I know you get me on this one.
So, I've cracked open my trusty copy of The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun by Carol Stock Kranowitz (both of her "Out-of-Sync Child" books are must reads) and I'm planning sensational sensory activities galore!
You might be asking, what constitutes good sensory fun? Well, in my completely non-professional opinion, this is what we strive for with sensory activities:
1. Good sensory activities INVITE children to play and explore, but never force. I always cringe when I see or hear about sensory integration activities in which a child is forced - sometimes hand-over-hand - into touching, tasting, or otherwise engaging in the activity. In my opinion, that is NOT the way to do this. Especially with children on the spectrum, your primary goal should be relationship-building. Above all else - fine motor, speech, and sensory integration - you should focus on the relationship with your child. Forcing children to touch or eat or explore something that causes them so much fear and discomfort will only undermine that relationship.
2. Sensory fun should always include a sensory experience the child enjoys when you present a child with a sensory challenge. If your child hates messy tactile play, but loves the water table, then be sure to pair that pie tin with shaving cream up with a full water table complete with preferred toys. Again, if the child wants nothing to do with the shaving cream, no worries! Just set it to the side (remember, simply allowing something like shaving cream to remain in the vicinity is progress for some kids!), and try again another day.
3. Likewise, don't present a sensory challenge when there will be any other "challenge" present. If you are at a busy playground, that might not be the best time to encourage your child to tackle the slide he's feared forever. Also, if your child struggles socially, social situations might not be the best time to push your child. Doing so not only might embarrass your child (what if they didn't want peers to know that shaving cream creeps them out?), but the social challenge will make it difficult to tolerate any added sensory stressors.
4. Not all sensory play has to have a sensory challenge. Sensory play can - and should - just be for the fun of it!
5. Set up a situation in which you don't have to say "No" very often. If you are constantly telling your child, "Don't do that!" and "Don't play with it that way!", then you aren't truly letting your child explore. So, set up sensory play in as safe of an environment as you can. Set up messy play in a place where your child can get messy, and don't put nice clothes on your child before messy play. Sensory play isn't a time to worry about how to get stains out of clothes - or children! Simply let them BE as much as you can, because exploring sensory play at their own child-led pace is the key to making them comfortable.
Sensory fun can involve the use of special equipment, but more often than not it involves items you likely have around your home or can get on the cheap; remember...if you tag the words "therapy", "adaptive", or "special needs" onto an item, it seems to double or triple the price.
So, in the spirit of Summer and the plethora of unstructured time that is to follow, I am launching a new series starting today called "Sensational Saturdays". Beginning next week, each Saturday I will post about a sensory activity you and your family can do. These activities - I hope - will help you break up your week, engage with your children, and help them explore their world and push their sensory boundaries through play. If you have a particular issue you would like help troubleshooting with regards to sensory issues, join us at the Reinventing Mommy Facebook page and post it over there! Let's all work together to make this a Sensational Summer!