Materials for sensory room

1. Lighting and Visual Calming Aids

 Soft, Adjustable Lighting: Use dimmable lights or soft lamps rather than bright overhead
lighting. Consider color-changing LED lights that can be set to calming colors like blue or
green.
 Fiber Optic Light Strands: These create gentle, soothing visual stimulation that can be
calming to watch or touch.
 Bubble Tubes or Aquariums: These provide visual movement and calming sounds of
bubbling water, creating a relaxing atmosphere.
 Projector or Starry Night Light: A projector that creates starry or moving water patterns
on the ceiling can help soothe and captivate children.
 Blackout Curtains: Reduce outside distractions and control lighting by using blackout
curtains to keep the room darker or to allow for light adjustments.

2. Tactile and Touch Sensory Experiences

 Sensory Wall Panels: Panels with various textures (such as soft fur, rough sandpaper,
rubber, and smooth beads) allow children to explore and calm themselves through touch.
 Weighted Blankets and Lap Pads: Weighted items provide deep pressure input, which can
be very grounding and calming.
 Soft Pillows and Bean Bags: Create a cozy corner with bean bags, plush pillows, or soft
mats for children to relax on.
 Fidget and Sensory Toys: Include various fidget toys, sensory balls, textured items, and
stretch toys that children can hold and manipulate.

3. Vestibular and Proprioceptive Equipment

 Swings (Hammock or Pod Swings): Indoor swings provide a gentle, rocking motion, which
can be soothing. Options include hammock swings or cocoon-style swings.
 Rocking Chair or Glider: A gentle rocking chair offers calming movement for self-soothing.
 Mini Trampoline: A small trampoline can help release energy and provide vestibular input,
which is great for children who need active movement to calm down.
 Balance Boards or Wobble Cushions: These can help children release energy in a
controlled way and provide proprioceptive input.

4. Calming Auditory Elements

 White Noise Machine or Sound Machine: Use a sound machine with options like ocean
waves, rainfall, or calming white noise to drown out distractions and provide calming
background noise.
 Soft, Relaxing Music: Play gentle, instrumental music that is soothing and free of lyrics to
help calm children without overstimulating them.
 Noise-Canceling Headphones: These can be available for children who are sensitive to
noise, allowing them to block out sounds if they feel overwhelmed.

5. Visual and Auditory Distraction Reduction Tools

 Privacy Partitions: If children need a smaller space within the sensory room, you can set up
partitions to create a nook or small enclosed area where they feel safe.
 Pop-Up Tents or Cocoon Spaces: Small tents or enclosed spaces provide a sense of security
and can reduce sensory input for a calming effect.
  Mirrors: Adding small mirrors on the wall can encourage self-awareness and can also
provide calming visual stimulation.

6. Olfactory (Smell) Elements

 Aromatherapy Diffuser: Use calming scents like lavender or chamomile (in safe,
hypoallergenic diffusers) to promote relaxation. Be sure to use very mild scents, as some
children are highly sensitive to smells.
 Scented Putty or Play Dough: Scented sensory putty can provide both tactile and olfactory
input, which can be calming for some children.

7. Interactive and Visual Stimulation

 Interactive Bubble Tube or Water Wall: Bubble tubes with colorful, moving lights can be
visually stimulating yet calming. Some are interactive, allowing children to press buttons to
change colors.
 Interactive Light Boards: Boards that light up when touched or stepped on can provide
controlled visual and tactile input, encouraging children to focus on the lights and reduce
stress.
 Sensory Bottles: These are clear bottles filled with water, glitter, or beads that children can
shake and watch settle, which helps them refocus and calm down.

8. Fine Motor and Tactile Activity Stations

 Sand or Rice Bin: A small bin filled with sand, rice, or other safe, small particles can offer a
relaxing sensory experience through touch and digging.
 Water Table (If Possible): If space allows, a small water table with waterproof toys or
gentle bubbles can provide both tactile and visual relaxation.

9. Movement and Large Motor Activities

 Crash Pad or Large Soft Mats: These provide a safe space where children can release
energy by jumping or lying down, which can be especially calming for those seeking deep
pressure.
 Body Sock or Stretchy Fabric Tunnel: A body sock (stretchy fabric that they can climb
into) provides deep pressure and allows children to self-soothe through compression.
 Climbing Wall or Soft Play Structure: If space allows, a soft climbing structure or small
climbing wall with cushions below can provide proprioceptive input, allowing children to
exert energy safely.

10. Self-Regulation Tools and Visual Supports

 Emotion Chart or Feeling Wheel: Visual charts can help children recognize and
communicate their emotions, encouraging self-awareness and self-regulation.
 Calm-Down Cards: Provide a set of calm-down strategy cards with visuals of activities like
deep breathing, stretching, or fidgeting with a toy, giving children tools to choose how to
self-soothe.
 Timers for Structured Breaks: A simple sand timer or digital timer can help children
manage their own sensory breaks, giving them a visual of how long they can stay in the
sensory room

LIST OF TOYS FOR SENSORY ROOM

1. Tactile and Fidget Toys

  Textured Stress Balls: Different textures, such as spiky, smooth, or soft, can satisfy tactile
needs.

 Fidget Spinners and Cubes: Small fidgets with buttons, switches, and spinning parts to
keep hands busy.

 Squishy Toys: Soft, squishable toys that children can squeeze to relieve stress.

 Sensory Rings and Bracelets: Made with beads or soft silicone, they provide tactile
stimulation.

 Pop Tubes: Stretchable tubes that make popping sounds when pulled or compressed.

 Kinetic Sand or Modeling Clay: Allows children to mold and shape, providing soothing
tactile stimulation.

 Textured Putty or Dough: Provides tactile feedback and is great for squeezing, stretching,
and molding.

2. Visual Stimulation Toys

 Liquid Motion Bubblers: Small containers with colored liquids that slowly drip and create
calming visual movement.

 Glitter Sensory Bottles: Bottles filled with glitter and beads suspended in water for gentle
shaking and watching the particles settle.

 Light-Up Toys: Hand-held light-up spinners, glow sticks, or small LED wands for visual
engagement.

 Color-Changing Fiber Optic Lights: Fiber optic strands or light-up sticks that change color
for a calming effect.

 Glow Balls: Soft balls that light up when tapped or bounced, great for calming visual
stimulation.

 Projector with Ocean or Starry Sky Effects: Portable projectors that create soothing
visuals on walls or ceilings.

3. Auditory and Sound Toys

 White Noise Machine or Sound Machine: Provides calming sounds like rain, waves, or
gentle music to block out external noise.

 Rainmaker Toys: Transparent tubes with beads inside that make a gentle rain sound when
turned.

 Musical Instruments: Soft maracas, tambourines, or xylophones with gentle, controllable

sound output.

 Calming Music Box or Bluetooth Speaker: Plays soft, instrumental music or nature
sounds.

 Squeeze Toy with Sound: Soft toys that make a sound when squeezed, offering both tactile
and auditory feedback.

4. Proprioceptive and Vestibular Toys

 Weighted Lap Pads or Shoulder Wraps: Provides a comforting, grounding sensation

through gentle pressure.
  Body Sock: A stretchy fabric cocoon for children to climb into and stretch, providing calming
compression.

 Balance Board or Wobble Cushion: Great for children who need to rock or balance to self-
soothe.

 Resistance Bands: Can be pulled or stretched, helping children with muscle engagement
and proprioceptive feedback.

 Small Hand Weights or Therapy Putty: Hand-held weights or resistance putty to help
provide muscle engagement.

5. Fine Motor and Interactive Toys

 Bead Maze: Colorful bead mazes encourage fine motor skills while providing visual
stimulation.

 Button Board or Busy Board: Boards with buttons, zippers, switches, and other items for
fine motor exploration.

 Building Blocks: Soft or textured blocks for stacking and building, which also encourage
focus and motor skills.

 Magnetic Tiles: Magnetic tiles that connect to create shapes and structures, providing
hands-on engagement.

6. Self-Regulation and Breathing Tools

 Pinwheels or Blowing Bubbles: Great for practicing deep breathing exercises to calm
down.

 Breathing Ball (Hoberman Sphere): A ball that expands and contracts to help children
visualize and practice breathing exercises.

 Emotion Cards: Small flashcards depicting various emotions to help children identify and
express how they feel.

 Calm-Down Jar: A jar filled with glitter and water that children can shake and watch settle,
helping to refocus and self-soothe.

7. Gross Motor and Large Activity Toys

 Small Trampoline: Provides an outlet for energy and vestibular input, helping to calm and
regulate.

 Tunnel or Crawl Tube: For crawling through, which can provide sensory feedback and help
with grounding.

 Soft Mats or Crash Pads: Allows children to jump or lie down safely, providing
proprioceptive input.

 Therapy Ball or Peanut Ball: For rolling, bouncing, or sitting, offering sensory and motor
engagement.

 Foam Building Blocks: Large, soft blocks for stacking, knocking down, or creating obstacle
courses.

8. Additional Sensory Tools

 Sensory Bottles or Calm-Down Jars: Bottles filled with glitter, beads, or oil for visual and
tactile relaxation.
 Stretchy Resistance Bands: Provides muscle resistance and can be used for a calming
stretch.

 Soft, Sensory-Friendly Stuffed Animals: Provide comfort and tactile input, often helping
with self-soothing.

 Interactive Bubble Tube or Aquarium: Tubes with bubbles and floating elements for
visual engagement and calming.

 Pin Art Board: A tactile tool that children can press into and see an imprint of their hand,
providing sensory feedback.