Calming sensory activities can help people cope when they feel overwhelmed and experience sensory overload. Sensory overload is when someone becomes extremely agitated, has trouble focusing, or experiences a meltdown.

There are lots of calming sensory overload activities that can benefit the child. In this article, we are going to discuss the different methods we have discovered during our research.

Some of the best and simple methods to calm someone with sensory issues are:

1. Blowing bubbles- a beneficial visual aid and could be helpful for the child’s breathing if they are blowing the bubbles
2. Offer a weighted blanket or teddies to provide deep pressure input
3. Sensory bottles are a great way to provide peace and tranquillity for children. These can easily be made at home by filling up a bottle with some water and adding decorations like glitter, beads, or sequins.
4. Calming visual aids and music can be helpful for children who are struggling
5. Sensory bins made using water, beans, rice, beads, or even coloured pasta
6. Playing with play dough, plasticine, or non-toxic slime (this can be made with the child, there’s lots of videos on the internet and kits you can purchase)
7. Fidget toys can be helpful to stay calm- stress balls, fidget cube/poppers, or Squidopops etc.
8. Drawing or painting to put their minds at peace
9. Deep breathing exercises will be a huge help to calming the child down
10. Hiding under a blanket or in a tent to allow the child to have privacy from the overwhelming environment. Or a quiet corner could work too!

Sensory activities are beneficial for children with hidden and visible disabilities because they allow them to explore new things, help their curiosity grow, educate them, and also promote creativity. It’s also beneficial because it allows the child to understand throughout growth that they have a coping mechanism when they go through sensory overload.

Additionally, calming activities help children learn how to manage and cope with their emotions. This article can be especially beneficial for anyone who struggles with anxiety or has been diagnosed with a sensory processing disorder, or a developmental disorder like autism or ADHD.

At Equal Education Chances, we are proud to host sessions for families and their children with special educational needs and disabilities to be able to access and enjoy free entertaining engagement sessions with our amazing team of professionals. We also make sure to consider the child’s individual needs and we are a very understanding and caring team. We have family forum sessions at the Blackley fire station in North Manchester, every Friday for free if you would like to get involved and help spread awareness.

For more information regarding disability support, then please don’t hesitate to check out Equal Education Chances, today!