Sensory Tools | Sensory Kit for School or Home (2024)

Helping a child with sensory needs focus and process their surrounds can be a difficult task. Finding just the right sensory tools, knowing how to use them, and helping your child succeed can get overwhelming and expensive.

After learning about my son’s sensory needs and anxiety disorder, I knew I needed to find some tools that could help him be successful in both school and home. So last year, just before school started, I gathered up some simple items from local stores and created a Sensory Kit that he could take to school with him and one we could have at home for weekends and stressful events. I am excited to share our sensory kit with you and hope you will find it useful both at home and school, or as a travel kit for all your sensory tools.

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If you are a regular here, you know that we homeschool our children. You probably also know that this isn’t something we have always done, nor is it something we ever thought we would do. While this kit was something I made last year to help Legoman in a crowded public school setting, it is something we still use on a daily basis. We use it (or parts of it) for trips, car rides, visits to family, summer camps and even birthday parties. Over the last year, we have perfected the contents of our sensory kit, adding and subtracting things as we found the right fit for our son.

In fact, we have found some really neat items that we have added to our sensory kit at home, that I am excited to share in a new series on sensory tools. I will share books for parents, calm down tools, and tools to help organize and focus your child. I hope you will like us on Facebook or subscribe to our newsletter tostay connected through the series.

A sensory kit is a bag, box, crate or container that holds a variety of sensory tools that can be used to both calm and stimulate a child’s sensory system. Typically, it is portable and easy to maneuver as a way to make the tools accessible at all times to the child or children in need. Often times, children with sensory needs also struggle with organization, therefore a kit enables them to keep everything in one place and easy to find when the time comes to use one of the tools.

A sensory kit will be unique to each individual as each child is unique and has their own needs. Finding the perfect fit is like finding the perfect pair of shoes. You might have to try on a few before you find the perfect fit, but when you do… the walk will be much smoother and a whole lot more comfortable.

In this post, I willshare the choices we made for Legoman’s (age 9) kit, and additional items you can include in your sensory kit.

As I mentioned before, a sensory kit will have varied items inside depending on your child’s needs and interests. In essence, you want to include items that will both help alert and calm children (as these needs occur at different times in a day), items that will reduce stress or sensory triggers, and items that will provide sensory input to your child without being overly distracting to the other children around them.

When we made our sensory kit, I wanted to make sure I could make it easily and without having to order expensive materials. Almost all of theitems you will see listed in our kit are all items we found at a local hardware store, Target, or the Dollar Store.

For your convenience, I have linked the items directly to Amazon, so you can find the tools easily and quickly.

UPDATE: Since this bag has been such a hit, we have launched our own store where we sell these completed kits. But that’s not all! For every kit purchased, a portion of the proceeds goes towards donating kits to classrooms in need!

Here isa list of the tools we havein our son’s sensory kit and what they are used for.

Tools To Calm/ Reduce Sensory Overload

Noise ReducingEarmuffs| These are great in busy and loud situations. For Legoman, this means lunchrooms, auditoriums, grocery stores, and especially bathrooms. This is one of the newest additions to our sensory kit and it has been life changing. We resisted getting them at first, but have seen such a change in grocery store trips since purchasing them at our local hardware store.

When My Worries Get Too Big | We love this social storybook that is personalized. Before school started, we worked through triggers and possible ways to handle situations when he was overwhelmed or frustrated. The book is colorful and he enjoys reading it while he is calming in a safe spot.

Magazines/ Comics/ Mazes | This will vary for your child, however, for Legoman nothing soothes him faster than looking at his favorite comic or doing a few mazes. This is meant as a tool for keeping him busy (in the doctor’s office for example) or for calming him during his alone time.

Tools for Fidgeting and Tactile Input

Hand Fidget | We actually have had several of these over the last year since our son has tends to love them a little too much. He has taken them apart, twisted them, and moved them until we had to get a new version. The one shown above was actually from the Dollar Store. It is a little more rigid than this one we loved before, but we still love it.

Squeezing Stress Tool| This is great for proprioceptive input, tactile input and as a stress reliever when things get busy, loud or overwhelming. It is great for hand strength and is easy to conceal under a desk or in a lap at the carpet.

Flexible Bracelet| While this is actually an oral tool, it is great for fidgeting and proprioceptive input. Legoman loves to squeeze it, pull it, and twist it as we read his favorite book or have an important conversation. One of the best parts is that it is also wearable for accessibility and is one of the most durable chew jewelry items we have found (which we need since he chews on everything!)

Desk Buddy Ruler | We found this tool at our favorite sensory store that was local at the time we purchased it. However, now they only have an online store. This ruler is great for so many things. It can be placed on the edge of the desk/table, inside the desk (for discreetness), or can be put in a child’s lap. It is great for tactile input and keeping children alert and focused during a lesson. This too can be twisted, turned, and squeezed for more pressure and sensory input.

Hand Putty| This is an alternative to theraputty. You can make your own, add in homemade playdough, or purchase your own. We use this for so many reasons. We use it as a calm down tool (something to do in a calm space), as a way to provide tactile and proprioceptive input, and a way to include sensory play in his daily learning.

Tools for Oral Stimulation and Focusing Attention

CamelBack Water Bottle|In our house we never go anywhere without our water bottle and gum. The bite valve on this water bottle is excellent for oral stimulation and deep pressure massage, while the also helping regulate the nervous system as children drink from the straw. This is such a discreet and easy way to provide children with sensory input in a classroom.

Gum |I know you probably are thinking I am crazy with this one. Would you believe, we actually had gum written into Legoman’s IEP when he was in school so that he would be allowed to have it at anytime. This is another staple in our house. We actually joke that we should take up stock, or buy a gum company. But in all honestly, the oral stimulation that gum provides Legoman is unmatched by anything else. The amount that it calms and soothes him is remarkable. I would suggest a sugar free, low flavor gum, so that the focus is on the sensory input, not on eating something yummy.

Hard Candy/Mints |Again, I am sure you are thinking, “Yeah right”, however hard candy and crunchy foods have been proven to increase alertness and focus. Why do you think you find them in the middle of tables at conferences and meetings for adults?

Disc Necklace |There are several chewable jewelry options available and believe me when I tell you that we tried them all. We ended up with this chewie because of its thickness and texture.

Tools forProprioceptive Input (Deep Pressure)

Backpack| One of the great things about the sensory kit is that it is all housed in a simple and easy to organize backpack. We found the simplest, least expensive backpack for our kit at Target during Back to School sales. The backpack can be worn from class to class, on the playground, in the gym, or for a trip down the hall and back to provide proprioceptive input (heavy work).

Hand Weights |You have probably heard of weighted lap pads and weighted vests for proprioceptive input to help regulate children’s sensory needs. This was our alternative last year when we didn’t have time to makea lap pad, didn’t have the money for a weighted blanket, and weren’t sure if we wanted to do a weighted vest yet. I found these at Target in the workout area for 5$. They are great because they are each only 2 pounds and they work great as a lap pad while my son is seated to do work.

It is extremely important to teach your child and any caregiver that will be with your child HOW TO USE the materials in the kit. For Legoman, we spent the two weeks before school started exploring each item one at a time and going over acceptable and unacceptable ways to use the materials. Here are a few tips for teaching your child how to use the tools in the kit:

• Start with one item at a time, and add to the kit slowly.
• Practice using the tools when they are NOT needed.
• Use picture cues or prompts to remind children when tools are appropriate.
• Allow your child time to explore the tool before expecting them to use it appropriately.

Lastly, I would suggest being flexible. Some of these tools may or may not work for your child. You might find something that works for awhile and then not any longer. Be willing to try new things and follow your child’s needs and interests. Once you find something that works, you will feel the relief and you will know its something to keep around for those times its really needed.

Update! Now you can get your own Sensory Toolkit from Project Sensory!

What is Sensory Processing | Lemon Lime Adventures

Preparing for School with Sensory Needs | A Sensory Life

Do you know a child with sensory needs,too? What would you add to your sensory kit? How do you use it? I would love to know! Leave me a comment or stop my Facebook and tell me! Also, don’t forget to connect with meonFacebook,Twitter,Google+,Pinterest,Instagramorsubscribe by emailso you don’t miss our next adventures.