Sensory Diet

Activity
Guide Book

Cindy Chuan
Occupational Therapist
yourkidsot.com
 A Sensory Diet...
A "sensory diet" is a planned and scheduled activity program designed to meet a child's individual
sensory needs (Wilbarger, and Wilbarger, 1991). It is related to activities that a child performs through
their day to help them to "modulate" their bodies – It is not food related at all! Think about some of the
activities you do to relax - Do you go for a jog? soak in a hot bath? go for a massage? drink a warm
drink? Think of the activities that give you energy. The activities that might relax some people may
actually energize others.

We live in a world full of sensory information and some kids have difficulty coping with the sensory
information they receive in their daily lives (visual, auditory, vestibular, proprioceptive, tactile, taste, etc).
Some kids can be seek sensory information and others will avoid it. This can change for a child
depending on their environment or time of day.

A "sensory diet" aims to help a child level it all out and cope. It aims to prevent sensory and emotional
overload by satisfying the child's nervous system. If you are concerned that your child may have
sensory processing difficulties, contact an Occupational Therapist for an assessment. The assessment
typically involves an interview and questionnaire completed by parents and teachers as well as
observation of your child. This guide book is provided for those whose child's sensory needs have
already been identified and is not a diagnostic tool.

This guide book is also written for occupational therapists looking for additional suggestions to help
with the formulation of a sensory diet for their clients.This guide book provides examples of activities
that may be included in a "sensory diet" in a home or school environment where specialized equipment
may not be available. These activities are generally suitable for all children, however, professional
advice should be obtained if you are uncertain (particularly with the vestibular system) about which
activities or combination of activities to try. Consideration should also be made regarding your child's
age and cognitive abilities.

Whilst the activities in this guide book have been categorized, all the sensory systems are connected so
one system may affect another. After trialling the activities with your child, make note of the affect of
the activities. Does it calm your child, arouse them, over-arouse them? It should be noted that whilst
some activities may be calming for one child, it may alerting for another child. When creating a "sensory
diet"; you will need to consider which activities are appropriate, when they should be carried out, for
how long and how often.

There are over 100 activities that I have put together here so if you are overwhelmed don't feel like you
need to try them all in one day. Not all the suggestions will be suited to your child. It is best to look over
this list with your occupational therapist.

Cindy Chuan is a registered Occupational Therapist practising in Sydney Australia. She has two young children
who are a constant source of inspiration and learning. Cindy loves working creatively to help children to reach
their potential, finding opportunities in everyday living and making learning fun. Cindy is the author of the
Occupational Therapy blog Your Kids OT (https://www.yourkidsot.com).

© 2018 Your Kids OT. Sensory Diet Activity Guide Book

 PROPRIOCEPTION
Proprioception tells us about the movement and position of our bodies. Proprioception is
sometimes called "position sense" or "muscle sense" as information from receptors in our
muscles and skin help to inform us of where are body parts are in space, how they relate to
each other, how much and how quickly they are stretching, the speed and timing of
movement as well as the amount of force exerted. Proprioception helps us to be aware of
our bodies and directs our motor control and planning.

Proprioception can be both subconscious (automatic) and conscious awareness of joint

position we use in learning. This conscious awareness is also described as "kinesthesia".

Proprioceptive input can help to modulate arousal levels (ie. may help to increase arousal
or may help to calm and organize sensory systems). Heavy work activities can provide
proprioceptive input to the muscles and joints of the body. This may involve lifting,
pushing, pulling objects and a child's own body weight.

Proprioception helps integrate touch and movement sensations (tactile and vestibular).
The following activities are categorized into those that involve the whole body, hands and
fingers or oral proprioception.

PROPRIOCEPTION: Whole Body

Jumping on the trampoline Animal walks (crab, bear, snake, etc)
Jumping from one stepping stone to forward or backwards)
another Wheelbarrow on hands with someone else
Jumping off the stairs onto the floor holding legs
Jumping from a bench onto the grass Commando crawling
Leapfrog over another child Crawling on knees
Swinging on the monkey bars Stamping feet
Swinging on an overhead flying fox Hopscotch
(zipline) Marching
Pulling wet clothes from the washing Vacuuming
machine Rolling over a ball
Pulling dry clothes from the dryer Wiping the table
Tug-of-war pulling on a rope Wiping a whiteboard
Pulling against a towel (someone else Running (forward, backward, sideways)
pulling back) Log rolling (body stretched out)
Pulling rubbish bins to and from the kerb Clean the windows
Pulling a garden hose Digging in dirt or sand with spade, hands or
Pulling toys (eg. wagon, sled, etc) feet

© 2018 Your Kids OT. Sensory Diet Activity Guide Book.

 PROPRIOCEPTION: Whole Body
Carrying heavy shopping bags Pushing a therapy ball up and down a wall
Carrying heavy books Pushing a wheelbarrow (real or toy
Carrying a backpack with heavy contents wheelbarrow depending on age)
Carrying beanbags on head Pushing toys (eg. toy lawnmower,
Carrying sand/water in a bucket shopping cart, stroller, etc)
Carrying furniture around the house or Pushing hands against a grown-up who
classroom (appropriate size) pushes back
Carrying pot plants Pushing furniture
Carrying watering can Pushing a box of toys
Carrying small pets Pushing against a wall
Lifting furniture at home or school (eg. Push ups on the floor
chair onto a table) Pushing a shopping trolley
Climbing up a slide Pushing arms and legs in a plank position
Climbing over furniture or pillows Pushing arms and legs whilst lying on a
Climbing up a ladder (suitable for child) scooter (prone) board.
Climbing on nets or frames at a Pushing a laundry basket of washing
playground Pushing a sibling in a stroller/pram
Indoor rock climbing Hanging washing on a line to dry
Chin ups on a horizontal bar
Being wrapped in a blanket or towel and
being squeezed (standing or lying on the
floor)
Being squeezed between pillows or Many sports allow your child to
mattresses (standing or lying on the floor) receive whole body proprioceptive
Using a weighted product (eg. blanket, and vestibular input.
vest, bag, toy) Here are a few examples:
Being massaged by someone else
Being squashed under a therapy ball or
foam roller Soccer Basketball
Giving or receiving a bear hug Football Netball
Hiding under heavy blankets on bed Gymnastics Table tennis
On the floor, pushing feet against a grown- Swimming Skiing
up pushing their feet back (straight or Hockey Snowboarding
cycle motion) Track and field Surfing
On the floor, pushing feet against a Dance Paddleboarding
therapy ball, wall, theraband, etc Horseback riding Canoeing/kayaking
Chair push-ups (lift whole body up from a Martial arts Cycling
chair with arms straight) Golf Scootering
Tennis

© 2018 Your Kids OT. Sensory Diet Activity Guide Book.

 PROPRIOCEPTION: Hands and Fingers
Cooking in the kitchen (eg. rolling, sifting, Finger play nursery rhymes and songs
stirring, shaking, pushing, rolling, etc) Finger puppets
Wringing a wet towel Finger push-ups on the table
Squeezing a wet sponge Finger painting
Squeezing a soft toy Catch, throw and bounce a ball
Squeezing a squirting bath toy Clapping games
Squeezing a water pistol Sharpening a pencil
Squeezing a water spray Punching a pillow or mattress
Playing with a hand fidget Feeling "Mermaid" cushions
Pinching pegs (clothespins) Messy play with rice, cloud dough, kinetic
Playdough and theraputty play sand, sand, etc
(squeezing, pinching, pulling, etc) Popping with fingers
Pulling theraband Q-tip painting
Pulling elastic bands (eg. loom bands)
Playing "thumb wars" and other finger
games
Many of these activities will
Push pin poke drawing
also help with the
Usng tongs and tweezers to grasp and
development of fine motor and
release
bilateral coordination skills.

PROPRIOCEPTION: Oral
Chewing on bubble or chewing gum Blowing popper toys
Chewing on commercial silicon grade Blowing bubbles
"chewy" products (eg. pendant, chewlery) Blowing a harmonica
Eating crunchy food (apple, carrot sticks, Blowing a party blower
corn on the cob, rice crackers, celery Blowing a whistle
sticks, dry cereal, pretzels, ice, froze ice Blowing up a balloon
blocks, etc) Blowing bubbles in water (eg. with a
Eating chewy food (steak, fruit roll ups, straw)
etc). Blowing a straw to push along a items
Chewing on bubble or chewing gum (eg. pom pom, cotton wool ball, ping
Poking out tongue pong ball)
Pushing tongue into cheeks Blowing a feather and keeping it up in
Puffing up cheeks and squeezing out air the air
Using a vibrating toothbrush (to brush Breathing in/out of brown paper bag
teeth or for massaging mouth) Make silly faces
Sucking water from a sports drink bottle Sucking a frozen ice block (popsicle)

© 2018 Your Kids OT. Sensory Diet Activity Guide Book.

 TACTILE SYSTEM: SENSE OF TOUCH
Touch sensations can include light touch, deep pressure, skin stretching,vibration,
movement and pain activated receptors.The tactile system may be classified into two
components: discriminative touch (what and where touch occurs on the body) and
defensive touch (fight or flight response).

The tactile system is closely related to the proprioceptive system (through deep pressure
input to the skin, muscles and joints). Both the tactile and proprioceptive systems work to
help with body awareness and motor control.

Many of the activities that are listed in the proprioception section of this reference sheet
will also help those with difficulties with the tactile system. Some of these activities will need
to be graded for those who are defensive to touch sensation.

The following suggestions relate to modification of the environment to assist with

processing tactile input and then there are suggestions for exploration of different textures
through touch.

TACTILE SYSTEM: Environmental Modifications

Make sure your child can see you before Allow your child to say "no" when
approaching or touching your child touching others is required (eg. dance or
Avoid clothing fabrics which are irritating sports class)
Consider "seam free" clothing Allow your child to go first or last in the
When using guided physical prompts or line to minimize tactile contact with
instruction use firm touch others
Use markers to help designate personal Allow your child to wear gloves when
space when sitting on the floor or standing handling textures they are
in a line (eg. coloured dots) uncomfortable with touching
Provide a quiet space for your child to Try tools made from different materials
retreat to when required (eg. different grips on a pen, mechanical
Try a progression of touching undesirable plastic pencil, wooden pencil)
texture (eg. place progressively smaller
objects on top of the surface)
Try a progression of body parts to touch
undesirable texture (eg. finger, hand, arm)
Encourage your child to initiate touching
when needed (eg. dance class, holding
hands with another child to line up, etc)

© 2018 Your Kids OT. Sensory Diet Activity Guide Book.

 TACTILE SYSTEM: Exploring textures
Provide different textures to explore with various body parts. This could be provided in a
confined space such as "sensory bin or bucket" or a small portion affixed to a hard surface
(eg. board, box). Try textures on hands, feet, arms, legs, backs, faces, etc.

Let your child be in control.

Textures to try in a"sensory bin".
Encourage your child to rub a variety
of textures against their own skin.
Slime Goop
Packaging peanuts Jelly crystals
Try different actions with the textures.
Salt Buttons
Leaves Wood bark Pointing
Feathers Sand Touching with one finger
Jelly Raw rice Touching with whole hand
Kinetic sand Water Placing whole hand into sensory bin
Cloud dough Pom poms (immersing)
Shells Foam pieces Rubbing object between both hands
Stones Sponges Try applying different amounts of
Dry pasta Water beads pressure placed on a texture
Dried beans Dirt Using short tool to touch
Dry cereal Cotton wool Wrap body inside texture
Rolled oats Shaving cream Rubbing object onto skin
Cooked spaghetti Straw/hay Step on texture
Shredded paper Glass beads Crawl over texture
Mud Scrubbers Jump on texture
Felt blanket pieces Bubble bath Roll over texture
Climb on texture

Textures to try
on a sensory board.

Carpet squares Sequinned Examples of Progression

Foam pieces material for Exploring Textures
Tuille Shells 1. Place a toy car on sand for child to drive
Cellophane Rocks 2. Half-bury toy car on sand for child to drive
Shredded paper Feathers 3. Fully- bury toy car in sand for child to drive
Sand paper Wood bark
Fake fur Bbuttons Try vibrating toys, massager
Felt Cotton wool and cushions for
Vinyl Glitter material tactile stimulation.

© 2018 Your Kids OT. Sensory Diet Activity Guide Book.

 TACTILE SYSTEM: Fidget Tools

Fidget tools are used for children who seek sensory input from their hands to help them to
focus on other tasks. Fidgeting may occur with a child moving their own body (eg. wiggling,
interwining fingers, tapping fingers, scratching, twirling hair etc.). Generally a child does not
need to look at the item that they are fidgetting with as it is an automatic response to a need
for tactile input.

When a child can not get enough tactile sensory input, then an external "fidget tool" may be
used. These tools should not distract the child from the main activity of focus and should not
distract others around them.

In recent years, mainstream shops have sold "fidget toys" which offer tactile input for
children. Fidget tools are not toys. They should not be "played with" as the fidget is used to
help focus on the main activity.

A child will often need to trial several fidget tools to find what best suits them and if it is
needed to help with attention and focus. There are usually other signs of fidgeting
observed. A child may only need a fidget tool for short periods of time. If they are fidgeting
throughout a whole lesson or over a long period of time, then other sensory systems may
need to be addressed.

Here are some objects that you may have in

your home or classroom that may be used as
Fidget Tool Rules
a fidget tool.
1. Fidget tools should be held with my Blue tak
hands. Velcro Beaded necklace
2. Fidget tools should help me to focus Feather Craft stick
on a task or my teacher. Elastic band Paint brush
3. Fidget tools should be discreet. Screws/Nuts/Bolts Qtip
They should not distract me or other Paperclip Bangle/bracelet
children from a task. Dice Buttons
4. Fidget tools should be used for short Small stone Pencil
periods of time. Eraser
5. When I need my hands for other Coin
activities, I don't need a fidget tool. Small zipper
6. Fidget tools should not be noisy. Stress ball
Pom pom

© 2018 Your Kids OT. Sensory Diet Activity Guide Book.

 VESTIBULAR SYSTEM:
Sense of Gravity, Movement and Balance
The brain processes vestibular sensations received through the hair receptors in the inner
ear. These inner ear receptors are stimulated by gravity. The vestibular system tells us
about our head and body position in relation to the earth and sends information to our
central nervous system about balance and movement. The vestibular system also tells us
whether we or objects around us are moving or standing still. It tells us about direction
and speed of movement too.

The outer ear and cerebral cortex also help to process precise vestibular and auditory
sensations through the sensations produced by vibrations of movement and of sound.

The vestibular system has been described as necessary for the entire nervous system to
function effectively (ie. to help with the interpretation of other senses such as vision and
the feedback from the muscles and joints through proprioception).

There is a self-protective (defensive) component of the vestibular system that matures as a

child grows. As a child grows they can coordinate their body movements together with
visual information, learning to discriminate what they see and how they move.

Vestibular movement can be described as linear (up/down, forward/back and side to side
movements). Slow and low linear movements can have a soothing affect and often
parents introduce this to their babies in the form of rocking or gentle bouncing. Linear
movements which move in a bigger or faster arc may be more stimulating.

Vestibular movements can also be rotational (spinning around) and are enjoyed by most
children as they stimulate the vestibular system and feel good.

Vestibular movements may involve a child being upside down (defying gravity).

Encourage but never force vestibular movements.

Experiment with different speeds.
Vestibular input will change for one activity
depending on the child's head and body position
(for example: sitting vs lying prone).

© 2018 Your Kids OT. Sensory Diet Activity Guide Book.

 VESTIBULAR SYSTEM: Linear Movement
Linear Movement: Up/Down
Linear Movement: Side/Side
Spring see-saw
Ball hopper Swinging on a hammock
Bouncing on a grown-up's leg Rocking/Swaying from side to side
Bouncing on a gym ball Dancing
Zip line or flying fox Side steps
Jumping Crab walking sideways
Skipping with a rope Adult hugs child's torso whilst rocking
Trampolining child from side to side
Pogo stick
Piggy back ride

Linear Movement: Forward/Backward

Zip line or flying fox
Swinging at the park sitting or lying over the seat
Swinging on a rope or tyre swing
Scooter board activities (sitting or prone)
Rocking forward and backwards on a rocking horse
Skate boarding, riding a bicycle, or scooter
Roller blading, roller skating or ice skating
Sliding down a slippery slide (forwards, backwards,
lying down, sitting up)
Jogging or running
Relay races
Crawling through a tunnel

VESTIBULAR SYSTEM: Rotational Movement

Spinning Movements
Spinning self in circles
Adult hugs child's torso whilst spinning child
Sitting on a swivel chair and spinning around
Scooter board spinning on stomach rotating with hands to push
Twisting around on park swing and then untwisting
Merry-go-round or spinning playground equipment
Sitting on a spinning toy (eg. Sit 'n spin, Wobbel360 or Bilibo)
Rolling activities (eg. log roll, forward roll, rolling down a hill)

© 2018 Your Kids OT. Sensory Diet Activity Guide Book.

 VESTIBULAR SYSTEM: Gravity Challenges

Upside Down

Forward and backward somersaults

Handstands supported by a wall
Handstands unsupported
Cartwheels
Hanging upside down from a horizontal bar
Wheelbarrows on hands
Lie backwards over a gym ball and roll so head tips backwards
Lie backwards with legs on sofa and head on the ground
Sitting on chair then look for something under the floor

You could also try having your child pass things

over and under their heads whilst looking at it.

Balance challenges

T-Stool
Walking/crawling on unstable surfaces
Sitting, kneeling or lying on a gym ball
Standing on foot pods
Walking on a balance beam
Balancing rope courses
Move n sit cushion
Balance boards
Hopping games
Climbing on rope ladders

Walking or crawling on unstable surfaces will require a child to adjust their

body as they move. Try a sandy beach, playground suspension bridge,
grassy field, waterbed, foam filled mattress or path of pillows.

© 2018 Your Kids OT. Sensory Diet Activity Guide Book.

 VISUAL SYSTEM
A child uses their eyes to see in a variety of ways. These visual skills include acuity (details),
adjusting from bright to light, focus and accomodation as well as detecting movement around
them. Children use their eyes together (binocularity) to form a single mental picture that the
two eyes see separately.

Children also use their eyes in combination with motor skills (ocular-motor) and this includes
fixation (steady attention on an object), saccades (movements from one point to another) and
smooth pursuits (tracking a moving object).

At a higher cognitive level, children use their vision to discriminate and refine what they see.
These visual perceptual skills are discussed in more detail in the Your Kids OT "Visual
Perception Reference Sheet".

Visual-motor skills include eye-hand coordination, eye-foot coordination and eye-ear

coordination.

A child's visual discrimination and visual-motor skills are closely related tot he other sensory
systems (especially tactile, vestibular and proprioceptive). Visual dysfunction may involve poor
movement, posture, body awareness or coordination with motor skills. When a child is
experiencing visual discrimination difficulties which are not related to movement then it is
unlikely that this is caused by sensory processing issues.

VISUAL SYSTEM: Environmental Modifications

Reduce clutter
Wear sunglasses
Wear a cap or visor
Present one item at a time
Remove unnecessary information from a whiteboard
Position a child at the front of the classroom
Use coloured paper rather than white
Provide multi-sensory learning techniques so the child does
not rely only on their visual system for learning

Multi- sensory learning uses more than one "sense" to teach a child a concept
or a motor skill. This may involve seeing and touching an object, moving
through space with this object and listening to instructions.

© 2018 Your Kids OT. Sensory Diet Activity Guide Book.

 VISUAL SYSTEM

Some children find watching and gazing at

objects to have a calming affect on their Some children will need to
overall sensory systems. have visual information
highlighted or exaggerated so
Mirrored ball that they can respond.
Strobe lights
Provide a tactile prompt to help with
Neon lights
writing on the line.
Disco ball
Highlight the left hand margin on a
Ocean Waves
writing page.
Fingers
Use two coloured shoe laces on the
Glitter wand
one shoe
Lava lamp/timer
Try different coloured paper for
Sand timer
worksheets
Kaleidoscope
Use a ruler or finger to track words
when reading

VISUAL SYSTEM: Using this strength

Some children rely on their visual system to help them to organize and plan. These children
can use their vision to guide their other senses. Here are some ways to use the visual system
to guide behaviour and organization.

Social stories
Visual schedules
Colour coded timetables
Checklists
Maps
Writing plans
Calendars/diaries
First/then visual prompts
Visual timers
Desk strips
Placemats
Posters
Scheduling apps
Clock or watch

© 2018 Your Kids OT. Sensory Diet Activity Guide Book.

 AUDITORY SYSTEM
The hair cells in the inner ear process information about both sound and movement.
Therefore the auditory and vestibular systems are closely linked. The auditory system is
required to process what and how something is heard.

Babies develop a startle defensive sense of sound, reacting to loud or unexpected noises. As
they grow their auditory system develops so that they realize not all sounds will hurt them.
Over time children develop an understanding of where sounds are coming from
(localization), the ability to follow a sound (tracking), remember and recall sounds they have
heard before (auditory memory), place sounds in a logical order (auditory sequencing),
compare and contrast environmental sounds (discrimination), distinguish between
foreground and background sounds (figure-ground and the ability to relate to unfamiliar
sounds (association). All of these skills are then drawn together to find meaning to what is
heard which they can label with a name when speech has developed.

Auditory dysfunction may be due to a physical issue (eg. ear infection). A child's hearing may
be functional, however they may have difficulty with processing the information heard.

Therapeutic Listening is an evidence-based auditory intervention intended to support

individuals who experience challenges with sensory processing dysfunction, listening,
attention, and communication. Further information about therapeutic listening should be
sought from a trained professional.

Here are some suggestions to assist with developing auditory skills and some environmental
modifications for those who are sensitive to auditory input.

Environmental Modifications
Listening activities
Try these at different volumes, with Help your child to manage unpleasant
headphones, in a small space (eg. car). sounds by anticipating them (eg. turning on
the vacuum, counting before using hand
dryer at shops or hair dryer)
Play commercial listening games (eg. Use headphones to listen to instructions
Cock-a-Doodle Moo) and block out other noises
Play listening games with sounds from Find a sanctuary in a noisy environment if
the environment (eg. garbage truck, siren, possible (eg. lift, library)
bell, clapping) Reduce the sound in a room by placing
Find soothing sounds for your child (eg. carpet or a rug
music, waves, white noise, etc) Seat child away from possible sources of
Listen to audio books (with or without noise (eg. fish tank, clock)
headphones)

© 2018 Your Kids OT. Sensory Diet Activity Guide Book.

 ORAL MOTOR SYSTEM
Whilst an overall "sensory diet" is not food related, the oral system is an important sensory
system. The mouth is the gateway to eating and many children who are fussy or picky eaters
may have difficulty with sensory motor experiences. They require coordinated oral motor
skills such as sucking, swallowing and breathing. An over responsiveness to tactile
sensations in the mouth (oral defensiveness) can make eating uncomfortable and
unpleasant. An oral desensitization program might involve increasing deep pressure to the
jaw, lips, cheeks, tongue and mouth.

If your child is a picky eater consult with a therapist trained in the SOS (Sequential Oral
Sensory) approach to feeding. This approach to feeding addresses the whole child, their
physical, oral motor, sensory, digestive and psychological needs when it comes to feeding. It
is an approach that works on increasing exposure to improve acceptance and then increase
dietary repertoire / quantity. It is a life skill building therapy.

Some children find the mouth a way to seek sensations to help with calming and
organizational skills through biting, chewing, sucking and blowing. They may chew
inappropriate objects (eg. pencils, shirt collars, etc).

Oral Desensitization
Bundy, Lane and Murray (2002) recommend providing infants and young children with
deep pressure to the roof of the mouth or gums with the therapist's fingers or other soft
rounded object (eg. Nuk toothbrush). They also suggest that older children and adults may
be taught to provide deep pressure to their own mouths using a variety of oral motor toys
(eg. using whistle, biting on knotted rubber tubing, blowing on a rubber strip).

The Paediatric Occupational Therapy Department from Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University
Health Board (2014) describe a protocol of oral desensitisation. This includes the following
progressive steps:
Apply firm pressure symmetrically to the area outside the child's mouth (from the forehead to
the chin and mouth) using hands or different materials.
Encourage your child to apply pressure (massage) to the roof of their mouth and gums (with
their finger or a soft, round object). This may begin with placing the child's finger on their lips
and then by rolling the finger inside the lip.
Encourage the child to dip the end of the toothbrush into a small cup of water and brush
their tongue, teeth, inside of the cheeks and roof of the mouth. Additional input with an
electric toothbrush may provided.
When the child is coping well with touch to their face and inside of their mouth, further oral
motor activities may be introduced involving sucking, blowing, biting, crunching, chewing or
licking.
© 2018 Your Kids OT. Sensory Diet Activity Guide Book.
 Oral Motor Activities
Chewing on chewing gum
Chewing on commercial "chewy" products
(ie. chewlery, pencil covers, theratubing)
Eat crunchy food
Eating chewy food (steak, fruit roll ups, corn
on the cob, etc)
Poke out tongue
Puff up cheeks and squeeze out air
Push tongue into cheeks
Use a vibrating toothbrush
Blow bubbles in water, with a bubble wand,
using a straw
Blow bubbles in substances with different Crunchy Food
densities (eg. jelly)
Blow up a balloon apple
Blow into a straw to push a table tennis ball carrot sticks
Blow down a stack of plastic cups celery sticks
Blow a plastic or paper windmill dry cereal
Blow a feather rice crackers
Make funny faces corn thins
Tongue challenges (eg. try to touch your rice thins
tongue to your nose, tie a snake lolly with pretzels
your tongue, poke a hole through a ice cubes
marshmallow) frozen ice lollies (ie. ice block)
"Sucking" games (transfer a "m and m" or
piece of paper).

Try straws of different sizes for

blowing and sucking.

Move your tongue, lips and mouth

to work on oral motor skills

© 2018 Your Kids OT. Sensory Diet Activity Guide Book.

 OLFACTORY SYSTEM

The sense of smell can affect emotions, behaviour, memory and thinking as the nose
receptors are connected to both the limbic system as well as the cortex. Finding the smells
that calm, arouse and over arouse will help to plan how to avoid or incorporate these smells
into your child's routine.

Smells can be added to your

child's daily life. Some smells can
be introduced gradually and
tolerated after a few attempts.

essential oils can be used in a diffuser

or added to homemade play dough
herbs and spices made be added to
home made play dough or food
dried flowers can be made into
sachets for clothes storage or in your
child's bag
fresh flowers can be added to a
bedroom or classroom
collect and dry herbs
encourage your child to assist with
meal preparation and cooking

Some strong smells are

best avoided where possible.
petrol/gasoline
burning wood
perfumed powders
perfumes
public bathrooms
fish monger
butcher
compost
furry animals
Sprinkle bicarbonate soda or fragrant shampoos and conditioner
place some in a small container unfamiliar herbs and spices
to help absorb "bad smells".

© 2018 Your Kids OT. Sensory Diet Activity Guide Book.

References
Bundy, A, Lane, S.J., Murray, E.A. (2002) Sensory Integration Theory and Practice (2nd Edition)
Kranowitz, C. S. (2011). The out-of-sync child: recognizing and coping with sensory processing disorder. Place
of publication not identified: Paw Prints.
Paediatric Occupational Therapy at Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board (2014) Oral
Desensitisation. Retrieved on 20/09/2016 at http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/documents
/863/Oral%20Desensitisation.pdf
Wilbarger, P. & Wilbarger, J. (1991) Sensory Defensiveness in Children Aged 2-12:An Intervention Guide for
Parents and Other Caretakers. Stillwater:PDP Press.

Disclaimer
The information in this guide book is general in nature and should be used for educational and entertainment
purposes. The activities are safe for most children, however, you should consult an occupational therapist or
health professional to address specific movement, sensory or other medical conditions. This guide book does not
replace formal therapeutic professional advice given by a health professional or medical practitioner.

Copyright
Your Kids OT
PO Box 3317
Putney NSW 2112
Australia
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Copyright © 2018 Your Kids OT. All rights reserved.

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Find printable resources for parents, teachers and therapists which provide creative ways to support your child's
learning and development. Resources are also available for teachers and therapists for professional development
purposes.

All resources are PDF files. You will need Adobe Acrobat or similar PDF reading software to open the file. All
resources are digital and can be downloaded instantly with payment ($Aus at www.yourkidsot.com and $US at
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Your-Kids-Ot ).

Each product will specify if you may download the item a certain number of times or if you have limited time to
download an item. Once you have downloaded your product, you may save your product for personal use. Please
do not copy or distribute products in part or entirety. If you have this file (or a printed version of this guide book
and did not pay for it, you are depriving the author and publisher of their rightful royalties. Please pay for your
copy by purchasing it at www.yourkidsot.com. You cannot post this document or the information it contains on
any electronic bulletin board, web site, FTP site, newsgroup, etc.

For best printing, select "shrink to printable area".

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© 2018 Your Kids OT. Sensory Diet Activity Guide Book.