What Do I Do With My Sensory Seeker?! Sensory Input + Heavy Work Activities For Kids
When my second child turned one, it became incredibly clear to me that I was going to have to change everything about my parenting style in order to give him what he needed. While my first child was often cautious to the point of sensory avoidance, my second child was walking before age 1, climbing and jumping from high places with reckless abandon, and didn't ever take no for an answer when it came to what his body clearly needed to become or stay regulated. I had a sensory seeker.
I'll always remember how when I wanted my older child to stop climbing on the couch because he couldn't yet get down without falling, I calmly and firmly blocked access to the area with the ottoman a few times. Each time, I explained that until he could get up and down safely without me, I needed to be with him to climb. After a few tears, he simply just complied and stopped climbing up without me! I thought I was brilliant at parenting- all my years of teaching and expert classroom management were transferring perfectly into motherhood!
When my second one started climbing, I of course brought out the ottoman strategy again. I expected some tears and some pushback, but I was ready to bring out my best parenting game face. He didn't even cry or scream, and I thought, "Wow, this is going to be even easier the second time around!"
When I turned to look at him again, I discovered that he had climbed up onto the ottoman, stood on top of it, and just as I was gasping in horror, he jumped off it... before landing and looking at me triumphantly, because of course what else would he do after such an achievement at 13 months old? The next time, I'm pretty sure he just activated his baby hulk power and pushed the entire ottoman out of his way and continued to climb onto the couch. My older son marveled, "Wow, Mama! He's a really strong baby!" Clearly, I needed a new approach.
Since then, there have been many tears shed (by parent and child alike!) as we have navigated how to help our "really strong baby" meet his intense need for sensory input. Without well-matched sensory inputs, a sensory seeker can become dysregulated, and this can manifest in unhealthy, destructive, or harmful ways both physically and emotionally. In our case, we started seeing self-injurious behaviors that we didn't know how to pre-empt or stop. We couldn't figure out what was triggering these intense emotional and physical outbursts, and my husband and I felt at a total loss on how to help our own child.
Since we began working with an occupational therapist, we've gained so much knowledge and understanding about what our younger child needs to thrive. It's still a major work in progress and the learning curve, even for two parents trained in education, has been extremely steep. However, if you're reading this, you most likely have a sensory seeker, too, and like us, you would do anything to help them stay regulated and reach their full potential.
Here are 45+ of our favorite ideas for sensory seekers, from heavy work activities for kids, to how to modify academic activities in ways that add extra body resistance work, to gross motor activities that engage the whole body. I hope they inspire you and your child find what works to give their little bodies, minds, and hearts what they need!
Household Activities Involving Heavy Work For Kids
Push a laundry basket filled with clothes from one location to another
Transfer wet clothes from washer to dryer
Wash the car
Take out the garbage
Rolling dough with a rolling pin
Make the beds
Rearrange or rotate the couch cushions
Classic Heavy Work Activities for Kids
8. Pillow Play
Pillows offer a safe, fun, and soft way to get some weighted input without a lot of risk. Lifting pillows, rearranging them, crashing into them, balancing a pillow on your head, having a pillow fight, or burrowing underneath a stack of pillows are all perfect ways to get some heavy work with easily accessible items found in your home.
9. Rough and Tumble
Anyone who knows me, knows that this kind of stuff always made me cringe in anxiety! But, our kids have a way of stretching our limits. (While my older child never even tried to climb out of his crib- literally stayed in it until he was almost 3 years old, the younger one chipped a tooth, broke through a childproof lock, and climbed up and over every enclosure I’ve tried to make for him all before 15 months old. So here I am, photographing my kids as they enjoy hours of climbing and tumbles! I will say, after a year of this kind of rough play, my tolerance for this level of chaos has increased and my anxiety has decreased (slightly) as I realize that children really do know their own bodies and limits. We can and should trust them, and for that lesson, I am very grateful.
10. Roller Skating
Any kind of movement that requires heavy use of balance and core strength is excellent heavy work input. If skates aren't available or you need to be indoors, use a DIY approach. Placing paper or washcloths on the floor under their feet and letting them glide or shuffle will offer similar input. Use a helmet to protect their head if you are concerned about falls!
11. Ball Pit
Ball pits, whether large or created within a small inflatable kiddie pool, offer tons of opportunities for heavy work. Wading through the balls, burrowing, rolling on top, or crashing into the pile of balls is a safe way to engage in impact-based input that can help your sensory seeker become and stay regulated.
12. Laundry Basket Heavy Work
Place non-stick, non-scratch sliders on the bottom of a laundry basket, and encourage your child to fill it with heavy items (this is easy to adapt to their strength level). Have them push the basket around the house. Make this activity work for you, too, by having them help with actual laundry! Kids can push the basket of dirty clothes to the washing machine, or push the basket of clean clothes back to the bedroom to be put away.
13. Batting Practice
Swinging a bat engages the whole body and requires balance and coordination, both of which are great for heavy work input! Increase/decrease the weight of the bat or the ball to adapt this activity to match the input needs of your child.
14. Paintless Paint Rolling
Need a quick resistance work activity for a little one? Try a paint roller- no paint needed! Lay a track of painter’s tape for them to follow, or let them roll it freely! Great for proprioception, bodily coordination, muscle development, and sensory input! If done outdoors, they can dip the roller in water for added weight resistance that is still relatively mess-free.
15. Belly or Booty Scoot
Let’s talk body regulation! As those of us with a sensory seeker know, sensory input and connected strategies can help with emotional dysregulation, particularly with regard to proprioceptive input.
Helping kids recognize when their bodies, minds, or emotions are dysregulated, and then fostering an environment where there are choices available to help them regulate themselves is super essential, especially for our children with higher sensory needs. We think a lot about regulation strategies that help children be calm, quiet, and still, but for many kids, it’s the larger, high-energy physical movements that actually help them to calm their bodies down.
Quite often, what shows up as defiance, aggression, or tantrums is actually an unfulfilled sensory need. When we look through this lens, there are so many things we can do for our kids, both proactively and in the moment, to help them regulate their emotions and bodies with less conflict and more compassion.
Looking for more ways to engage your sensory seeking learners? Try this FREE resource with 100 projects, activities, and games for K-6 students! Perfect for at home or in the classroom!
Nature-Based Play For Your Sensory Seeker
16. Springtime Heavy Work
Giving kids the opportunity to do actual jobs that are within their capacity helps them in so many ways. As they watch and work alongside us, they learn about teamwork, a positive mindset, persistence, work ethic, and the importance of rest as an essential counterbalance! Plus, if you have a sensory seeker, heavy work is priceless for their self-regulation, as it provides naturally increased input as they are bending, lifting, pulling, pushing, navigating outdoor terrain, etc.
17. Garden Work!
Little ones are much more capable than we often give them credit for! Letting children do real work (not just the made up jobs we create while we do the actual work) has so many benefits! Garden work is a great way to offer your sensory seeker heavy work that occurs naturally!
Teamwork & Cooperation
Sense of Pride
Work Ethic
Gross Motor & Heavy Work
High-Engagement Hand Muscle Work
Increased Cooperation During Transitions and Routines
18. Water Table Time
Want to see your child(ren) sustain their attention and concentrate harder than you ever knew they could? Put them in front of a water table with some cups, scoopers, and any other water toys you have on hand! Water is a naturally heavy material and children can easily adapt the activity to increase or decrease the resistance by changing the capacity of their containers.
Time Outdoors
Calming Sensory Experience
Investigate Capacity, Measurement, Volume, & Matter
Cause & Effect
Fine Motor Practice
Sustained Concentration
19. Toes In The Sand
Sand is Mother Nature’s original sensory bin. It is naturally heavy and presents resistance work opportunities, has a unique texture, changes when you add water, and is perfect for walking on uneven surfaces. Plus, working together to build an epic sandcastle has endless benefits!
Teamwork
Family Bonding
Treasured Memories
Heavy Lifting/Motor Work
Sensory Play/Textures
Capacity
Cause & Effect
Outdoor Play
Looking for hands-on learning and fun themes to engage preschool learners all year round? Check out this resource for thematic printable packs for 3-4 year olds- Math, Literacy, and Social-Emotional Skills made easy and enjoyable!
20. Soaking Up Summer
A splash pad, sprinkler, or even a hose is a great whole-body activity that children can easily adapt to their own comfort level and sensory needs. A sensory seeker will often be happy to jump right in, douse their heads, or take bigger risks while playing, which affords an easy way to increase sensory input without needing any extra supplies!
21. Playing In The Leaves
Nothing beats a day outside, taking in the sights and sounds of early Autumn. Leaves- whether raking, jumping into a pile of them, crunching them under your feet, shoveling them into trash bags, or tossing them in the air, are a perfect material for heavy work!
22. Snow Day Play
Doesn’t everyone play baseball in the snow? It’s not pictured here because I didn’t have my phone with me outside (my husband snapped this one), but we actually did a bunch of fun heavy work and sensory activities in the snow!
Throwing snowballs (and baseballs)
Building a snowman
Went on a walk to look for a woodpecker we saw the other day
Walked under a bunch of trees that are positioned well to look like a snowy tunnel... this one was the absolute best! So peaceful and gorgeous under there!
Take nature-based exploration to the next level with these preschool curriculum unit plans for 1-year-olds and 2-year-olds, packed with toddler activities all about exploring our Earth! Check it out by clicking the images below to learn more!
Activities With Whole Body Engagement For Your Sensory Seeker
23. Bang The Drums
When I first introduced these drums, I said, "This is either the best or worst parenting decision I’ve made to date. Only time will tell." Well, time has revealed that, despite the noise- of which there is PLENTY- this has been a GREAT decision! My sensory seeker has used the drum set so many times to diffuse his anger or big emotions, and both of my children enjoy music and creating rhythms and beats with this percussion instrument!
24. Trash Toy Ramps
We love turning all kinds of packaging trash into fun treasures! We always have a great time using packaging materials, like this styrofoam, to create an inclined plane for our rolling toys. We kept changing the slope to see how it affected the car’s movement. For a sensory seeker, the natural resistance of bending down to pick up an object and then standing up to place it at the top of an inclined plane can help regulate the body. If more input is needed, make the object weighted.
25. Ultimate Box Decorating!
We are always up to something involving cardboard boxes around here! Decorating a box offers large scale fine motor movement that can satisfy a sensory seeker in more ways than a traditional table-top art activity might be able to do. Plus, the box acts as a storage container for the materials, helping this activity to serve as a long-term project that can continue for weeks or even months!
Long-Term commitment to a task
Creativity & Initiative
Independent & Child-Led
Box = Activity AND Storage!
Fine Motor with Whole Body Engagement
Process Art
Change Materials & Supplies to Maintain Novelty
26. Packaging Paper Vertical Play
What’s that, you say? Regular paper isn’t fun enough to hold your little one’s attention? No problem! Tape some paper to the wall! Novelty is EVERYTHING at this age, so keep it fresh!! (Bonus- this butcher paper is actually packaging paper that came in a holiday package!) Vertical play and learning is great for a sensory seeker because it uses the entire body, can offer bending and stretching opportunities (heavy work/resistance), and engages muscles that a sensory seeker often enjoys using, such as the core and shoulders!
27. Roadway To Fun
What started as a simple roadway eventually turned our hallway into a total fun zone. Days and days of fun and learning were had with all of the variations and games we are doing with this simple set-up, all of which allowed for whole body engagement!
Gross motor development: hop, run, balance, crawl, march, walk backwards, big steps, tip toe, tunnel time, obstacle course, etc.!
Cars, trucks, & trains
Maze play promotes proprioceptive and vestibular development (use streamers or string for an easy set-up and take down!)
Blocks or other table toys can be re-purposed in a new and engaging setting
Pair this tape roadway setup with letter hunts, color matching, counting games, or any other skill your little one is working on to add a physical component to an academic focus! Our brains work better this way, and this is especially true for a sensory seeker!
Need ways to help your early learners grow their social-emotional skills? Increase communication and reduce frustration with these best-selling communication resources! Click the images to learn more!
28. Vertical Letter Match
I have heard several other parents of sensory seekers say that their little one just "isn't into anything academic." With added twists, though, we can provide academic learning that satisfies their body's need for movement, which is where so much of a sensory seeker's perceived resistance to academics comes from. Making activities vertical, for example, by posting them up on a window or a wall, adds a bending and stretching component that can give the gross motor input our learners need to fully concentrate and enjoy a learning task.
29. Halloween Egg Hunt
Hunting for Easter eggs doesn't need to stop after Spring is finished. I found some great jack-o-lantern eggs and converted a time-tested Easter tradition into some Fall-themed entertainment! Super engaging, and it combines fresh air with fine and gross motor play!
30. Rainbow Road
All you need is tape!
Indoor Gross Motor Play
Color Recognition
Balance and Movement
Add Toys (cars, trains, balls, etc.)
Place Tape Strategically (increase cooperation during routines and transitions by adding some fun movement!)
31. Box Painting
Have a bunch of boxes coming your way lately? Save a few for fun kid projects! At the request of my kiddo, we worked on a project of his design, beginning with outdoor painting, which is a great way to work in fine motor skills for kids needing extra sensory inputs!
High-Engagement Fine Motor
Process Art
Emotional Processing
Creative Expression
Color Science
Fresh Air
Self-Directed Exploration
32. DIY Cardboard + Blocks Ball Run
Blocks + Cardboard + Tape + Ping Pong Balls = BEST ACTIVITY EVER!!
This was so simple to set up and has so many benefits the list would never fit in this post! It is great for a sensory seeker because there is so much large motor movement involved in the creation and testing process. Here are just a few of the benefits of this DIY activity:
Building the ball run together as a team (social adaptation) allows for a full STEM experience- planning, trial, error, modification, failure, perseverance, success! It’s engineering for toddlers!
Science!! (Predictions and experimentation- ball size, slope, inclined planes, speed, etc.)
Language- vocabulary and conversation (Ex: my son kept saying to roll “two” when he meant “all”, and just by me saying “Oh! Roll all of them?” each time, he was on his way to using the word “all” in his directives after about fifteen minutes!)
Recycled materials turned into toys!
Fine motor development as they pick up and drop the balls through the maze
It is FUN!! We laughed and laughed and honestly, we were both super excited to see if the balls would make it into the tray or not! It was simply joyful!
33. Tape Tracks
Painter’s Tape can never be overrated when it comes to simple setups! In less than three minutes, I made this track in our hallway, and it was in use for half a week! How can it be used, especially to help a sensory seeker get the input they need?
Car or Train Tracks
Outline for Block Building
Line Up for Toys
Gross Motor Flat Balance Beam
Measurement Activity/Estimation
34. Tape Tracks REBOOT!
Turn those tape tracks into a whole new activity in less than ten minutes! Label the tape with letters, numbers, shapes, etc. and create a corresponding set with post-it’s, dot stickers, or whatever you have on hand! Let the matching begin!
Low Prep/High Engagement
Gross Motor + Academics
Easily Adaptable By Skill
Alphabetic Principle
Cardinality
Visual Cuing
Letter & Number Recognition
Discriminate Between Letters and Numbers
35. Ball Wall
This low prep setup kept my toddler engaged and coming back to play over the course of several days! He pulled them off, stuck them back on, rearranged them, explored the tape, found some new balls that were too heavy to stick, and more! With painter’s tape and some ball pit balls and other lightweight toys, it’s so easy to create a setup like this, and you might need even realize how much learning and development is taking place! Plus, the natural resistance work involved in pulling, sticking, bending, and reaching can satisfy a sensory seeker's need for input.
Shoulder Strengthening
Fine Motor Development
Vocabulary Development
1:1 Correspondence
Hand-Eye Coordination
Cause & Effect
Colors and Shapes
Scientific Investigation
36. Contact Paper Autumn Leaves
When the rain lets up, we love to go on a walk to collect real leaves and repeat this with natural materials, but for the rainy days, paper leaves worked great!
Fine Motor
Color Recognition
Hand-Eye Coordination
Language Development
Seasonal Learning
Vertical Play
37. Homemade Hot Wheels
I have always loved giving my kids the random magazines that arrive at our house because it is a natural, accessible, (and free!) way for them to experience nonfiction print. But of course, during any holiday season, that means a huge increase in requests for toys they desperately “need” but never even knew existed before they browsed the magazine.
A few years ago, this led me to begin encouraging my older son to create his own versions of these requested toys, and it’s now become somewhat of a tradition! This time around, there was a request for a Hot Wheels track, so I got out some blocks, Magnatiles, cardboard, and tape and we went to work building our own track together. This also really satisfied my younger one's sensory needs because of the heavy lifting, bending, and natural resistance work involved!
Free!!
Bonding Experience
STEM Skills
Heavy Work
Creativity
Project-Based Learning
Sense of Accomplishment
Recycled Materials
38. Love Letters
Have extra Valentine’s cards that went unused? Write the alphabet on them, tape them to a magnetic door or to your fridge, and match magnetic letters to them! (It’s even better if you wear heart-shaped glasses while you do it!)
39. DIY Ball Run
Is this pretty? No. But is it a real setup that took me ten minutes and distracted my screaming two year old enough to let me cook dinner? Yes. (Did said dinner include any vegetables? No. But, I mean, one win feels like enough for the day, right?!)
Recycled Materials
Vertical Activity = Whole Body Engagement
Cause & Effect
Low Prep
High Novelty
Physics For Toddlers
40. Chalk and Spray
Our OT showed us this super easy way to offer multiple types of sensory input in one activity… and all you need is two supplies: chalk and a water spray bottle!
Fine Motor Development
Resistance Input (squeezing & pressing)
Cause & Effect
Autonomy
Process Art for Emotional Regulation
Texture Variety
Push, Pull, Lift, Climb Activities For Your Sensory Seeker
41. Climb & Slide
Good old fashioned climbing and sliding going on here amongst the chaos of other toys, of course! The design of this climber offers extra balance and body coordination because of the larger gaps between rods and the curved nature, but any climber or slide is great!
42. Mountain Top Roll
Large balls are so perfect for a little sensory seeker. Have them roll the ball to the top of a slide or hill-shaped climber, and then push it down. It offers so much resistance work and they can easily repeat the sequence over and over!
43. Push Toys
Bust out the push toys- baby doll strollers, shopping carts, etc.! Encourage your littles to load them up with heavy items to push around the house! This is easy to integrate into your home toy collection because they are so common, and can be used in imaginative play to spark language development as they get the sensory input they need!
45. Hanging Out
A hanging bar of any kind is amazing for a sensory seeker because it uses the natural weight of their body to help them regulate themselves. Whether a gymastics bar or a hanging bar at the playground, using their grip, core muscles, and own stamina/endurance to engage their gross motor faculties is an easy way to help children regulate their bodies using an already-personalized approach. Plus, it is wild to see how strong little sensory seekers can be!
46. Cardboard Box Tunnel
My son really wanted to create a big tunnel out of boxes, just like one of the characters in Daniel Tiger on PBS Kids. Of course I just melted with pride at his initiative and innovation! I mean, when you are a teacher mom, you can’t say no to your own child’s STEM play ideas! So, after we painted the boxes, we worked together to build a tunnel, complete with windows, doors, and a sky roof!
His sense of accomplishment was through the roof and he has been asking to build and create more and more structures ever since!
47. The Extreme Box Evolution
When I first saw that “extreme boxes” was an activity that could last for months, I took notes! We rocked this same box for almost half a year, and while it changed decor and purpose over the course of five months, the value of this box remained as constant as ever! Over time, I will say the word “extreme” took on new meaning for this box and at some point I lost all control of the direction of this activity, but it provided endless self-directed entertainment with tons of benefits!
Here is the evolution of this magical box, all of which are great ways to offer sensory input with minimal preparation and supplies!
Car (packed for vacation)
Sticker Center (and hiding spot)
Climbing & Stacking
Beloved TV-Watching Friend
Cave/Tunnel Exploration
Boxes and Bags Takeover
Decorating Boxes
Color In A Box
48. Cardboard Box Slide!
Wish I could take credit for this creation, but it was all my child’s idea! Sometimes, inspiration just strikes, and in our house, it’s usually when cardboard boxes are involved!
STEM Play
Recycled Materials
Gross Motor
Investigate Slope & Velocity
Promotes Initiative & Agency
49. Cruisin’
Have more than one child in the mix? Whether at home or in a classroom, giving children the opportunity to push each other around on a rolling toy is another simple and fun way to give them the heavy work they crave, without much extra prep!
Don't forget that sensory seekers hear corrections more often than most kids! Help affirm them with resources like this one!
If you find these ideas helpful or inspiring, I would love to know!
Email me at chiarahoyt@loveandexcellencellc.com and let's connect!
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