SENSORY TOYS THAT YOUR KID WILL LOVE! YOU TOO!

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TOYS…OR TOOLS? OR BOTH?
When my big kids first started occupational therapy many moons ago,I quickly learned about proprioceptive input and how our bodies and nervous systems connect to our brains and how to harness that connection to help my kids bodies calm down. The google overview of the definition of proprioceptive input is “sensory information sent to the brain by the muscles and joints…improves coordination and provides a calming effect” You may also hear this referred to as “heavy work”. Basically some bodies crave more heavy or proprioceptive input than other bodies. And when they do, you may feel like your kids are “climbing the walls,” literally. The solution? Sensory Toys, to the kids they look and function like fun, but behind the scenes is a lot of good heavy work input.

My kids would come out of OT asking if we could get the games and activities that they did at OT. So we slowly started incorporating more “sensory toys” in our home. We started out with a basic DIY balance board, some pogo sticks, swings in our yard etc. Over the years we have added more things to the inside of our home that have helped my neurodivergent AND my neurotypical kids.

THE ONES WE RECOMMEND
The number one kind of sensory toys I recommend are swings. Inside your house. Yep, INSIDE. It is actually really easy to hang swings in your house. But if you can’t because you rent, they make swings you can hang from a doorwaY.

These are the swings we have had in our home over the last 7 or so years. The basics of hanging a swing are that you find a joist in the ceiling, astud finder can help make this easier, get an eye hook or two depending on your swing, pre-drill a hole slightly smaller than the eye hook and then screw the eye hook in. Then fasten the swing to the eye hook with the provided hardware, sometimes that is a strap configuration, sometimes a heavy duty locking carabiner, and sometimes just rope.

If your joists are running the wrong way you can mount a 2×4 across two joists and then mount the eye hook into the 2×4. This is what I had to do with the pod style swing in my little kids room. It’s been there for 3 years with absolutely no issues. I put the 2×4 on the bedroom side of the ceiling because it was logistically way easier than mounting it in the attic.

SMALL SPACE? NO PROBLEM!

The pod swing and the climbing disc swing are fantastic options for smaller spaces. We have our climbing disc swing in our ‘breakfast bar/pantry/back door/play area. It’s so small that it’s not in the way of the back door, and yes our kids do have to be mindful of the parameters but they have not had any issues so far. They climb it, they sit on it, they swing, it’s been an amazing addition to our downstairs. Our house isn’t giant so the ultra small footprint was important down here.

The pod swing is in my little kids room. We currently have bunk beds and a crib in there.The pod swing is ideal because they climb INTO it which mostly means no flying limbs to hit things. Its great for regulation because kids crave small spaces to make them feel safe when they are having big feelings. I will say, fill the seat area with pillows. We have some of those cheap memory foam pillows in ours and they have lasted for years.The inflatable inserts these come with pop easily and are a LOT harder for kids to climb in and balance on. Generally I would not recommend a fabric pod swing for an outside space.

BALANCE BOARDS AND MINIATURE TRAMPOLINES

The next sensory toys I recommend are balance boards. The first balance boards we ever had were a DIY version I made with 1×8’s and PVC pipes. We used those things into oblivion. We upgraded a few years later to a multipurpose balance board, slide, tunnel board. My kids lay in it and prop it up on the ottoman and slide down it. It’s a tunnel for their cars, and an actual balance board too. There are smaller versions available if you have space constraints.

Miniature trampolines with a bar are a fantastic way to get proprioceptive input in and help calm the nervous system. Obviously you have to have the floor space for this. We did this two winters in a row, when we had the space. It’s lasted over a year outside now and it’s still going strong. I refuse to get a big trampoline but a miniature one with a generous weight limit has endless possibilities. Its irresistible honestly.

THINGS TO HIT
We all know sometimes we just want to hit something! Kids, especially little kids who are learning to regulate their bodies and their emotions just need to hit something. Sensory toys are a great way to teach them what they CAN hit which is a very important skill. We have boundaries. But tell our kids they can hit or punch any pillow in our house, the couch, beds, and the punching bags. Man we love these things, they are small. They can be used anywhere in the house because they stick to any flat surface and are well just fun to hit.

The other sensory toys we have that are ok to hit are our tires in our backyard. I had a therapist once bring a giant tire and sledgehammer for my teenager to whale on in therapy. And I was like….whoa that is awesome. Tires are free from any of your local tire shops. If you take them off of their hands they don’t have to pay the disposal fees. I obtained 5 of them to stick in my backyard and my kids play with them many different ways. If they are mad they can absolutely get the baseball bat and go at the tire with all of their feelings. You want to get a hole saw bit and drill a hole into the tires for water to drain out.

THINGS TO HANG FROM OR CLIMB

The small swing/climber makes another appearance here because it is a great climbing apparatus not just a swing. My 7 year old will climb up to the top and squish himself as close to the ceiling as possible and just hang out. He is using so many muscles and his brain body connection is being so supported during that activity, but he just thinks he is having fun. I have a pull up bar version that I’m going to swap out intermittently for the disc swing/climber. They make one of these that you can mount to your doorways though that don’t require drilling into your ceiling at all.

A pull up bar for bigger kids can also be a great option. We have one on our teenagers closet doorway and even if they don’t actually do pull ups they can use it to hang, and that is also really good input. Literally just hanging there and feeling their body in space. It’s simpler than we think sometimes.

OTHER OPTIONS THAT WE DON’T HAVE THAT YOU MAY FIND USEFUL
The door way systems come with everything from pull up bars to swings and everything in between. Mini trampolines come in fold away versions and with and without bars. You can also find tutorials to make your mini trampoline into an ottoman to use as your ‘coffee table” if you are motivated and creative.

Basically it’s easier than you probably thought to find ways to help your kid ‘get their energy out’ so they aren’t literally climbing the walls.

Cheers!
Melinda

Other posts you may get value out of
What I buy at Dollar Tree for Sand and Water Play – and what I repurpose from my house for sand and water play – it’s not sand or beach toys – here
How we store LEGO so my kids can play and I don’t lose my mind – here
You can see the way I used the 2×4 mounted in between the joists in my little guys room – here

Helpful affiliate links

Aerial/sensory swing – here
Mini Trampoline – here – high weight capacity, and foldable!
Doorway pull up bar – here
Doorway swing – here there is a 4 piece option and a 6 piece option so lots of versatility!
Fun Punch punching bag – here – Yes the name brand is worth it
Disc Swing/climbing rope – here
Balance board, small – here and here
Balance board – curved wood – here