Helping Sensory Children In Colder Weather

We have all felt the desire to hunker down, rest, and cozy up as the colder weather arrives. And this is a necessary moment for us; to gather ourselves near the proverbial hearth, to eat the foods that we have harvested in the warmer months, and allow for rest and re-set. 

Many children with sensory processing differences struggle with time and seasonal changes; the temperature changes, as well as the diminished sunlight and outdoor time. Especially those that need more movement who are in school environments who restrict outdoor time in colder months. Here are some ideas to make the most of the shorter and colder days with your sensory children. 

• Get in your daily dose of movement. We know that children benefit from movement; especially sensory children. Find ways to stay active in the winter when the days are shorter (as they are in the northern hemisphere). Make sure that your kids have gear to play in lots of kinds of weather; cold, wet, snowy. Walk to school (even part way), get to the playground, walk a pet, or play on the trampoline. Being outdoors is one of the best and most effective types of experiences, and it’s free. 
• Family outdoor time. Maybe it’s a hike, a brisk walk, or even walking the neighborhoods to see the holiday lights after dinner. Doing a nature scavenger hunt can also be fun–looking for pinecones and acorns.
• Have some indoor movement alternatives. You don’t need to have a full on sensory gym in your home; you can use what you have around the house to construct mini obstacle courses: pillow cushions, broom sticks to jump over, step stools for height variation, and/or using rolled up socks or beaning babies to toss items into a bucket or laundry basket are a few ideas for ways that you can use what you have. (See below for an some at-home obstacle course tips)
• Build cozy forts for nesting. You can use pop up tents, blankets, pillows, Flashlights may be fun for reading while in a fort. 
• Nutrition and vitamins for health. This is a great time of year to up vitamin C intake for the natural “sunshine”: think oranges, citrus fruits, elderberry. If you have a very picky eater, you may try gummy supplements of vitamin C or elderberry.
• Epsom salt baths (for ages 4 years +). These warming baths can combat the colder weather and also help to soothe the nervous system with the magnesium. They are especially helpful after a cranky day.
• Making homemade holiday cards. Go ahead and get messy! Work with a variety of mediums such as paints, crayons, cotton balls, glue and stickers. Incorporating sensory play into fine motor activities (such as crafting) is very stimulating for the brain. 
• Using tight fitting long underwear under clothing may help with the seasonal clothing changes. Many children have issues with the tactile nature of clothing when moving from wearing short sleeves to long sleeves or shorts to pants, or even tolerating wearing coats, hats or gloves. 
• Massages after bath with lotion or oil. Use the warmth of your hands to help massage lotion or oil into your child’s skin after bath time. This firm pressure touch is deeply healing and soothing for the nervous system. If your child is sensitive to your touch, you can have them rub it into their skin by themselves. This may also improve the toleration for various foods if your child is a picky eater.
• Create a natural aromatic experience on the stovetop. You can warm apple cider or a milk product with cinnamon, orange peel, and star anise. Then you can add honey to sweeten (for milk based brew), sip on it and enjoy it. If your child is sensitive to smells, try using natural scents such as citrus and peppermint (essential oils should be handled by adults only, or used in a diffuser).

And, here are some tips for creating obstacle courses at home:

• Find objects at home, such as cushions, pop up tunnels, step stools, broom sticks, empty laundry baskets, beanie babies, balloons, squishy toys, etc. 
• Allow your child to engage in the planning. This can be written or drawn, if you’d like to add some fine motor elements. If they have trouble planning (this may be indicative of issues with ideation–the ability to plan out an unfamiliar task), offer some ideas, and help them. The skill of ideation really improves with repeated practice of doing unfamiliar, or novel, tasks. 
• Novelty is key! If they have completed a course successfully a few times, ask if there is any way that they can change the set up to mix up the challenge. This is supportive for brain executive functions. 
• Bring in balance components such as walking on stools, and walking on a rolled up blanket–the long, thin way.  
• Bring in visual-motor components: have them place squishy toys, beanie babies or even rolled up socks around the course to pick up and throw into a laundry basket or bucket. This is highly impactful for the nervous system. 

I hope that some of these tips are helpful for you to navigate the shorter days and colder weather. Sensory-rich play is so effective in helping children’s development. Make sure to put down your devices, and play with your kids this season! Adults need more play….