Springtime Sensory Play: Outdoor Activities for Children with Sensory Processing Disorders

Written by Fiona Peacock

Published on January 27, 2024

• Children with sensory processing disorders may be more sensitive to sensory stimuli, though some may also be less sensitive to certain stimuli.
• Outdoor sensory play is a perfect way to engage your child’s senses and encourage them to explore the wider world.
• Some activities are perfect for burning off energy and encouraging active play, whereas others are ideal for instilling calm and helping your child regulate their nervous system. 
• You may need to modify activities to ensure they are suitable for your child. 

Sensory processing disorder (SPD) is a condition that impacts how we interpret and react to stimuli. The condition varies greatly between individuals and is thought to affect as many as 1 in 20 people. Children with sensory processing disorder may benefit from sensory play and time outdoors. 

Spring is one of the best seasons for outdoor sensory activities. The cold of winter has passed, and the glaring heat of summer has not yet arrived. Nature is beginning to bloom, the leaves are growing on the trees and beautiful flowers are peeking up from the soil. 

Thanks to the mild weather, spring is the perfect time for outdoor sensory play. While the changing weather may be a problem in some places, suitable outdoor clothing makes outdoor play possible whatever the weather. 

Spring-themed outdoor sensory play is the perfect way to engage your child with the great outdoors. Give your child a sensory experience with all the wonder spring has to offer, from the birds chirping to the smell of new flowers and the feel of long grass against your skin. Encourage your child to engage their entire sensory system with the activities below.

Tactile Activities

The best thing about outdoor sensory play is that you don’t need to worry so much about the mess. Here are some engaging sensory outdoor activities for kids to try:

Water Play

Water play is usually a hit with kids of all ages. All you need is to fill a container with water; you could use a water table, a wash tub, or a kiddie pool. Next, you’ll need some pouring and scooping toys for your child to play with. Funnels, sieves, pipettes, and water guns are always popular choices.

Dress your child in clothes that can get wet, and ensure you have a towel nearby to dry them off when they’re done. If your kid isn’t fond of cold water, you can use warm water instead.

Archeologist 

If your child loves digging, this activity is bound to be a hit. First of all, you’ll need a sand pit or sand table and some toys to bury. Provide a range of spades, scoops, and sifters, so your child can rummage through the sand to find the missing toys. Have some buckets on hand, so your child can build a sandcastle after if they want. 

Mud Chef

You can’t get more tactile than mud play. An outdoor mud kitchen will provide hours of fun. You’ll need some soil, some water, and plenty of containers for “cooking” in. Toy pots and pans are great for this, and you’ll need some plates so your budding chef can serve up their mud pies. Expect some mess with this activity. 

Sensory Walk

This fun activity is perfect for kids who don’t mind getting their feet dirty. Fill some sensory trays with different materials for a barefoot walk. For example, fill one tray with sand, one with water, another with jello, and one with mud. Have your child walk barefoot through each sensory tray and describe how it feels; this will help to improve their language skills and language development. Be mindful of the floor surface, as this activity can create a slippy mess. 

Auditory Activities

A 2017 review published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health¹1. Franco, L. S., Shanahan, D. F., & Fuller, R. A.. A Review of the Benefits of Nature Experiences: More Than Meets the Eye. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2017;14(8), 864. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14080864 states that “Natural sounds and smells underpin experiences of nature for many people, and this may well be rooted in evolutionary psychology.” To make the most of this evolutionary leftover, here are some auditory outdoor sensory activities to try:

Creating Outdoor Music with Objects

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If your child loves making noise, they’ll love creating outdoor music in your garden. You can use whatever you have to make music outdoors. Wind chimes hanging from a ledge can be disturbed to make beautiful sounds, plant pots can be played with sticks, and balls can be bounced to make a rhythmic beat. 

Alternatively, you can bring instruments from your home outside so your child can make a racket without worrying about the neighbors. This set of eight hand bells will make a tuneful addition to your family instrument collection. 

Listening to Natural Sounds

Auditory sensory activities don’t have to be noisy. Honing in on individual sounds is a simple calming activity that you can do anywhere. Sit quietly in your yard and challenge your child to identify five sounds. They might notice the buzzing of a bee, the distant zoom of an airplane, the sound of neighbors chatting, or the chirping of a nearby bird. Take turns to point out new sounds and figure out what they are. 

Visual Activities

With the vibrant colors of spring, this season is a perfect time for visual sensory activities. Try the following outdoor sensory play activities in your yard this springtime: 

Color Hunts in Nature

Challenge your child to create a rainbow using things they find outdoors. Ask them to point out reds, oranges, yellows, and so on from the natural world. You can even create a collage using the things they find on their nature hunt, though you might be better off doing this in an area with abundant wildflowers rather than in your own garden unless you’re ready to say goodbye to your spring flowers.

Outdoor Artist

This is a fun activity you can repeat time and time again to develop those fine motor skills. Pick a landscape you’d like to recreate and pack an easel, some paper, and your art supplies. Your child will love trying to capture the landscape on paper.

You could use pastels, watercolors, or fingerpaints to recreate the scene. Finger painting has the added benefit of offering a tactile experience, though you’ll need plenty of baby wipes to clean up the mess after you’re done. 

Cloud Spotter

You know how sometimes clouds look like dogs or trees or your cousin Martin? Well, this is a fun calming activity for five minutes of downtime. Get comfy on your back and gaze up at the sky. You can use a picnic blanket or lie on the grass for a sensory experience. Look up at the clouds and point out what the various clouds are shaped like. 

Vestibular and Proprioceptive Activities

The vestibular system and proprioceptive system control how to deal with balance, movement, and how we move through space. Here are some outdoor sensory activities to try:

Balancing Games

Outdoor play is the perfect way for your child to develop their gross motor skills and burn off some energy. Why not place an outdoor game of the floor is lava so your child can balance, climb, and run around to their heart’s content? We love these cute stepping stones and this Montessori balance beam as safe places to escape from the lava.

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Climbing and Crawling Challenges

For this activity, you’ll need some obstacles to create a fun obstacle course in your yard. We love this brightly colored play tunnel and this toddler slide. Create an obstacle course for your child to practice their climbing, crawling, balancing, running, and jumping skills. Get creative and add new elements each time you play obstacle courses.

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Planning Sensory-Friendly Outdoor Activities

With outdoor play, just a little bit of planning can go a long way in ensuring everyone stays safe and has a good time. Here are a couple of things you’ll want to think about before getting started:

Safety Considerations

As always, it’s important to consider potential safety hazards when planning an activity for your child. An enclosed yard is likely safer than a public space. Always have an up-to-date first aid kit in your home so you can tend to any bumps and cuts.

Make sure you supervise your child carefully and ensure they have the right support in place to take part safely. For children who explore items with their mouths, this could mean keeping a close eye on them in the yard at all times. 

Adapting Activities for Different Sensory Needs

You’re the expert on your child, so you’re best placed to make any modifications to ensure a sensory input activity is suitable.

For example, if your child is sensory-avoidant, some of the sensory input activities listed above may be overwhelming. Don’t be afraid to strip down an activity to make it work for your child. Equally, if your child is sensory-seeking, you might want to add extra sensory input elements to each activity for a maximum sensory experience. 

Managing Challenges and Overstimulation

You will likely already know how to recognize signs of overstimulation in your child. Whether they become overemotional, uncooperative, or have a meltdown, you’ll know when they’re in need of a less stimulating environment.

If you notice your child showing signs of overstimulation when playing outdoors, switch activities and try one of the following for calming and regulating: 

Sensory Breaks

Many schools now offer sensory breaks for children who need them, where children are given a short burst of sensory play to allow them to focus in the classroom afterward. You can utilize sensory breaks at home using the sensory activities listed above.

When the weather allows it, you should make the most of your outdoor space and offer sensory breaks outside. Scheduling regular sensory breaks into your routine can help your child to stay regulated. 

Quiet Zones

Everybody benefits from some peace and quiet sometimes and a quiet zone could help to calm an overstimulated child. Setting up a quiet zone outside allows your child to escape the house and find sanctuary amongst nature. 

The quiet zone should have all-weather flooring and shelter so your child can escape there even if it’s been raining all morning. In fact, the rhythmic sound of rain may be calming for your child. Place some calming sensory toys in the quiet zone, like calming sensory jars, poppers, and other sensory toys your child likes. 

Calming Techniques

Sometimes, being in nature is all we need to regulate our nervous system, but if your child needs some extra help, the five senses technique is a great one to try.

Have your child identify five things they can see, four things they can touch, three things they can hear, two things they can smell, and one thing they can taste. For the last one, it’s worth having some edible fruit or herbs growing in your garden that your child can explore. 

Reference

1. Franco, L. S., Shanahan, D. F., & Fuller, R. A. (2017). A Review of the Benefits of Nature Experiences: More Than Meets the Eye. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(8), 864. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14080864