Discover our suggestions for activities to use in your classroom routine in order to integrate sensory breaks with movement!
The Importance of Sensory Breaks at School
To be ready to learn, children must be in both a calm and alert state. However, this optimal state of self-regulation can prove difficult to achieve and maintain in a school environment…
When sensory information that comes from the environment is perceived as being too stimulating or, on the contrary, insufficient, students may feel stress, have difficulty interacting with their peers, experience difficulty concentrating, and have problems switching between other activities etc.
Regular integration of sensory breaks can be a proven beneficial strategy for promoting a learning atmosphere in class.
Benefits for Children
Sensory breaks are a fun and effective way to help your students regulate their nervous system by:
• increasing their ability to concentrate;
• improving their engagement with learning;
• helping affirm their identity; and
• promoting their well-being.
“Universal strategies that target sensory and movement activities can help foster learning and promote well-being among all students.” – School Mental Health (SMS-ON)
3 Ideas to Try With Your Students
Adding sensory movement breaks into your classroom routine not only helps your students self-regulate on a sensory level, but also stimulates their blood circulation and the supply of oxygen to their brain to strengthen their memory and contribute to their good mood!
Below, discover our suggestions for activities and fdmt products that will help you take advantage of these benefits.
1. Gross Motor Skills Games
Make transitions easier by integrating a movement break between floor time and seated work by creating a balance path!
Use River Stones, Wavy Tactile Path, beams, cushions and balance paths. If they wish, your students could even cross this course, worthy of Indiana Jones, barefoot to maximize sensory stimulation for their little feet.
2. Proprioceptive Break
Proprioception can be encouraged through various activities involving movements that:
• compress the joints;
• apply sustained force;
• require dynamic efforts; and
• apply deep pressure to the muscles.
To stimulate proprioception during a movement break, we recommend creating a game of hopscotch using coloured hoops on the classroom floor.
For your students who prefer a calmer proprioceptive break, why not offer them a Cuddle Ball, a Weighted manimo Dog or a Gel Lap Pad? These calming objects could also be found in the sensory corner of your classroom.
3. Vestibular Break
To activate this system which allows you to locate your body and its movements in space, encourage your students to be like a top and spin on the spot with joy and laughter!
The Rocking Bowl and rotating Carousel are ideal solutions for stimulating vestibular activity.
Self-regulation: Additional Suggestions
Help your students self-regulate on a daily basis with:
• a Bouncy Band for chairs to release their excess energy.
• a Kore Stool or Balance Cushion to keep them moving, even while seated.
• a specially designed sensory corner in your premises.
Camille Bodnar
Physiotherapist (PT) and web writer
LinkedIn : Camille Bodnar
Facebook : camille.bodnar.physiotherapist
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