Rehabilitative services

Classroom sensory activities

My son, Darien, is being treated for Sensory Processing Disorder. Read more.

Does your child have difficulty paying attention in class? If your child has difficulty attending in class, this may be for a number of reasons. All of us have different levels of arousal. We also tend to need some movement during the day to keep us awake and alert. For example, do you need to get up and move out of your work desk during the day, do you chew gum to remain alert, do you click you pencil or tap your feet to give yourself some movement? Children need much of the same thing throughout their day. Here are some activities that may help your child attend more in class.

1. Have children take the chairs off tables/place chairs on tables at days end, emphasize quiet movements.
2. Ensure that children have an appropriate size desk that allows their feet to touch the floor and their elbows to rest comfortably on their desk top.
3. Erase the chalkboard/dry erase board.
4. Use manual pencil sharpeners rather than powered sharpeners.
5. Allow children to move in the classroom such as passing out/collecting papers.
6. Have children staple papers onto bulletin boards.
7. Start the class with morning stretch/calisthenics to wake up their bodies.
8. Allow time in between subjects so the children can move around the room/dance to music/complete wall pushes with hands and feet/do push-ups in their chairs.
9. Use heavier/thicker alternatives when cutting other than construction paper such as cardboard, greeting cards, oak tag, paper plates.
10. Allow the children to find alternative positions to assume such as lying on the floor, kneeling, sitting on the floor or sitting on a rocking chair when appropriate.
11. Allow the children to use straws, chew gum within structured rules, use sour/tart hard candy to such on, or chewy foods (pretzel rods, fruit roll ups, bagels, apples, granola bars) in their lunches.
12. Use tactile pens/pencils or add grips to their existing ones.
13. Have students help carry heavy objects to the office/classroom.
14. Encourage physical activities such as wheelbarrow races, donkey kicks, hopping races, crab walking, body scooting especially if they cannot go outside for recess.
15. Use natural light as much as possible rather than fluorescent.
16. Allow the child that becomes easily distracted to sit on the front row. He may benefit from being in the corner to become less distracted from other children moving on both sides.
17. Have a quiet area that a child can spend time in when overstressed. Have a tent or blanket hung to decrease visual distractions. Have a bean bag, pillows or cushions to sit on. Have a tape player with ear phones with a variety of calming music he can listen to.
18. Allow the child that routinely becomes overwhelmed to make trips outside of the classroom (deliver notes/go to the bathroom) to allow him time to decompress.

If your child's needs are interrupting his function in school or if you have any questions about sensory activities, contact us at 312.227.6240.

Content last reviewed: March 2010