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Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Homemade sensory board - I think it, Daddy builds it.

Having taught children with autism for 11 years, I knew there were great benefits to sensory integration.  I think when I had my son, I immediately started collecting things to put on a sensory board for him - LOL.  I wanted to include light, noise, and tactile items to stimulate the senses.  Several items are affixed with Gorilla Glue (super strong) and other larger items are affixed with screws or brackets.  He loved this board and I knew I was helping him learn about his world through his senses.  My husband purchased a board from Home Depot - any board will do. 

The pictures are not great because we built this board before Play at Home Mom LLC was even a twinkle in my eye.  LOL

Rattling the chain against the wood

TACTILE SQUARES



There are so many items you can include on a sensory board - and you can really cater it to the needs/age/interests of your child.  My son was only 6 months old when we built his, and I purchased a lot of items from the Dollar Tree, so we kept it pretty simple.  Latches, locks, and other fasteners are good options for older children.

 - AK (MESE, MECD)



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19 comments:

  1. LeeanneAJune 19, 2011 at 6:33 PM

    I just LOVE LOVE this! Very creative and some interesting things on it! I would live to come up with something like this.
    You might like the sensory boards I made for my classroom.
    http://kreativeactivities.blogspot.com/2011/05/texture-boards.html

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  2. LeeanneAJune 19, 2011 at 6:38 PM

    BTW I too worked with autistic and special needs kids and my son is autistic - I think that's why I love your blog so much.

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  3. Katie AronoffJune 21, 2011 at 6:16 AM

    Hi! Love the board! So you just prop it up against something! I want to make one for my 8 month old but I'm afraid she will pull it down. Thanks!

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  4. Play At Home MomJune 21, 2011 at 10:27 AM

    Yes, we just propped it up against something. I was usually right there when he was playing with it - tracking his play - talking about the textures, lights, etc - so I made sure he didn't pull it down on himself. There were two times where he went over and explored it alone and it tipped over, but it didn't hurt him at all.

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  5. Play At Home MomJune 21, 2011 at 10:30 AM

    Leeanne - very neat boards. Is this for a classroom of children with autism? Just curious. I get a lot of my ideas (especially the sensory play) from having done them at my previous job. I also taught in a Reggio inspired preschool for 3 of my 14 years of teaching - which is where my play room and environment inspiration comes from. - AK

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  6. CorinneJuly 31, 2011 at 11:14 AM

    I love this idea! How did you attach everything? I'm a little nervous my little girl would pull things off?

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  7. Play At Home MomAugust 1, 2011 at 6:18 PM

    We either used gorilla glue or screwed the items in. - AK

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  8. JessAugust 26, 2011 at 8:51 PM

    Very cool! Did you use an old table top or just buy a piece of wood? Where did you get the bead toy and texture squares?

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  9. Jessica KovacsSeptember 28, 2011 at 4:44 PM

    My son is blind and texture play is very important. I was just at a low vision center for children and they had several homemade texture boards like this. They are so fun for the kids.

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  10. MarinaSeptember 29, 2011 at 6:26 AM

    What type of varnish or coating did you use on the board?

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  11. Play At Home MomSeptember 29, 2011 at 9:10 AM

    A clear Lacquer.....this was over 2 years ago, so I dont remember the exact kind. - AK

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  12. katJanuary 17, 2012 at 1:25 PM

    hi...love this idea! what are the tactile squares and where did you find them? thanks!

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  13. Play At Home MomJanuary 17, 2012 at 4:08 PM

    They are textured stamps - http://astore.amazon.com/plathomo-20

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  14. City ShareFebruary 21, 2012 at 9:25 AM

    Love this idea. Our daughter is 7.5 months old now, and we are finding that she needs more stimulation. So glad I discovered your site.

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  15. Pearl MagazineMarch 3, 2012 at 1:52 PM

    This might be a very stupid question. Is sensory board only good for autistic children? My son is 12 months old, and I'd like to build one for him ... but wondering if it will do him any good at all since he isn't autistic. Thanks! :)

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  16. AnonymousApril 26, 2012 at 11:13 AM

    This gave me some help in making my son a portable sensory board for my son (to bring to school). It came out pretty good :) And has a little theme to it as well.

    @Pearl Magazine, That is not a stupid question, It absolutely is a wonderful thing for any child that needs sensory input. I would say a 12 mo old could certainly benefit as they are sensory seekers at that age no matter if they are autistic, spd, etc, or not.

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  17. thekimboJune 13, 2012 at 2:53 PM

    I'm going to be attempting to make on of these soon!! Is there a specific list of item you put on this, or a tutorial?

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    Replies
    1. Play At Home MomJune 13, 2012 at 4:05 PM

      You can put whatever you like on it. There are more great ideas on our pinterest page under PAHM INSPIRED SENSORY BOARDS.

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  18. DianaJanuary 17, 2013 at 5:51 PM

    i cant see the pictures on your blog....did you drop the pictures?

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