Hypersensitive Sensory Threshold Activities

If your child seems to be very sensitive to sensory experiences, you may choose to try any of the following activities

Provide soft clothes with tags removed; look for sensory-friendly children’s clothing lines
Make a quiet play space or “safe spots” that your child can retreat to; this may be a big empty box filled with pillows, a corner of the room with blankets and pillows, or a little pop tent in the house filled with their stuffed animals, blankets, and pillows
Keep weighted blankets, weighted soft toys, fuzzy blankets, pillows and such available to hide under, hug, or surround themselves with
Keep the TV, radio, and stereo turned off or on low to avoid extra background noise – some homes have “noise” going on in all rooms of the house with multiple tv’s and music sources, so you may need to provide “noise-free” spaces

Use of undergarments, such as tight fitting tag-free sports shirts made to help regulate body temperature
Child safe chewable items for those children who like to chew
Try to avoid crowded stores at peak hours (grocery store, restaurant, pizza joint, mini-marts, hair salon, department store, and so on)
Try to go to the park or library at times when less crowded
Use of headphones with or without music

Keep scrolling down for lots more ideas!

Introduce sensory experiences slowly and let your child go at her own pace. Remember to not force your child to touch or participate in situations that they are not ready for or where you see they are uncomfortable with. Sometimes you need to start with just having the activity or item in sight for a while letting your child get used to seeing it, before moving on to touching, tasting, or interacting with it

Keep track of food preferences (or lack of) by starting a food diary

Click for: Blog on Mealtimes
Click for: Blogs on Sensory Boxes
Click for: Blog on Playdough activities
Click for: Blog on Calming Sensory Overload

Click for: Blogs on Messy Sensory Play
Click for: Blog on Sensory Feely Bags
Click for: Blog on Fidget Toys

Click for: Blog on Seek and Find Sensory Rice Box
Click for: Blog on Sensory Discovery Bottles
Click for: Blog on Pretend Play

Continue scrolling - More ideas below!

Give deep pressure, whole hand, slow, rhythmic massages to feet, legs, arms, back, or head, as they tolerate. They may allow to one area but not another.
Hold and rock in slow steady motion (on the floor or in a rocking chair, or even on a large therapy ball)
“Smooshing” or deep slow squeezes to the hands, and sometimes to the mouth/chin area works
Use of squishable items like sensory/stress balls, putty, foam ball, texture balls, etc.

Use toy spinners and other age appropriate movement toys
Whole body squeezes, rocking, or hugging of a large therapy ball
Push heavy or weighed down chairs or other small furniture pieces, like an ottoman, across the room
Push a large weighted ball all the way through a sensory tunnel
Step through a series of hoops on the ground, or bend to walk through hoops held upright

Play in the sprinkler, letting them do the running in and out as they tolerate
Click for: Blog on Water Play
Click for: Blog on Sensory Meltdown or Temper Tantrum
Click for: Blog on Sensory Slime (tasty slime too!)

Share your ideas in the comments below!

Disclaimer Note: Before beginning any new program, activity, exercise, or make changes, be sure to consult with your child’s doctor, and service providers for individualized guidance, direction, and supervision. These ideas and suggestions presented on TheraPlay4Kids are meant to help support and promote, however, since each child, diagnosis, medical status, and situation is different, one should seek help and approval from your child’s providers in order to achieve the best outcomes and ultimate safety for all involved. Please make use of this site and all the information presented at your own discretion for the safety and well-being of all involved.

Modifying Hypersensitive Sensory Threshold Levels

Hypersensitive Sensory Threshold Activities

If your child seems to be very sensitive to sensory experiences, you may choose to try any of the following activities

Provide soft clothes with tags removed; look for sensory-friendly children’s clothing lines

Make a quiet play space or “safe spots” that your child can retreat to; this may be a big empty box filled with pillows, a corner of the room with blankets and pillows, or a little pop tent in the house filled with their stuffed animals, blankets, and pillows

Keep weighted blankets, weighted soft toys, fuzzy blankets, pillows and such available to hide under, hug, or surround themselves with

Keep the TV, radio, and stereo turned off or on low to avoid extra background noise – some homes have “noise” going on in all rooms of the house with multiple tv’s and music sources, so you may need to provide “noise-free” spaces

Use of undergarments, such as tight fitting tag-free sports shirts made to help regulate body temperature

Child safe chewable items for those children who like to chew

Try to avoid crowded stores at peak hours (grocery store, restaurant, pizza joint, mini-marts, hair salon, department store, and so on)

Try to go to the park or library at times when less crowded

Use of headphones with or without music

Keep scrolling down for lots more ideas!

Keep track of food preferences (or lack of) by starting a food diary

Click for: Blog on Mealtimes

Click for: Blogs on Sensory Boxes

Click for: Blog on Playdough activities

Click for: Blog on Calming Sensory Overload

Click for: Blogs on Messy Sensory Play

Click for: Blog on Sensory Feely Bags

Click for: Blog on Fidget Toys

Click for: Blog on Seek and Find Sensory Rice Box

Click for: Blog on Sensory Discovery Bottles

Click for: Blog on Pretend Play

Continue scrolling - More ideas below!

Give deep pressure, whole hand, slow, rhythmic massages to feet, legs, arms, back, or head, as they tolerate. They may allow to one area but not another.

Hold and rock in slow steady motion (on the floor or in a rocking chair, or even on a large therapy ball)

“Smooshing” or deep slow squeezes to the hands, and sometimes to the mouth/chin area works

Use of squishable items like sensory/stress balls, putty, foam ball, texture balls, etc.

Use toy spinners and other age appropriate movement toys

Whole body squeezes, rocking, or hugging of a large therapy ball

Push heavy or weighed down chairs or other small furniture pieces, like an ottoman, across the room

Push a large weighted ball all the way through a sensory tunnel

Step through a series of hoops on the ground, or bend to walk through hoops held upright

Play in the sprinkler, letting them do the running in and out as they tolerate

Click for: Blog on Water Play

Click for: Blog on Sensory Meltdown or Temper Tantrum

Click for: Blog on Sensory Slime (tasty slime too!)

Share your ideas in the comments below!