Tactile and Sensory
Activities for Special Needs Children
Many special needs children see the world with their fingertips. They learn best through “doing” and “feeling”
activities. Also, some special
needs children have challenges with their sensory skills and may have unusual
habits when it comes to touch. These
activities for special needs children will help develop your child’s sensory
skills, while making them more comfortable with touching different textures.
Shaving Cream Painting
One of the fun activities for special needs children is painting
with shaving cream. Spray shaving
cream on a cookie sheet and allow your child to spread it out, draw pictures in
it, and move his fingers in it. You
can add food coloring to make the shaving cream even more fun. Adding grains of rice or other small
objects can also help your child feel the different textures. Your child can also use a paintbrush or
straw to “paint” in the shaving cream. The best part of this activity is that it is easy to clean
up, and you do not have to worry about a mess. However, smaller children should
be supervised so that no shaving cream is consumed.
Touching and Feeling
There are several fun ways to expose your child to different
textures and feelings. You can put
together cards of different textures. Simply paste different textures on pieces of cardboard. Different textures can include carpet
samples, a feather boa, glitter glued together, as well as other objects glued
You can also cut a hole into a small box, such as shoebox and put
different textures in there. Allow
your child to place his or her hand in the box and feel around. Ask them questions about what they feel,
such as the following:
- Can they guess what it is?
- Is it big or small?
- Is it soft or rough?
- Do they like the way it feels in their fingertips?
Add weight to a backpack or handbag by adding a few books or toys
to it. Make sure it is weighted
but not too heavy for your child. Have your wear a backpack or bag and complete fun exercises,
such as jumping jacks or an obstacle course. If you are near an outdoor playground, have your child go
down the slide with the weighted backpack on his back or have him hang from the
monkey bars with it on. These type
of activities for special needs children help them become more aware of their
senses and changes to their being.
The right sensory activities for special needs children depend on
your child and his needs. A
therapist can help you with ideas for activities for special needs children. The point in these fun exercises is to
get your child used to the feeling of different objects, textures, and
Photo by Ernst Vikne
The Special Needs Child