How to Create Sensory Play Spaces with Craft Essentials for Children with ASD
Creating sensory play spaces for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can provide significant benefits. Sensory play helps to engage children’s senses, encourages motor skills development, and promotes a calming environment. Using basic craft supplies and sensory toys, you can create a sensory-rich environment tailored to the needs of autistic children. This guide will walk you through setting up these spaces, using affordable and accessible materials.
Why Sensory Play Spaces are Important for Children with ASD
Children with ASD often experience the world differently, making sensory play a crucial aspect of their development. Sensory play spaces offer:
• Sensory Regulation: Helps children manage sensory sensitivities.
• Motor Skills Development: Enhances fine and gross motor skills through hands-on activities.
• Calming Effects: Provides a soothing environment that can reduce anxiety.
• Social Interaction: Encourages cooperative play and communication skills.
Essential Craft Supplies for
Sensory Play Spaces
Here are some essential craft supplies and sensory equipment from Baker Ross to get you started:
• Mini Mesh Stress Balls: Great for squeezing, helping to develop fine motor skills and relieve stress.
• Cotton Sand: Offers a unique tactile experience that is calming and fun to manipulate.
• Soft Modelling Dough: Perfect for squishing, rolling, and moulding to help with enhancing tactile exploration.
• Coloured Cellophane Sheets: Useful for visual sensory play, creating colourful light effects. Great for creating shadow art.
• Pom Poms, Beads, and Buttons: Excellent for sorting, counting, and sensory bin fillers.
• Slime: Provides a stretchy, squishy texture that is both calming and engaging.
Creating DIY Sensory Bins
Sensory bins are containers filled with materials that stimulate the senses. Here’s how to create your own:
Materials Needed:
- • A large clean plastic bin or container
• Cotton Sand, pom poms, beads, and buttons from Baker Ross
• Small toys or themed objects (e.g., dinosaurs, cars)
• Plastic scoops, small spoons, and small plastic containers for digging and pouring
Instructions:
Choose a Theme: Decide on a theme for your sensory bin, such as a beach scene, jungle adventure or a colour-themed bin.
Fill the Bin: Start by filling the bin with a base material, like fake snow, sand or coloured rice.
Add Sensory Elements: Mix in pom poms, beads, buttons, and other small toys to enhance the sensory experience.
Include Tools: Provide tools like scoops and spoons to encourage fine motor skill development.
Engage the Child: Allow the child to explore the bin, encouraging them to feel, sort, and play with the different materials.
Setting Up Tuff Tray Sensory Play
Tuff trays are versatile, shallow trays that can be used for various sensory play activities. Here’s how to set one up:
Materials Needed:
- • A tuff tray
• Soft Modelling Dough
• Coloured Cellophane Sheets
• Slime and sequins
Instructions:
1. Prepare the Tray: Place the tuff tray on a stable surface where the child can easily access it.
2. Create Zones: Divide the tray into sections, each with different sensory materials.
3. Add Materials: In one section, place Soft Modelling Dough for moulding and shaping. In another, lay out coloured cellophane sheets and a light box for visual play. Include a section for Slime and sequins for tactile exploration.
4. Interactive Play: Encourage the child to explore each section, feeling the different textures and experimenting with the materials.
Designing Calming Play Areas
A calming play area can help children with ASD relax and unwind. Here’s how to create one:
Materials Needed:
- • Soft cushions and blankets
• Mini Mesh Stress Balls
• Coloured Cellophane Sheets
• A dimmable lamp or fairy lights
Instructions:
1. Choose a Quiet Space: Select a quiet corner of the room away from distractions.
2. Set Up Comfortable Seating: Arrange soft cushions and blankets to create a cosy seating area.
3. Incorporate Lighting: Use a dimmable lamp or fairy lights to create a soothing atmosphere.
4. Add Sensory Tools: Place Mini Mesh Stress Balls and Coloured Cellophane Sheets within reach. The stress balls can be squeezed for calming tactile input, while the cellophane sheets can create calming light patterns when added to cardboard shapes such as rainbow or flowers.
5. Create a Routine: Encourage the child to use this space during times of stress or overstimulation to help them calm down.
Additional Sensory Ideas for Preschoolers
Sensory Bottles
Sensory bottles are sealed containers filled with materials that create visual and auditory stimulation when shaken or tilted.
Materials Needed:
• Clear plastic bottles, water, glitter, beads, buttons, and pom poms.
Instructions:
1. Fill the bottles with water and add glitter, beads, buttons, and pom poms.
2. Seal the bottles tightly.
3. Encourage the child to shake and tilt the bottles to watch the materials move.
Textured Walkways
Create a sensory path using different textured materials for children to walk on.
Materials Needed:
• Modelling dough, bubble wrap and sandpaper.
Instructions:
1. Lay out the materials in a line to create a path.
2. Encourage the child to walk barefoot along the path, feeling the different textures under their feet.
Creating sensory play spaces with craft essentials is a rewarding way to support children with ASD. By using materials like Mini Mesh Stress Balls, Cotton Sand, and Coloured Cellophane Sheets, you can set up engaging, calming, and stimulating environments. Whether through DIY sensory bins, tuff tray setups, or calming play areas, these sensory activities can make a significant difference in the lives of autistic children, providing them with the tools they need to explore, relax, and thrive.
Our sensory craft projects combine creativity with sensory exploration, engaging touch, sight and sound. These hands-on activities are perfect for boosting creativity, improving fine motor skills, and promoting mindfulness. Whether you're making textured slime, sensory bottles or fun stress balls, sensory crafts offer a fun way to create something unique.
