Free Sensory Play- Outside!

When you have two kids with Sensory Processing Disorder, you are constantly looking for ways your kids can engage in Sensory Play. I love looking on Pintrest for new sensory activities and sensory box ideas. But today, I had a wakeup call when I was reading my daughter’s developmental email. The email talked about the importance of letting your child play outside for sensory stimulation. Why am I spending time creating things, when we can get it all outside for free?

Here are a few outside sensory ideas that your child can do outside:

smell-  breathe in the fresh air, smell the flowers, plants, trees (pine needles/ pine cones)

feel- sandbox, water table, run bare foot in the grass, play in the dirt, pick up different kinds of stones, find different kinds of leaves and flowers, play in a pile of leaves, touch different trees and feel the bark textures

hear- birds singing, trees blowing in the breeze, animals walking around, water moving

look- for different animals, watch the clouds pass by, observe different colors

taste- if you have a garden, you can taste different fruits and veggies

In today’s Pintrest world, we are busy creating. It seems like our lives have moved more inside. Kids do not go outside to play as much as they did when we were younger. Playing outside is very important part of development. Now that it is warming up, it is time to get outside, enjoy the surroundings, and play!