25 Sensory Integration activities for hyperactive kids

Sensory Integration activities can be wonderful for helping active kids to get their energy out, focus and direct their attention.

These activities work in several ways. 

First, they meet children's needs for sensory input.  Some children have especially high needs for touch, for instance, and they will seek out sensory sensations if their needs aren't met. 

Second, they give the body something to focus nervous energy on so the mind can concentrate.  Just as it may be easier to pay attention in a meeting if you're doodling or to pay attention in church if you're knitting, kids have an easier time focusing if they have fidgets for their fingers or weights on their bodies.

Third, these activities help neurologically.  Sensory Integration activities help systems of the body such as the vestibular system (related to balance and sense of place) and different parts of the brain work together.  Some activities, such as bouncing, actually help with proprioception (the sense of movement and body awareness) and organizing the brain.

Yes, those activities that kids seem to gravitate towards, such as rocking, bouncing, and even sliding head-first down a slide, actually help them and help their brains work better! 

Here's some ways to incorporate these activities safely.

1. Bounce on a trampoline
2. Play tug of war
3. Get a bear hug
4. Walk on hands (wheelbarrows)
5. Do wall push-ups
6. Wear a loaded backpack or weighted vest
7. Sit on a chair ball
8. Swing
9. Hold a squishy toy or a "fidget"
10. Chew gum or eat something chewy
11. Drink through a straw (even ice water, but thick drinks like smoothies are best)
12. Wrap in blankets (make a "burrito")
13. Carry heavy objects
14. Use a "sit and spin"
15. Push heavy boxes across the floor
16. Take turns giving laundry basket rides with another child (push/pull the basket with the child in it)
17. Get a massage
18. Do heavy yardwork such as raking, shoveling or hoeing
19. Go sledding and pull others on sleds
20. Eat crunchy foods
21. Jump on the bed or couch
22. Sit under a weighted blanket
23. Hold a weighted toy (such as a stuffed animal filled with aquarium gravel or dried beans)
24. Jump onto a "crash pad" (use a mattress on the floor or make a crash pad by filling a duvet cover with pillows and setting it up in a safe place for jumping onto)
25. Climb on playground equipment (seesaws, monkey bars, merry-go-rounds, etc.)

Be sure to go over safety rules with your child.  Avoid any activities that your child doesn't enjoy, of course.  Some children may love calming down by getting a massage and others may not, so follow your child's lead.

Aim for about 20 minutes of these activities for maximum effect, and expect to repeat them throughout the day or night.

For more information about Sensory Integration, see these articles:

• What is Sensory Integration and how can it help my child?
  
• Sensory Integration tips to help children in public
  
• Sensory Integration tips for easier bedtimes
  
• Sensory Integration meets babies' needs and helps kids feel and act better
  
• A mother asks: How do I meet my son's sensory needs with his broken arm?
  
• Sensory Integration activities to help kids calm down