Before COVID-19 I kept a sensory tub. I would change the filling every month and my patients would use it to help their regulation as we worked. Now that I’m more concerned about the kids sharing germs (which was already a concern since some kids inevitably put parts of the sensory bin into their mouth then spit it back into the container) I’ve switched to individual containers of sensory supports. I label each child’s sensory support and throw them away every 6 months.
When I had a sensory tub I filled it with…
- Unpopped popcorn
- Speedy snow (toxic – a problem for impulsive kids who put things in their mouths & therapy dogs)
- cotton balls
- Orbeez (toxic – a problem for impulsive kids who put things in their mouths & therapy dogs)
- Pom-poms
- Uncooked macaroni
- Water
Here are the my favorite individually-wrapped sensory supports for kids to choose from…
- Aaron’s Thinking Putty mini size – these don’t get sticky like a lot of the slime packs.
- Kinetic Sand Multipack – this one is very popular and I love how easy the sand is to clean up!
- Kinetic Sand Ice Cream Cone Pack – the “apple pie ice cream cone” from the multipack I’ve been getting is by far the most popular one in there. I’m excited to try the ice cream cone multipack next!
- Orbeez Multipack – the kids love these. I’m a bit less of a fan – if the child isn’t careful they bounce everywhere and they’re toxic to kids and dogs if swallowed so I have to be very careful to clean them up before my therapy dog, Zooey, comes to the office!
Here are some more of my favorite regulation tools.