Children with sensory processing problems have difficulty receiving stimuli and responding to stimuli. Stimuli are signaled by feeling, smelling, seeing, hearing, tasting and by our lesser-known senses: the vestibular and proprioceptive system. After a stimulus has been signaled by the senses, it is processed by the brain, but this is not equally easy for every child.

Sensory games help children to regulate their senses and make a major positive contribution to the development of a child's sensory processing.

Think of a child's brain as a muscle that you can train, sensory games are the workouts that make the brain stronger.

In this article we share some fun sensory games that any child can do to improve their sensory processing.

Feel

Dry, wet, hard, soft, slimy, grainy. There are many different textures that a child can get to know by feeling. You really don't have to buy sensory toys to introduce your child to different textures. For example, you can do countless fun sensory games with your child with rice, pasta, flour and shaving foam.

Below you can read our favorite sensory games:

1. Rice: Place rice in a large bowl or container and allow your child to feel and move the rice. The texture of the rice stimulates their sense of touch. For a more challenging version of this activity, have your child use measuring cups and pour rice into a bowl!
2. Shaving Cream : Squirt shaving cream directly into their hands or onto a smooth surface like a play table. Let them squeeze it or finger paint with it! Bonus: Depending on the type of shaving cream, smell also comes into play here.
3. Making dough : For this activity you will need two containers. Fill one container with flour and the other with water. Let your child mix the flour with the water until it becomes dough. Be careful: this can be quite a mess, sorry in advance…

Smell

You can be very creative with smelling! Below you can read our favorite games:

1. Spicy desserts : Put some yogurt, cottage cheese or custard in a bowl. Add some spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. Let your child finger paint with the spicy desserts on a smooth surface and experience the smells!
2. Guess the Smell : This activity is similar to the taste test. Blindfold your child, hold something fragrant up to their nose, and let them smell it! See if they can guess what it is, or tell you if they like it or not.
3. Smell the flowers : This is something you can easily do while taking a walk or visiting the park. When you or your child sees a flower (or other fragrant plants), take a moment to smell it. Ask them if they like the smell or not.

To see

Below you can read our favorite games that have to do with seeing. For children who do not do well with bright light, we recommend starting slowly:

1. Hang Christmas Lights: Have your child help you hang cozy Christmas lights in their room or play area. These lights are visually stimulating and many stores sell child-safe options.
2. Colored Objects: Play with brightly colored objects like construction paper, contrasting toys, and paint! These activities often incorporate touch as well!
3. Starlight in the Dark: Use a large piece of paper or cardboard and cut or poke shapes and holes in it, such as stars or a track. Turn off the lights and use a flashlight under the paper or cardboard to project these shapes onto the wall or ceiling!

To belong

Stimulate or dampen sounds, read our favorite activities below:

1. Listen to Music: This is as easy as it sounds! Play your child’s favorite music during other activities, or calming music during relaxed play.
2. Dancing to the Music: Find songs that involve actions—like head, shoulders, knees, and toes—and throw a dance party! This integrates sound, balance (vestibular), and proprioception (body awareness in space).
3. Noise cancelling headphones : Have your child wear noise cancelling headphones while playing. Let your child play for 10 minutes with headphones and then 10 minutes without them, and so on. This way your child will learn to put sounds into perspective.

Samples

Normally, you don't think about taste when you think about playing. Below you can read our favorite activities to involve taste in playing:

1. Taste Test: Blindfold your child and have them lick something off a spoon (peanut butter, yogurt, etc.). See if they can guess what it is!
2. Cooking: If it is safe, let your child be your helper cook. They can be your taste tester, and feel involved in the "game" of cooking.

Proprioception

A good development of the proprioceptive system is therefore very important. There are a number of exercises that strengthen proprioception. Here are some ideas!

1. Push ups : a normal push up might be a bit too heavy, for example start on your knees or standing against the wall.
2. Squeeze : Use your right hand to squeeze your left arm, or the other way around is also possible. Play with the pressure you apply, start with your wrist, then your forearm, then your upper arm.
3. Hug : Wrap your arms around your knees and give yourself a big hug, again play with the amount of pressure you apply.

Let us know what you and your child(ren) think of the activities!