I love incoporating sensory play in my Speech and Language therapy sessions with young children, and enjoy theming the activities to match events or seasons. Here are some of my favourite fall themed sensory play activities that you can try in your therapy sessions!
What is Sensory Play?
Sensory play is any type of play that gives the child a unique sensation, which may be related to touch, sight, smell, sound, movement, or a combination of these. For example, using a “sensory bin” to expose their skin to different textures and sensations, or exposing them to different sights, smells, and sounds, (Fein et al., 2016). However, sensory play doesn’t have to be elaborate or expensive. You can use everyday objects and experiences to stimulate their senses too. For example, scrunch up a piece of paper into a ball; the child will be able to hear the sound of the crunched paper, they can touch and grab it to make it crunch and crinkle more.
Benefits of Themed Sensory Play Activities
The sensory-rich experiences involved in sensory play help to build neural connections in the child’s brain. They also help to develop attention, play, problem solving, and language skills (Gascoyne, 2012). Themed sensory play activities help to expose children to specific themed vocabulary, as well as providing the opportunity for them to hear and use core words, verbs, and symbolic sounds/exclamatory words, and more.
Fall-Themed Sensory Play Activities to use in your Speech Therapy Sessions
Fall-Themed Sensory Bin Ideas
I tend to use many of the same base elements when putting together my fall/autumn themed sensory bins.
Some of my go-to items are:
- fake leaves
- wooden rings
- wooden lollipop sticks
- orange and yellow pom poms
- dried pasta (sometimes themed shapes)/chickpeas/split peas/lentils, etc.
- conkers
- pine cones
I then change some of the larger elements, depending on the child/activity/goal. For example, I like to include pumpkins, skeletons, bat toys, wooden shapes, etc.
You can also use things like shredded paper, pony beads, etc. These are all useful for goals such as multisyllabic words and concepts. I include themed characters if we’re working on specific verbs, sentence formulation, or pronouns. I always have scoops or different containers to put things in to as well. This is useful when working on sentence formulation, verbs, and core words.
A key thing to remember when putting together any sort of sensory play activity is that adult supervision is required at all times. It is recommended that you choose sensory bin fillers that are appropriate to the child’s age and stage of development. Some sensory bin fillers are choking hazards and/or possible allergens; please use with caution.
Sensory Play Ideas for Toddlers
When creating sensory bins/sensory play activities for toddlers and young children, I tend to avoid really small things that could be choking hazards, and anything which would be unsafe for them to put in their mouths. I always err on the side of caution. If I want to include smaller items, I tend to put them inside empty bottles; this way I can expose them to the items without risking them choking on them.
Depending on the child, I will use larger sensory items and them in a “tuff tray” instead of a container. For example, sensory scarves, shredded paper pom poms that we can shake, or even themed soft toys to explore. This is a fun and safe way to provide sensory experiences, while avoiding smaller potential choking hazards.
Include Books in your Fall-Themed Sensory Play Activities
I love including books in sensory play activities where possible, especially when creating sensory play activities for toddlers. The ‘That’s Not My…’ range of books are a perfect addition to sensory play, as they also have sensory elements. Two of my favourite books to include are ‘Thats’ Not My Bat’ and ‘That’s Not My Pumpkin’ (Amazon affiliate links). Check out this blog post for skills you can target with these books.
When I include books, I try to theme the sensory bin/activity around the book. Such as including similar colour elements or similar objects. Anything that can increase the sensory aspect of the play.
Conkers are one of my Favourite Items for Fall Sensory Play
Conkers are one of my favourite things to include in fall/autumn themed sensory play activities. The whole process, from collecting them to playing with them, is sensory- and language-rich!
Going out on a nature walk to collect conkers is a wonderful activity, full of sensory and language experiences for children. Then, bringing them back and giving them a wash before playing with them, is another sensory- & language-rich experience. Then, actually playing with them is so fun. There are a huge number of engaging activities you can do with conkers.
Some of our favourites include:
- Playing with them in water
- Rolling them down tubes and into sensory bins or onto something which makes a sound, such as aluminium foil.
- Rolling them down a ball ramp with a xylophone.
- Putting them in large bottles and making a shaker.
- Putting them in a push along toy and listening to the sound when you push them fast/slow.
You can target a range of language goals, such as verbs, concepts, core words, prepositions, and more.
Painting Pumpkins is Always a Hit!
Painting pumpkins is an easy way to incorporate a sensory activity, without much prep. Follow the child’s lead while they paint the pumpkin and explore the paints. You can even add other items to the activity, to vary the sensory experience and to provide more language opportunities.
Check out this blog post for more ideas for using pumpkins to support language skills.
Want More Fall-Themed Activity Ideas?
These evidence-based Fall-Themed Early Language Handouts have been designed to support early intervention therapists to coach parents/caregivers to use various early language strategies in a range of engaging, low-cost, autumnal activities. There’s a handout all about fall-themed sensory play included too! Grab your copy from our TPT store or website store now.