism spectrum disorder and help discover their own world. This will help them in the development of fine motor skills, gross motor skills, self regulation, and language skills.
These activities also put the soothing affect on children, where autistic children can get calming effect through engaging in these activities, sometimes in pretend play.
What age children can benefit from these activities?
The sensory play activities are appropriate helpful in the development of skills, learning, and engagement for children of different ages and abilities. A sensory play offers help to stimulate several senses of children, helping them in the cause.
10 sensory activities for autism
Sensory activities can help children with autism feel more comfortable in their environment and improve communication and social skills.
1) Find-It game:
Benefits:
Calming the nerves of the children
Nature of the game:
This sensory play activity is designed to calm the nerves of the children by engaging them in a fun way. You can imagine the children ranging from the ages of 2 to 8 years engaging in finding the hidden objects inside the neat bottles.
Another great thing about these bottles is that they are so easy to make.
This activity can help your kids with autism for long rides, while visiting doctors, and for the occasions when your kid starts to get restless or fidgety.
2) Window painting using shaving cream:
Benefits:
Calming child’s senses and helping tactile senses, taking turns, and the development of fine motor skills
Nature of the game:
The kids always enjoy and have fun playing with the shaving cream. All you need to do is to grab a can of shaving cream and go outside. Try to get the non-scented cream. Start by plopping a good amount of shaving cream on the window. Let the kid play, and afterwards also allow them to spray and mix the cream themselves. Let them create shapes using finger painting.
3) Sensory Board and Carpet Square Painting:
Benefits:
Helps calm the nerves of the children by engaging in an activity
Nature of the game:
This is a fun activity where you can use the old carpet squares that are lying around the house. You can make this simple activity fun and engage by helping the kids with autism using this unique activity to help the kids learn by mastering a few shapes. Through this activity, children will have fun and will also learn a creative way to make art, while getting introduced to new textures.
4) Foam fireworks:
Benefits:
Engaging kids with autism by calming down their senses and feelings
Nature of the game:
For the kids with autism who don’t admire the sound of the fireworks, you can bring these to them using this fun activity, where they can use the shaving cream and food coloring that the children will love playing with, mixing them together and getting messy. This can be your child’s favorite and fun recepie to make the fun begin. If your child is alergic to a loud sounds, you can try this.
5) Pouring Station
Benefits:
Increases attention spans and concentration of the children. It also helps with fine motor skills and the use of hand-eye coordination.
Nature of the game:
This activity is one of the best sensory activities for autism which can help your kid get entertained for some time. You can lay a shallow plastic bin on the floor. This activity can also be performed outdoors. You can search your cabinets to get containers of varying shapes and sizes. Pouring water into some of them along with food coloring will begin the fun for the kids.
6) Sensory Bottles:
Benefits:
Helps in self-control and using the five senses effectively.
Nature of the game:
This sensory play activity using a sensory bottle will help your child if he/she gets overwhelmed by the sensory input. This is one of the sensory activities for kids that can help stimulate the sense of sight. There is also a creative way to make a themed sensory bottle that is personalized to your child’s favorite movie.
7) Plastic Bag Kites:
Benefits:
Moving in constructive ways, helping in gross motor skills
Nature of the game:
If you have some reusable plastic bags that you forgot to take to the grocery stores last time, or if you have too many left-overs of the pieces from the last time you went to the takeout, then this sensory play activity is best for the kids with autism. 1 to 2 feet of yarn, twine, or another type of string is all you need. The satisfying noise created by the crackling of plastic in wind helps a child in sensing sounds.
8) Shredded Paper Bins:
Benefits:
Helps children play with this fun game, to stimulate the brain and create neural pathways.
Nature of the game:
This game is one of the best sensory activities for kids with autism. All you need to do is to pick up a bag of shredded paper from the local crafts store. Either buy the shredded paper of different colors to mix them up, or add the food coloring in the shredded white papers of paper towels. Hide some treasures to make the children find them.
9) Car Wash Sensory Bin:
Benefits:
Helps children engage in an activity by using a sensory box whenever they feel frustrated.
Nature of the game:
This game can typically be helpful for boys who have a special liking for cars. Kids love playing these games and some are really obsessed. All you have to do is to put a bunch of car toys in a bin filled with shaving cream and add some letters of the alphabet. The child will love playing with these small objects. The kids will love washing cars with soapy water.
10) Glittery Calm Down Bottles:
Benefits:
This sensory activity helps calm down nerves of the child. As every child loves glitter, the glittery bottles are fun for a child. Nevertheless, you must keep a look on the kids and not let them make the mess out of them. They are very easy to create and can even help you calming down your nerves as an adult and get help in self control.
Other sensory activities for autism:
Other than the listed sensory activities for autism, there are some other great fun ideas that you can try:
Spray bottles
Shredded coconut
Water beads sensory play
Sensory walk
Underwater scene
Edible sensory bin (benefiting smell & taste senses)
Concluding Remarks:
Above listed are some of the best sensory play activities that can help your autistic children to play and benefit from. You can even improve the social skills of a child by making kids love doing these activities in a company bu engaging other families having autistic children.
These sensory activities can help a child in developing the sensory skills and help them in their life to excel. These sensory activities for autism can really help the child in his life to live better and live a competitive life in this world of senses.
