Incorporating Sensory Activities for Whole Child Learning

                                             




Photo: Families.com

When we talk about "whole child learning" we are talking about more than sitting still & listening while learning math, reading, social studies and other subjects. These skills while important, are not enough to prepare a child for long term success.

Whole child learning does not just engage a students' ears. It engages all of the senses, the body & brain, the attention as well as the imagination. By engaging and supporting the whole child in their own learning process, they learn better, form mutually supportive friendships, retain information longer & are better prepared to think creatively & critically as they evaluate data, solve problems, and communicate with one another.


A "whole child" approach puts students first, matches up resources and adaptations to a student's unique needs, and provides a more balanced approach to learning. In order to be effective for lifelong success, all the different parts of education must work in coordination, not separately. When subjects and lessons are presented in a compartmentalized manner, the student feels the disconnect and disengages because they simply do not hold any real meaning for him.

When you can keep children engaged & challenged they will be better prepared for building on their education, work, social and civic life.

So, how can we easily adapt lessons & curriculum's to be engaging & challenging, allowing the whole student the opportunity to move, communicate, be creative & develop positive character?

How can we incorporate visual, auditory, olfactory, proprioceptive and tactile stimulation to improve the way our students take in and process, understand and utilize information? 

This is the topic of a professional development workshop I am presenting at the Center for Lifelong Learning  in Sayerville, NJ tomorrow. 100 educators and therapists will be joining me as we explore yoga and other holistic based tools and techniques for engaging students more in the classroom.

I am in the process of making this course available on our Distance Learning page and I hope to have that ready by mid-February. In the meantime, here are just a few ideas to get you started:


1.Make learning more hands-on by having your students dream up, name & create their own dinosaur or constellation.

2. Let your students make their own tactile sensory boxes using shoe box lids and rice, sand, beans or other material. Have them "write" the alphabet, their names, numbers or play tic tac toe.

3. Adapt the sensory box activity from #2 to be a relaxation activity. Play some soft, instrumental, harp or Native American flute music, and have the students draw circles or shapes to the music. To deepen the self-calming effect, have them do this with their eyes closed.

4. Create a Vanishing Slate using individual slates and paint brushes with water. The students can "paint" a positive word, their name or a design on the slate with the water and watch it slowly disappear. Can be done to low frequency, slow tempo music.

5. Create a labyrinth (a maze) in the classroom with masking tape or rope, or with sidewalk chalk outdoors. Have the children slowly walk the path, and walk back out. (A labyrinth differs from a maze in that there is only one way in and one way out.)

6. If you don't have room to make a large labyrinth, here are 4 different labyrinth designs  students can use while sitting at a desk or lying on the belly on the floor. (Directions included.)

7.Teach children math concepts & fiscal responsibility by having them plan a week's worth of meals, and creating a budget for their purchases using actual grocery advertisements. You can then go grocery 'shopping' at an online store.

8. Play relevant interactive & technology games between lessons and during transitions between classes. Encourage the students to solve puzzles and meet challenges as if they were their favorite video game character: Dora, Mario, Zelda, Angry Birds, Etc.)

9. Use photos, art, journals and literature to help your students create a timeline that highlights people's lives during significant historical or personal events: ( The Crusades, Christopher Columbus sailing to America, The first Thanksgiving, The Civil War or the day they were born, made the basketball team, etc.)

10. Guess what substances are in boxes or jars by smelling only. You can use a blindfold and do one  or two "Mystery Smells" a day. (Use ONLY natural substances such as coffee, vanilla bean, cloves, sage leaves, lemon tea bags, peppermints, etc.)

*(Do not use fragrance oil or perfume as it can have a toxic or allergic effect on the nervous system  of some children. Be sure to ask parents about allergies before you do this activity! )

11. Have children each bring in a fruit or vegetable and take them through the steps to make a salad together for the class to share. (Please check with parents for food allergies and special diets.)

12. Play the 'Pizza Game'. Improve body awareness and deep muscle input by using pool noodles as "rolling pins" and the students as "dough"  (Directions at this link.) To make this an activity that children can do for themselves, see this link here on how to stimulate pressure points: Pool Noodles

13. Adaptive Yoga is being used successfully in classrooms all over the world. Take a few minutes to put on some music and stretch, move and breathe! You don't  have to know the 'poses' or the Sanskrit names. Just ask the students: "What would my body look like if it were a [fill in the animal, natural or transportation object]"  Younger children will have fun taking turns moving and imitating and older kids will enjoy the creative movement.


What are some of the creative ways that you incorporate sensory, social & self-care lessons into your daily classroom work?

We would love to hear your ideas! Please leave a comment below!





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To schedule a professional development workshop for your school or organization, Contact Barbara@bodylogique.com

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