Posted: October 20, 2014
Sensory play can go a long way towards encouraging development for children with Cerebral Palsy.
Engaging in sensory or tactile activities provides a fun way to exercise motor functions and coordination, while nurturing cognitive development. Children have an instinct to play, although it can be difficult to act on those impulses for a child with cognitive and physical impairments. In a safe, supportive environment, playing with a purpose, is proven to help children with Cerebral Palsy build self-confidence and increase autonomy.
The Halloween season lends itself to openings of the imagination. From flying witches to creepy crawlers, pumpkin carvings to haunted houses, and all of the costumes and decorations in between, there’s an endless amount of creative ways to celebrate the holiday. Halloween is a great chance to bring fun and play into the learning and developing environment!
Here are some of these Halloween themed sensory play activities for you and your family to enjoy:
1. Bring science to the senses with a Pumpkin Spice Scented Pumpkin Volcano.
Mini volcanoes made from baking soda and vinegar are exciting enough, but Jaime at Frog, Snails, and Puppy Dog Tails created a great recipe for scented sensory play.
2. Let slime ooze through your fingers with this Quick and Easy Slime Recipe.
Little Bins for Little Hands’ simple 3-item recipe of Elmer’s Washable Glue, liquid starch, and water make for hours of slimy, sensory stimulating fun. Click on the image above to discover how to make oozing jack-o-lanterns and Monster Eyes Slime.
3. Squeeze into some ooey-gooy fun with Jack-O-Lantern Squish Bags.
In Fantastic Fun and Learning, blogger Shaunna shows readers how to create a sensory bag. For variation, the bags can be filled with textured items, for example, plastic spiders, eyeballs (peeled grapes make a great alternative), gummy worms, and cooked pasta. For kids that like to get their hands in the mix, fill a large bowl or a carved out pumpkins with the hair gel and add in your choice of items. Lots of adorable giggling with this one!
About Sensory Play
There are many activities that can be done at home, but playing with a purpose meets innovative treatment in the form of play therapy. Purposeful play helps give children a voice they might not be able to express in words, and therefore, provides valuable insight into a child’s emotional state. A play therapist incorporates the child’s physical abilities, cognitive functioning levels and emotional needs, helping children with Cerebral Palsy express themselves. To see if play therapy would benefit your child, read more about play therapy on CerebralPalsy.org and talk to your child’s primary care physician.
Other Resources
Visit Pinterest for more Halloween activities for sensory play.
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