Super Sensory Gifting Guide

by | Nov 23, 2021 | Blog, Uncategorized

Well first off, I’m not sure where the ENTIRE month of November went – but here we are, days away from Thankgsiving and I feel like I’m still sitting in my day-after-Halloween-candy-hangover.

I’m writing this way past my bedtime.  But I’m sitting alone in my quiet house as all of my loves are fast asleep.  I find solace in hearing the radiator heat kick on with clunks and taps and the occasional car pass by as I sit in the literal silence.  No music, no television, nothing in the background.  The world feels like an incredibly heavy place right now and I needed some time to decompress, be in my thoughts, check a few things off my to-do list and take some deep breaths without having to get anyone a snack.  And you know that doesn’t happen unless the entire house is sleeping.

The holidays are upon us.  And while I love the idea of Hallmark movies, cookie baking, cozy socks and hot cocoa, they’ve also been anxiety-inducing for me for as long as I can remember.  In the spirit of managing my own expectations, I’ve decided to do things a little differently this year and I’m giving myself the gift of less stress.

I was 39 years old before it dawned on me that Max doesn’t care about having his presents wrapped.  Like not even a little bit.  It’s overwhelming for him to have to navigate so many steps and noisy paper sends him into sensory overload.  Last year, I wrapped everything because I thought I had to.  Based on social “norms” I guess? Or “tradition” maybe? I don’t know.  But this year, I’m not wrapping any of his gifts.  We’ll put them out and let him take everything  in on his own time, play with what he’s interested in, take some breaks, and then revisit the rest later.

We are not a one-size fits all family by any stretch of the imagination.  As such, Fletcher gets into ALL of the holiday traditions.  So he’ll love that we all have matching jammies, will excitedly come down the stairs to witness his wrapped gifts under the tree and will put on his most expressive face of gratitude followed by his signature gasp after opening each present.  I kind of hope he never loses that innocent awe and wonder.

I also made the executive decision to ditch the idea of a family photo.  I know a lot of folks aren’t into sending holiday cards, but it’s a tradition I grew up with and I do love it (I even love finding a favorite pen and addressing envelopes while watching a Hallmark – cathartic I suppose).  But I realized that I get myself all worked up about the whole ordeal, I’m sweating by the time we’re supposed to say “cheese” and then we are never all looking and smiling at the same time anyway which then causes disappointment.  So we’re not doing that this year.  It’s simply not worth the stress…and quite frankly, it’s liberating to be excited about less self-induced pressure. I’ll share my solution for that in another post.

A few years ago as things were really ramping up with our sensory journey, we started buying Fletcher presents that were multi-purpose.  Fun to play with while addressing a sensory need.  If relatives asked for gift ideas, we’d give lists that were very sensory heavy.  And now almost all of the presents both boys receive fit this criteria.  It has been a great way to build up our “inventory” of sensory options for them without overdoing it with excess clutter that they’ll play with for 3 minutes and then be done with. (Let’s be clear though, we still have clutter, ha.)

It can be overwhelming to comb through website after website and ad after ad in search of items that fit the sensory bill.  That stops here.  Emily has put together an AMAZING list of sensory gift ideas which has been years in the making, and we’re so excited to share it with all of you.  Below you’ll find links (some are affiliate links which just means that if an item is purchased the blog may receive a small commission) organized by sensory category.  As a sensory parent, I wish I would have had this list years ago.  It takes the guesswork out of endless internet searches which is a gift in and of itself!  We have acquired quite a few items from Emily’s list below over the years, but I’m excited to add to our collection with some new things I haven’t seen before – she knows what she’s talking about.

We hope this list makes holiday shopping a little less stressful and provides opportunities for fun sensory input when your littles need it the most.

Happy Holidays!

Annie & Emily

PS:  Just a quick note that I have found many of the items on Emily’s list on online marketplaces in really good used condition for a fraction of the cost.  Maybe something to keep in mind – if not for the upcoming holidays, than definitely for birthdays or other occasions. <3

Also – as you probably know, the items on this list are really great for almost any kiddo – sensory struggles or not.

OT Game Gift Ideas

  • Avalanche Fruit Stand Game: a great kid friendly game to work on fine motor strengthening, rule following, color matching, reciprocal game play, grasping/manipulation skills, and tong/utensil management.
  • Spot It games: this game works on visual skills (visual scanning, visual discrimination, visual memory, etc.).
  • Sneaky Snacky Squirrel: a fun game for kids to work on reciprocal game play, grasping skills, manipulation skills, tong/utensil management skills to progress fine motor development.
  • Pop Up Pirate: this game is great for fine motor strengthening and development of pinch skills. **this game is also great for kids who are familiar with the Zones of Regulation as the game pieces match the Zones colors—I use this game in non-traditional manor and have the child match emotional/zone triggers and calming skills that are associated with the colors (blue, yellow, red, green).
  • Monkey Around Game: a gross motor (movement) game for younger children (2+) that works on eye-hand coordination skills, motor planning, and social-emotional skills.
  • I Can Do That game: a kid friendly game movement game for older children that works on sequencing, direction following, body awareness, and motor planning.
  • Tangrams: this activity works on visual motor integration (perceptual and spatial skills) through shape and pattern replications.
  • Feed The Woozle: a game with movement opportunities that works on dexterity, fine motor, body awareness, and cooperation skills.
  • Crazy Cereal: a game that works on impulse control through color-matching, grasping skills, utensil management, and visual skills (scanning, discrimination).

Fine Motor Gift Ideas

The following tools, toys, and activities work on addressing a child’s fine motor skills, visual motor skills, manipulation, grasping, and strengthening skills.

Toddler Toy Suggestions (Cause/Effect)

The following toys help each younger children the important skill of cause/effect through manipulation or activation of a button, level, switch to cause some sort of action to occur.

Strengthening Toys

The following toy suggestions help with strengthening and can also be used as part of a sensory diet as strengthening provides input to the muscles and joints (proprioceptive input).

Sensory Gift Ideas

TACTILE:

  • DIY sensory bins (Kinetic Sand, Pasta (raw or cooked), CraZSnow, rice, rocks, corn, beans, etc.): sensory bins are great for children who both seek and avoid tactile inputs. A great way to use sensory bins is to hide object in the bins for children to find. There are loads of ideas on Pinterest.
  • Vibration Toy/Massager: a great calming sensory tool for children which provides them with tactile and proprioceptive input.
  • Ball pit: ball pits can provide a child with a safe place to go when overwhelmed and overstimulated by providing them with some enclosure along with tactile input. (Some ball pits come with a collapsible tent and tunnel which provide additional spaces for finding their calm.
  •  Puffer balls
  • Spaghetti fidget

PROPRIOCEPTIVE/HEAVY WORK:

  • Pop Tubes: a great fidget for children who like pulling against resistive medias and who seek proprioceptive inputs.
  • Sensory balance pods: these are great for making at home obstacle courses and provide tactile and proprioceptive input to a child’s feet and hands.
  • Sensory Sock: This is a great tool for providing children with proprioceptive input as they can push against the lycra materials to get their body sensory feedback.
  • Large Squigz: great resistive suction toys for proprioceptive input
  • Mini Squigz: great resistive suction toys for proprioceptive input
  • Textured pop beads: resistive media that can be used as a sensory fidget and provide proprioceptive input
  • Weighted blanket (10-15% of total body weight) and weighted lap pads
  • Crash mat (**DIY by taking pillow, blankets, stuffed animals and placing them in a duvet cover)
  • Sensory tunnel: a great addition for at home obstacle courses.
  • Weighted balls: great heavy work activity—place them in a basket or shopping cart for extra weight while pushing/pulling.
  • Climb and Crawl Play set: great addition for at home obstacle courses that provides the child with motor planning abilities, heavy work and proprioceptive inputs.
  • Scooter board: they have large and small options for scooter boards. A great addition to obstacle courses as the scooter board can be used while the child sits, lays on back, lays on belly, etc. The scooter board provides proprioceptive/heavy work input and vestibular inputs.
  • Rody Horse: a great toy/activity that provides proprioceptive input and also works on balance and core strengthening.
  • Peanut Ball

VISUAL:

  • Disco Ball: great calming sensory strategy and great for those children who seek visual inputs.
  • Liquid Bubbler: great calming sensory strategy and great for those children who seek visual inputs.
  • Lava Lamp: Creates a calm vibe while also providing visual input.

 ORAL:

  • Chew Necklace: great for oral seekers and for children who need extra proprioceptive input to their mouths.

VESTIBULAR:

  • Pod/Hammock Swing: great swing choice for children who seek vestibular, movement and proprioceptive input. The swing also can be used for system calming as it provides some enclosure.
  • Sit and Spin: provides a child with rotational vestibular input which can be very alerting for those children who have a lower arousal.

SENSORY FIDGETS: