Indoor Painting Ideas

The snow continues to fall here in Michigan, and it always seems that since my family and I were able to enjoy the outdoors without worrying about frostbite. Cabin Fever is really starting to put in. I can not wait for warm sunny spring days come, and do a bike ride with my family! The cabin fever that my family and I have experienced lately appears to be a common theme among most of the families with whom I worked. This time of year seems to be difficult for us all, especially for children who have sensory processing difficulties. During the winter months, we typically see a significant increase in behaviors due to the limited amount of playing time at outside or abroad. The holidays are now more than well, which means that the lights and intense sensory stimulation of the holiday season has passed. It is always important to ensure that the sensory needs of our children are met. Here are some simple ideas and senses that you can use periods within the year.

• Develop a sensory pathways. Children always seem to enjoy making and playing on the sensory courtyards. You can configure a single lesson in your living room, bedroom, basement or using household materials. couch cushions, pillows, sheets plates and other items are wonderful materials that you can use to create a sensory path. Your children will have a blast jumping on a pile of cushions, or crawl under a sheet!
• Increase touch input. Many children have to touch or handle the sticky textured surfaces that provide touch inputs important. Playing with shaving cream on a table surface can be very pleasant, and it is also an activity of cleaning! You can make stress balls sensory filling balloons with flour or sugar. Finally, finger paint with pudding or Jell-O can be fun too.
• Take part in physical activities. Even when it's cold outside, you can still participate in physical activities. Playing hide and seek, do the crab walk, or log-rolling are ideal for sensory information as well as increasing physical activity. You can even make a race within 3-feet! If the weather is tolerable, shoveling snow ice skating, sledding, make snow angels, snowmen and construction are major areas of physical activity.
• Turn daily chores in the Olympic Winter Games. Playing games while doing tasks always seem to make them more enjoyable for everyone. You can use these tasks to meet the sensory needs as well. Shooting baskets with dirty clothes, playing hockey pretend with brooms and dust pans, and being a skater while picking up toys can be great fun!

We can all beat the cabin fever of winter by including more sensory activities in our daily lives. For children with sensory processing difficulties, it is even more important to ensure they get the information they so desperately need. By following these simple sensory ideas, I hope that everyone will be able to get the feedback they need for this time of year. Just keep in mind that spring is really just around the corner!