Free Sensory Diet Activity Planner

Student places hands on the wall and does push-ups, providing deep pressure input to joints and muscles.

Student pushes up from their chair using their arms, lifting their body off the seat. Provides heavy work input.

Student carries a stack of heavy books to another location (library, office). Provides proprioceptive input through heavy lifting.

Attach a resistance band around the front legs of the student's chair. They can push against it with their feet during seated work.

Student does bear walks, crab walks, or frog jumps across the room or hallway. Great for body awareness and calming.

Place a weighted lap pad on the student's lap during seated activities for calming deep pressure input.

Student pushes or pulls a wagon loaded with items (books, supplies) to deliver to classrooms.

Student squeezes a stress ball, putty, or hand exerciser during instruction or independent work.

Guide student through calming yoga poses: downward dog, tree pose, warrior. Provides proprioceptive and vestibular input.

Student presses palms together, pushes hands on desk, or interlocks fingers and pulls. Quiet proprioceptive input.

Supervised spinning on a swivel chair (limit to 10-15 seconds). Provides vestibular stimulation.

Use a platform swing, tire swing, or regular swing for rhythmic vestibular input. Linear swinging is calming; rotary is alerting.

Provide a rocking chair for the student to use during reading or independent work. Rhythmic rocking is calming.

Student stands on a balance board for brief periods. Provides vestibular input and improves core strength.

Student jumps on a small trampoline for vestibular and proprioceptive input. Very alerting and organizing.

Student hangs head over the edge of a mat or does forward bends. Brief inversions can be very alerting.

Student walks forward, backward, and sideways on a balance beam or taped line on the floor.

Student explores a bin filled with rice, beans, sand, or water beads. Can hide and find small objects inside.

Student kneads, rolls, squeezes, and shapes playdough or therapy putty. Provides tactile and proprioceptive input.

Provide textured fidgets (spiky ring, tangle, textured strip) for the student to use during instruction.

Attach a strip of Velcro (rough side) under the student's desk for quiet tactile stimulation during work.

Student practices letters or shapes in shaving cream, finger paint, or sand. Multi-sensory learning activity.

Student wears a compression vest or uses a weighted blanket for deep pressure tactile input during calm activities.

Student applies lotion to hands with a brief self-massage. Calming tactile input for transitions or before demanding tasks.

Student wears noise-canceling headphones during independent work or in noisy environments to reduce auditory overload.

Play soft instrumental music or white noise during work time. Can use personal earbuds for individual use.

Student matches sounds to pictures or identifies environmental sounds. Builds auditory processing skills.

Encourage the student to hum or sing during transitions. Provides organizing auditory and oral motor input.

Minimize visual distractions on the student's desk and in their line of sight. Use desk dividers or study carrels.

Use a visual timer (sand timer, liquid timer) so the student can see time passing. Reduces anxiety about transitions.

Student watches a lava lamp or glitter jar for calming visual input during breaks or transition times.

Reduce overhead fluorescent lighting. Use lamps or natural light instead for students sensitive to bright lights.

Provide a food-safe chew tool for students who seek oral sensory input. Helps with focus and self-regulation.

Provide crunchy snacks (pretzels, carrots, crackers) for oral motor input. Crunching is organizing and alerting.

Have the student drink thick liquids (smoothie, applesauce) through a straw. The sucking provides calming oral input.

Student blows through a straw to move cotton balls, blow bubbles, or play a whistle. Calming respiratory activity.

Guide student through belly breathing: breathe in for 4 counts, hold for 4, exhale for 4. Teaches body awareness.

Guide student to notice how each part of their body feels, from toes to head. Builds interoceptive awareness.

Student rates how their body feels on a 1-5 scale at regular intervals. Teaches recognition of internal states.

Student tenses and releases muscle groups one at a time. Teaches awareness of tension and relaxation in the body.