Will You Be My Valentine?

Valentine’s day is usually celebrated by us adults. But if baby cupids can take part of the celebrations there’s no reason for our SPD kids not to get in on this holiday too. And what better power to harness than the power of love to help treat sensory difficulties?

Here are a few sensory activities you can do with your child in preparation for this Valentine’s day.

Deep pressure- Start off with a big bear hug and tell your kids how much you love them and then get those deep pressure sensors activated by kneading sugar cookie dough then pressing heart shape cookie cutters. Don’t have heart shaped cookie cutters? No worries- just use a glass to cut out a circle and shape the top into a heart.
Tactile- sprinkle red sprinkles onto the baked cookies. Afterward you can use a sensory bin to hide the cookie cutters inside and take turns trying to find them.
Taste- When preparing the dough or icing use an extract you haven’t tried before – such as coconut, lime to get your kids acquainted with new tastes.
Olfactory- Stop by the local flower shop and by some sweet smelling flowers. You can play “guess the flower” by having them smell each flower then try to guess which flower it is by taking a whiff with their eyes closed.
Visual- Design your own Valentine card. Use bright shiny colors and glitter for low registration and sensory seeking kids. And light pastels for sensory avoiding kids.
Jumping- Pretend you are cupids flying through the air – jump around and give them a good spin or two.
Hearing- Play the song “Hands up Baby (Give me your Heart)”- by Ottawan, and do motions of raising the hands for development of listening to sensory cues and body scheme awareness.