Activities should form a core part of the care plans, and there is a huge amount that you can do, from music and blowing bubbles to arts and crafts. If you are a Social Care Worker and looking for some engaging group activities, here are some ideas to get you started.
Ideas for Vestibular Activities
Our vestibular system is located in our inner ears and is responsible for our spatial awareness. It allows us to coordinate balance with movement and when performing correctly, it works in conjunction with our other senses to ensure we feel safe in our environment.
A child with vestibular processing challenges may avoid or seek vestibular input. They may appear clumsy, prefer sedentary activities, and have difficulty with fine motor tasks like handwriting, or they may be hyperactive and impulsive due to a constant need for movement. These activities offer a great way to develop a child’s vestibular system:
- Bike riding
- Jump rope
- Egg races
- Hopscotch
Ideas for Tactile Activities
If the child has tactile sensitivities (think of textures, temperature, vibration, pain, etc.), engaging them in tactile sensory integration activities will help teach them to understand which tactile stimuli are important (the feeling they get when they cut their finger) and which aren’t (the feeling of the tag on the back of their shirt). Here are some of our favourite tactile activities:
- Playing with playdough
- Finger painting
- Water bead sensory bin
- Playing in Kinetic sand set
Ideas for Auditory Activities
Our auditory system is responsible not only for enabling us to receive auditory input from our environment, but it also helps us to recognize which sounds are important (the sound of mom calling your name), which ones keep us safe (fire alarms), and which ones we should ignore (the hum of the fridge). Some children with auditory processing disorder may be hypersensitive to sounds, causing them to become upset at loud noises and cover their ears in public, while others may be hypersensitive and seek out loud noises. If the child has auditory processing challenges, consider some of these simple, yet fun auditory activities.
- Simon Says
- Scavenger hunt with sounds (instead of looking for objects, listen for sounds!)
- Listen to calming music
Ideas for Oral Sensory Activities
Our oral system allows us to communicate with others, and also allows us to chew, swallow, and experience different textures and tastes, but what few of us realize is that our oral system is also closely related to our proprioceptive system. If the child has Oral Sensory processing challenges, consider some of these fun oral activities:
- Blow bubbles
- Chew gum
- Blow bubbles in water using a straw
- Blow up balloons
If you are looking for a job as a Social Care Worker and are interested in knowing more about what opportunities are out there, please contact Rachel at Allied Health Careers.