It’s summer. And if you have a child on the spectrum, you already know what this means. I put together a roundup of awesome sensory activities for kids with autism.
Actually, any kid will enjoy these sensory activities.
I wish these activities would be the magic pill to keep everything kosher this summer, but it’s not. We all know that. But hopefully, these ideas will help!
{Repin it HERE}
20 Summertime Sensory Activities For Kids With Autism
1. Edible Sand & Sensory Activities for Babies | Source: Happily Ever Mom
2. Alphabet Car Wash Sensory Bin | Source: Parenting Chaos
3. Watermelon Fizzy Sensory Science Play | Source: Natural Beach Living
4. Calming Epsom Salt Sensory Play | Source: Fireflies and Mud Pies
5. Mini Sandbox | Source: Ashley Pichea
6. Watercolors and Cornstarch Sensory Play | Source: Mama Smiles
7. Ocean Play Dough | Source: Kids Activities Blog
8. Pink Lemonade Playdough | Source: Fireflies and Mud Pies
9. Jello Ice Play | Source: Growing a Jeweled Rose
10. Summer Sensory Bin | Source: The Chaos and the Clutter
11. Squishy Ocean Sensory Bag | Source: In the Playroom
12. Ocean Slime | Source: Buggy and Buddy
13. Fizzing Hidden Ocean World | Source: Fun at Home With Kids
14. Clean Mud for Sensory Play | Source: In the Playroom
15. Calming Epsom Salt Sensory Play | Source: Fireflies and Mud Pies
Winter Sensory Activities for Kids
If you have children with sensory issues {we have a mix of sensory plus Autism here}, you will want to check out these fun ideas for Winter Sensory Activities For Kids.
Not only will these be fun for all kids, but they will also be great for helping your kids adapt, learn and explore with their senses.
This can be something to do while you are busy and they need to be occupied, or it can be used in a homeschool classroom as part of your curriculum.
WINTER SENSORY ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS
Jello Soap Fun: We saw this great activity over on Paging Fun Mums blog and knew it would be a great one to include in our winter sensory list. With a bit of dish soap, water, and your favorite colors of gelatin, you have a fun clean activity that smells great too!
2 Ingredient Slime: This is a great borax-free version of the gak or slime that kids love to play with. You combine 1 tablespoon of clear fiber supplement (Benefiber or Metamucil) and 1 cup of water with the food coloring of your choice. Microwave for 5 minutes and stir. Allow to sit for a few minutes to reach desired consistency. Tons of fun to play with and safer than the varieties, including borax.
Play In Leaves: As fall disappears and winter approaches, a few leaves are still falling in your yard. Gather a few leaves, berries, nuts, and even twigs and blindfold kids to reach into a tub containing them and figure out which is which.
Build A Snowman: With the first winter snowfall, bundle up and head out to play. Have a snowball fight, or build a snowman. Experiment with how the snow feels with gloves on and off. Be careful not to get too cold, but let your kids have fun playing in the cold winter snow.
Foaming Soap Olaf: This tutorial on Having Fun With Kids At Home is simple and fun. Plus, it gets the kids excited about their favorite character from Frozen! Clean, fun, and great for fine motor skills and working with their senses.
Use Sponges To Paint Snowflakes On Windows: Cut sponges into snowflake shapes and let kids use white and blue paint to put snowflakes on your windows. Make sure you use water-based paint for easy removal. This is fun for letting them cut their own shapes out of the sponges, but also, the painting part can be great for the senses.
Sensory Ice Play: Add small toys into ice cube trays and fill them with water. Freeze, then allow kids to dump the ice and play with it in a shallow dish until it melts, and they can get the toy out of the ice.
These are fun and easy winter sensory activities for kids that you can add to your playtime. Not only will your kids have fun, but you also will too! Most of these are great for hands-on motor skill learning and sensory play time for kids of all ages.
What other ideas do you do during the winter for sensory activities?
I recently came across a site called FunandFunction.com. After exploring their site, I found a few tools to use with the boys. I was able to search for tools/toys by my specific need: teen-appropriate sensory tools.
I ordered a Space Explorer. This product was recommended for teens with Autism. The ultimate body stocking allows a kid to get inside and move around. It also “provides calming deep pressure, heavy work, and proprioception input.”
The Space Explorers are made with comfortable ‘resistive’ material.
FunandFunction.com is one of the leading resources for kid-friendly sensory tools. Their vision is to empower our differences, and in doing so, those differences will make the world a better, more fun, and more exciting place to be.
As Parents, we spend a lot of time online looking for the best resources and tools to help our kids. This site has many resources for special needs kids, including sensory ideas for kids with Autism.
Here are additional Sensory Ideas For Any Age:
- Painting with Balls (Teaching 2&3Year Olds)
- Making Colorful and Scented Rice for Preschool (Teaching Preschool)
- Sensory Gloves for Toddlers and Babies (Laughing Kids Learn)
- Sensory Bags (Teaching Munchkins)
- Snow Play Recipes (Growing a Jeweled Rose)
- Rainbow Soap Slime (Learn with Play at Home)
- Balloon Art (Meri Cherry)
- Bright and Colorful Sensory Bags (Teach Preschool)
- Dinosaur Sensory Play (Meri Cherry)
- Rainbow Spaghetti (Meri Cherry)
- 93 Sensory Activities for Any Child (Mommy Poppins)
- Super Mario Sensory Bin (Crayon Freckles)
- Several Sensory Activities & Play Ideas (Learning 4 Kids)
How do you plan to survive summer, Parents? Leave me a comment below and let me know. Also, feel free to leave me some ideas too!
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