Do you see a number of students who struggle to stay focused during academic tasks? What if sensory paths could help?!
Take a brain break and work out the wiggles!
I am so excited to share a fun new project I have been working on at my school, an interactive hallway! My school had a hallway that was painted black for a Halloween event and we wanted to make it a little more inviting for our students to walk by. My friend and co-worker (Kayla Maynor) is awesome with vinyl and her Cricuit so together we made a plan and cut all the vinyl. We wanted to make it interactive and educational too. Below are pictures of the finished result and explanations of each "station". It turned out better than I had imagined! Our school mascot is an alligator so we decided to call our hallway the Gator Interactive Trail. The sign is at the top of each end of the hall. Sing Your ABC's This section was designed for singing the ABC's but also can be used to name/identify letters, shapes, and colors. Mirror Me! This is a buddy activity. Two students stand in front of the handprints. One student is the leader and the second student tries to imitate or copy the first. Then, the roles are reversed. Touch and Solve! This station is all about math! Students or teachers touch a number, touch an operation and then touch another number before solving. For younger students, they work on naming/identifying numbers and counting. Wall Push-Ups This activity is all about gross motor skills. Students start with the pink hands, keep their feet together, lean forward, do a "wall push-up" then slide their feet to the right and repeat. Finger Mazes This activity has students use their fingers to make a trail from the outside of the maze into the center. Trace It! This activity challenges students to visually follow the trail from one shape to another while reaching up or down. I spy... This activity has so many options. With a buddy students can play "I Spy" to simply find letters or they can work on naming/identify letter sounds and phonemic awareness skills too. Teachers or older students can give a clue such as "I spy the last sound in "pig" and the other student tries to find the letter that matches. We also included a few motivational quotes to fill in some space near the doors. If this is something you'd like to create at your school we used a high-gloss black paint with Oracle 651 outdoor vinyl. Our cinder block walls gave us a little trouble with the vinyl but using a blow dryer to heat it up once it was on the wall definitely helped it to stick better. I'm sure our little ones will rip or peel some of the vinyl at some point but replacing them won't be too bad. It has been a great place to visit when a friend may need a break from class or just to explore. Thanks for checking it out, it is an awesome new addition to our school!
Movement Break Sensory Hallway Posters are a great hands-on fun think time or break for students to get their wiggles out! Includes11 postersMovementsstanding push-upsjumping jackshigh/low fivefist bumpfinger focus★ Provide feedback to suggest more movements!Check out these resources!Alphabet Blasto...
This is a section of a sensory path to be used in a hallway of a school. It can be placed on the laminate floor. Do not put on brick or cinderblocks. You will get 7 monster foot prints in 7 different colors (Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple and pink). If you would like a different color please message me. You will also receive one Monster Hop title in Purple and Green. You can create the path in any pattern and color that you choose. Once assembled it measures approximately 11" x 9' If you are in need of a larger or smaller custom size feel free to message me and we can create a custom listing for you. Please note that if you would like to order using a Purchase Order please email me at lakehouselife [!at] yahoo.com and we can get that process started.
Two Suffern Central elementary schools unveil "sensory hallways," which aim to help kids focus in class.
Shape Walk Sensory Path Decals let you design your own path. This set comes with 16 rectangles to design your own Shape Walk path. That’s enough to stretch 8 feet if laid in a straight line. When we created this Shape Walk, we wanted to give you the ability to choose how you use it. Instead of making the line in a solid piece, we decided to give you more control and made the line into rectangles instead. This allows you to create a simple line, loops, or even zig zags depending on your students’ needs and skills. Children will increase their balance skills by walking the lines and staying on the path. Depending on your design that you create, children can also improve their mid-line crossing skills and strengthen their core muscle for muscle memory. Included in the Shape Walk Sensory Decals: 2 - 8" squares 16 - 5" green rectangles to build your own line 2 - 8" triangles 16 - 5" blue rectangles to build your own line 2 - 8" stars 16 - 5" yellow rectangles to build your own line please message us if you would like to make any changes to the colors Purchase Orders We accept purchase orders from your school or organization. Please be sure to include: - your contact name, email address and phone number (in case we have any questions) - purchase order number - date of purchase order - quote or estimate number (if previously requested) - billing information including contact name, phone number, email address (if available), billing address and fax number - shipping information if different than billing address - products name, SKU’s and quantity - order total - authorized signature of purchaser You may submit your purchase orders by faxing or emailing them to us. You may also upload your P.O. online to us using our contact form. Email: [email protected] Fax: (816) 432-8180 Please review our Terms and Conditions before submitting your purchase order. Application We want to make decal application as easy as possible. We use premium printed 3M® vinyl for easy installations. Complete vinyl application decals are included with every order and can be found on our Decal Application page. We, Lemon and Grey Designs LLC, believe this product information to be accurate. However, since we cannot anticipate or control the conditions under the applied decals, we cannot guarantee results obtained through their use. We recommend users testing the products to determine the suitability of our decals for a specific purpose. All decals are sold without warranty, either expressed or implied. If you have any questions or concerns regarding returns or exchanges, please visit our Terms and Conditions page. Shipping For information on our shipping policies, shipping insurance and lost or damaged packages, please visit our Shipping page. Questions Please email our customer service with any questions or concerns at [email protected]. You can also message our customer service using the contact form on the Contact Us page.
These sensory stations are free sensory path printables with a Spring theme. Use them in sensory walks at home or in the classroom.
Two Suffern Central elementary schools unveil "sensory hallways," which aim to help kids focus in class.
I am so excited to share a fun new project I have been working on at my school, an interactive hallway! My school had a hallway that was painted black for a Halloween event and we wanted to make it a little more inviting for our students to walk by. My friend and co-worker (Kayla Maynor) is awesome with vinyl and her Cricuit so together we made a plan and cut all the vinyl. We wanted to make it interactive and educational too. Below are pictures of the finished result and explanations of each "station". It turned out better than I had imagined! Our school mascot is an alligator so we decided to call our hallway the Gator Interactive Trail. The sign is at the top of each end of the hall. Sing Your ABC's This section was designed for singing the ABC's but also can be used to name/identify letters, shapes, and colors. Mirror Me! This is a buddy activity. Two students stand in front of the handprints. One student is the leader and the second student tries to imitate or copy the first. Then, the roles are reversed. Touch and Solve! This station is all about math! Students or teachers touch a number, touch an operation and then touch another number before solving. For younger students, they work on naming/identifying numbers and counting. Wall Push-Ups This activity is all about gross motor skills. Students start with the pink hands, keep their feet together, lean forward, do a "wall push-up" then slide their feet to the right and repeat. Finger Mazes This activity has students use their fingers to make a trail from the outside of the maze into the center. Trace It! This activity challenges students to visually follow the trail from one shape to another while reaching up or down. I spy... This activity has so many options. With a buddy students can play "I Spy" to simply find letters or they can work on naming/identify letter sounds and phonemic awareness skills too. Teachers or older students can give a clue such as "I spy the last sound in "pig" and the other student tries to find the letter that matches. We also included a few motivational quotes to fill in some space near the doors. If this is something you'd like to create at your school we used a high-gloss black paint with Oracle 651 outdoor vinyl. Our cinder block walls gave us a little trouble with the vinyl but using a blow dryer to heat it up once it was on the wall definitely helped it to stick better. I'm sure our little ones will rip or peel some of the vinyl at some point but replacing them won't be too bad. It has been a great place to visit when a friend may need a break from class or just to explore. Thanks for checking it out, it is an awesome new addition to our school!
Pineville Primary has a new way for students to work out the wiggles in its new sensory hallway.
Looking for some fun gross motor activities? Find out how kids can improve gross motor skills with these easy sensory motor activities.
While out in our districts, we have seen a growing number of hallway paths being implemented. We think these are a great strategy for students who need to get up and move! Today's Regulation Rendezvous travels around the Miami Valley to show off some of our favorite Hallway Paths. Hallway paths have been designed with a series of movements that provide the student with the necessary proprioceptive and vestibular input to help them refocus and be better prepared for learning. It is important to note which activities are calming, alerting or over-stimulating for each individual. When a student’s sensory needs are not being met, the student will still find a way to meet their sensory needs but, oftentimes, in a more disruptive manner. Examples of this include: getting out of their seat unexpectedly, rolling around during circle time, or running when walking is the expectation and the list goes on! Providing sensory supports, like hallway paths, should be viewed as equally important as academic instruction because in order for a student to perform externally, they must be internally regulated. Participation in hallway paths should be a fun way to help reduce sensory seeking behaviors and increase attention to tasks. Studebaker Preschool, Huber Heights We love these simple paths for preschoolers. Preschool teachers incorporated these paths during transitions and through proactively scheduling extra path breaks for students who needed them. Letter hopscotch Lilypad leap path for students to jump and count Red and blue zig-zag paths for direction following and varied gross motor movements Colored footprint paths for directionality Snyder Park Elementary, Springfield Snyder Park's OT, Toni Cockerham, created a fun Under the Sea themed hallway path for students with a variety of great activities. Fish hopscotch jumping path Jellyfish Jump Webbed foot reciprocal gait path Balance line Directionality path Crab walk Seaweed arch Hand walk maze Stevenson Elementary, Mad River Stevenson Elementary's OT, Denise Campbell, collaborated with her team of educators including Terri Dinkelaker (PT), Taylor Ruef (IS), Patti Hollender (IS), Amanda Gant (IS), and Rylie Jarrett (IS) set up a variety of hallway activities for students who need a break throughout the day. Gross motor stations Deep breathing visuals Visual tracking Zig zag gross motor path Heavy work book sort Alphabet hopping path New Carlisle Elementary, New Carlisle Intervention Specialist, Derek Hord, created these great Brain Break paths that students could readily access right in the resource room during work times. Alternating foot hopping path Jumping path Side stepping path Agility ladder Maze path JFK Elementary, Kettering The staff at JFK in Kettering created this great gross motor hallway activity that students can use for breaks or when waiting in the hallway. Each FIREBIRD letter card opens up to reveal a gross motor activity for students to perform to help them focus and calm. Dixie Elementary- New Lebanon OT Chris Cool has set up two wonderful hallway paths for the students at Dixie Elementary. In one hallway, the students follow the Rocket Sensory Path and in another hallway there is a Dinosaur Sensory Path. Visual Positional Cues More visual positional cues Rocket Hopscotch Wall push up station Reciprocal walking path Coded movement cues for each path icon Wall push up station Mound Elementary- Miamisburg Principal Becca Huber created a great space for students who need to embed movement into their day. Walking paths Tracking spiral Wall pushes Sugarcreek Primary- Piqua We love this portable walking path used by PT Amy Pratt!
Package of Sensory Path Floor Decals, Vinyl Stickers for Hallway Art Package Contents and Details: There are 11 different components in this package and we offer 2 colors scheme options. All of these items can also be individually purchased. This package makes it easier for you to know the total area and easily purchase for your school! Color Option #1 includes: Deep Blue (all words), Charcoal Gray, Plum, Orange, Ice Blue and Brilliant Blue Color Option #2 includes: Brilliant Blue (all words), Red, Orange, Grass Green, Turquoise, Yellow The area this layout covers is a 80" (6.6 ft) wide by 397" (33 ft) long area. The 11 components of this package include: Start and Stop signs Shapes Caterpillar Numbers up to 20 Stomp the Bugs Hop the Drops lower case alphabet Sunflower hopscotch 4 Twirls Follow the Path shapes Jumping Jacks Feet Wall Pushes hands and feet 10 Extra words of your choosing. Create motion, activity and learning all together in your school's hallway with our sensory path hallway art packages! Read more about our Sensory Path Decals HERE. The Basics: This Vinyl Decal is made with our glossy sign vinyl material for great durability and easy visibility! Designed to withstand the outdoor elements or even washing. Please do NOT APPLY to your walls as the strong adhesive will remove or damage your paint when the decal is peeled off. Die-Cut Decals: If you don't understand the terminology, know that this one's a biggie. Superior to stickers, our decals do not have a background material. Thus, you'll be able to see your wall or surface through and around the decal's openings. Application: Application is easy peasy. All it takes is a smooth surface and a ruler/level to apply (yes, it's that easy!). The best part? No individual letter or word alignment/installation is needed. Check out detailed instructions for applying the wording HERE. Squeegee Application Tool included: For the best outcome, we include a felt-edged squeegee tool that will greatly assist you when applying the Sensory Path Decal Stickers to your floors. Speed: While we take great pride in the quality of our products, we're also known for our speed. Your Decal will ship within 1-2 days and be at your door before you know it. Customer Service: We want you to be happy with your decals. While all decals include detailed instructions along with video and blog tutorials, don't be afraid to give us a shout. We're ready to help via email or phone! Made In The USA: In honor of the stars and stripes, all of our decals are made in the USA. We ship from our headquarters in The Mount Rushmore State, South Dakota. Over 20 popular Vinyl colors available! View the colors close up and the color names on our Colors and Fonts page.
While out in our districts, we have seen a growing number of hallway paths being implemented. We think these are a great strategy for students who need to get up and move! Today's Regulation Rendezvous travels around the Miami Valley to show off some of our favorite Hallway Paths. Hallway paths have been designed with a series of movements that provide the student with the necessary proprioceptive and vestibular input to help them refocus and be better prepared for learning. It is important to note which activities are calming, alerting or over-stimulating for each individual. When a student’s sensory needs are not being met, the student will still find a way to meet their sensory needs but, oftentimes, in a more disruptive manner. Examples of this include: getting out of their seat unexpectedly, rolling around during circle time, or running when walking is the expectation and the list goes on! Providing sensory supports, like hallway paths, should be viewed as equally important as academic instruction because in order for a student to perform externally, they must be internally regulated. Participation in hallway paths should be a fun way to help reduce sensory seeking behaviors and increase attention to tasks. Studebaker Preschool, Huber Heights We love these simple paths for preschoolers. Preschool teachers incorporated these paths during transitions and through proactively scheduling extra path breaks for students who needed them. Letter hopscotch Lilypad leap path for students to jump and count Red and blue zig-zag paths for direction following and varied gross motor movements Colored footprint paths for directionality Snyder Park Elementary, Springfield Snyder Park's OT, Toni Cockerham, created a fun Under the Sea themed hallway path for students with a variety of great activities. Fish hopscotch jumping path Jellyfish Jump Webbed foot reciprocal gait path Balance line Directionality path Crab walk Seaweed arch Hand walk maze Stevenson Elementary, Mad River Stevenson Elementary's OT, Denise Campbell, collaborated with her team of educators including Terri Dinkelaker (PT), Taylor Ruef (IS), Patti Hollender (IS), Amanda Gant (IS), and Rylie Jarrett (IS) set up a variety of hallway activities for students who need a break throughout the day. Gross motor stations Deep breathing visuals Visual tracking Zig zag gross motor path Heavy work book sort Alphabet hopping path New Carlisle Elementary, New Carlisle Intervention Specialist, Derek Hord, created these great Brain Break paths that students could readily access right in the resource room during work times. Alternating foot hopping path Jumping path Side stepping path Agility ladder Maze path JFK Elementary, Kettering The staff at JFK in Kettering created this great gross motor hallway activity that students can use for breaks or when waiting in the hallway. Each FIREBIRD letter card opens up to reveal a gross motor activity for students to perform to help them focus and calm. Dixie Elementary- New Lebanon OT Chris Cool has set up two wonderful hallway paths for the students at Dixie Elementary. In one hallway, the students follow the Rocket Sensory Path and in another hallway there is a Dinosaur Sensory Path. Visual Positional Cues More visual positional cues Rocket Hopscotch Wall push up station Reciprocal walking path Coded movement cues for each path icon Wall push up station Mound Elementary- Miamisburg Principal Becca Huber created a great space for students who need to embed movement into their day. Walking paths Tracking spiral Wall pushes Sugarcreek Primary- Piqua We love this portable walking path used by PT Amy Pratt!
֎ ABOUT THE PRODUCT ֎ Download and print a great fun game for kids, family, school class, daily care, or for the party. Simply make a hopscotch game that children love, with which they learn and develop motor and intellectual abilities. The set includes 24 types of stations in 20 colors: black, light grey, dark grey, yellow, Indian-yellow, orange, red, light blue, blue, dark blue, light green, green, dark green, light pink, pink, light purple, dark purple, light brown, dark brown and other. You can combine them and make paths with different levels of complexity (see the instruction). • Instruction - Printing, playing and 12 layout ideas by levels • Single Hopscotch (FILLED) - one hand or foot on the page • Single Hopscotch (OUTLINED) - one hand or foot on the page • Double Hopscotch (FILLED) - two hands or feet on the page in 8 positions • Double Hopscotch (OUTLINED) - two hands or feet on the page in 8 positions ֎ DIGITAL DOWNLOAD ֎ This digital download includes: 4 PDF files in letter (8.5" x 11") size with 480+ pages. You can shrink it on A4 size. • Black and white shapes - 1 PDF file with 24 pages • Color hopscotch - 480 pages in 2 PDF • Instruction - 1 PDF with 5 pages This is a digital file so no physical items will be sent. ֎ HOW TO PRINT ֎ Choose paper: cardboard, normal, self-sticky paper, or on printable vinyl. Print the images at home or in your favorite printing store. You can also laminate the material. We print this on normal paper and fix it to the floor with tape. If you play a one-line or two-line layout, you don't have to fix the paper to the floor. The movements you can make next to the paper. Then you can change the layout of images faster and easier. If you want to use this for the outdoor games, you can paste it on cardboard, cut it out and make stamps with colors. ֎ HOW TO PLAY ֎ Once you have arranged the floor layout, stand in line and try to go through it to the end. You can also turn on the stopwatch, and then the winner will be the one who reaches the finish line first. ֎ SIMILAR PRODUCTS ֎ * HANDS & FEET Sensory Path • Hopscotch for preschoolers (Landscape orientation) https://www.etsy.com/listing/835619184/hands-feet-sensory-path-hopscotch-for * Traffic light hopscotch https://www.etsy.com/listing/765456128/traffic-light-hopscotch-sensory-path * 1-100 Numbers hopscotch https://www.etsy.com/listing/775150957/1-100-numbers-hopscotch-sensory-path ֎ INSTAGRAM ֎ I like to see how you and your child enjoying your new learning resource! You can tag me @psychoscreen1 ֎ LEGAL DETAILS ֎ This printable is intended for personal use only. Not for commercial use or for resale. You may not copy, alter, or share these files or some parts of files. Each file you purchase may be printed as many times as you like for your own personal use. They can be used for children in school classes that you teach or in some clubs. This includes use for your own family in homeschooling activity. You may give printed copies as gifts or party favors. Thank you!
Get your FREE Sensory Path Printable today! Our sensory pathway includes 10 pages of various gross motor skill actions.
The Sensory Path designs beautiful and engaging sensory pathways for schools and other institutions. Address kids' sensory needs with our unique products!
Wake up your whole body with wall pushups! Perfect exercise for proprioceptive input, which many sensory path hallways need.Whether you are pushing on the wall or crossing midline with your hands, the wall stickers are a great way to practice motor planning using both hands and feet. NOTE - place hands to promote midline crossing and put feet farther from wall to promote increased weight bearing.Set consists of 34 stickers, including 8 sets of handprints, 8 sets of footprints, and movement words "Wall" and "Push-up" stickers.Sizes: Each footprint is 4 inches wide by 9.5 inches high, each handprint is 6.25 inches by 6.75 inches.
Posters to place throughout school hallways to create a sensory walk. Separated between calming, alerting, and anytime stations.
Tactile wall panels and tactile tiles for sensory rooms add to the stimulating or calming environment design. See more & call now for design help!
Sensory Path Hallway Floor Stickers - Sensory Path Caterpillar Numbers School Hallway Daycare, Floor Decals Revolutionize your learning space with our premium Caterpillar Numbers Sensory Path Vinyl Decal Stickers. Ideal for interactive school activities, our vibrant decals offer a fun and exciting way to teach numbers. The caterpillar theme is simply irresistible and will surely brighten any environment. Made with our glossy sign vinyl material, these decals are not only durable but also very visible, making them perfect for both indoor and outdoor use. Each sticker is expertly designed to withstand the outdoor elements, and even washing, maintaining its aesthetic appeal for a long time. The set includes a complete caterpillar with numbers. It's an excellent addition to any learning setting, fostering active engagement while promoting number identification and counting skills. The installation process is straightforward, with an adhesive back that sticks to any clean, smooth surface. You'll love the transformation these decals bring! -Dimensions & Sizing: Choose a 3" size or a 6" size Choose Numbers 1-10 or Number 1-20 Choose 6 different Colors. See Photo stating which numbers will be Color #1, etc -->State your SIX color choices before adding this to your cart.
DIY Sensory Rooms: Have you ever thought about creating a sensory room or space for your child, but thought it would be too expensive or you would need to dedicate an entire room? We know that sensory rooms have a huge calming effect on our children, so, we challenged a couple of moms (and two behav
Sensory Pathways, a new building feature for children, is making an impression while getting pupils moving in the Dunkirk City School District. Colorful vinyl tapes and decals snake their way around hallway walls and floors creating a vibrant obstacle course for kids to release their pent up energy. “We noticed, over the years, as the […]
Get this free printable download of a 10 station sensory motor walk activities for your school hallway or classroom, or even at home!
Sensory Path Stomp the Bugs School Hallway Daycare, Floor Decals Dimensions & Sizing: Each Bug is 2.75" x 3" There are 8 bugs in each of 5 colors. Color#1 is your lettering Stomp the Bugs and Colors #2-5 are the bug colors. No ruler, no problem. We got you covered. For reference: An adult's wrist to fingertips length is roughly 7"-8" A fun activity for your daycare, preschool or school hallway to encourage movement or color recognition. Read more about our Sensory Path Decals HERE. The Basics: This Vinyl Decal is made with our glossy sign vinyl material for great durability and easy visibility! Designed to withstand the outdoor elements or even washing. Please do NOT APPLY to your walls as the strong adhesive will remove or damage your paint when the decal is peeled off. Die-Cut Decals: If you don't understand the terminology, know that this one's a biggie. Superior to stickers, our decals do not have a background material. Thus, you'll be able to see your wall or surface through and around the decal's openings. Application: Application is easy peasy. All it takes is a smooth surface and a ruler/level to apply (yes, it's that easy!). The best part? No individual letter or word alignment/installation is needed. Check out detailed instructions for applying the wordingHERE. Squeegee ApplicationTool included:For the best outcome, we include a felt-edged squeegee tool that will greatly assist you when applying the Sensory Path Decal Stickers to your floors. Speed: While we take great pride in the quality of our products, we're also known for our speed. Your Decal will ship within 1-2 days and be at your door before you know it. Customer Service: We want you to be happy with your decals. While all decals include detailed instructions along with video and blog tutorials, don't be afraid to give us a shout. We're ready to help via email or phone! Made In The USA: In honor of the stars and stripes, all of our decals are made in the USA. We ship from our headquarters in The Mount Rushmore State, South Dakota. Over 20 popular Vinyl colors available! View the colors close up and the color names on our Colors and Fonts page.
12 CREATIVE SENSORY WALK ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS
Jenna Hegwood, second-grade teacher at Halverson Elementary School, created a sensory path for students. A sensory path is a path where students are to complete the given tasks in order to help regulate and calm their bodies. Research defines the proprioceptive system as understanding sense of self as well as how defining within surroundings. Research […]
Hallways are no longer just a way to get between rooms. With this sassy, anime-inspired sensory path, now they're a place where kids can be kids and get their wiggles out.Give your kiddos opportunity to get up and MOVE during the day. These stickers can be arranged to encourage midline crossing while working on heavy proprioception (heavy stomping), criss cross jumps, bending and twisting with hop scotch challenge. Endless opportunities! Includes application kit(s). Sizes: Layouts are flexible and can be adjusted to fit in your space.Starter package recommended for space approximately 10 feet x 30 feet.Premium package recommended for space approximately 10 feet x 50 feet.Deluxe package recommended for space approximately 10 feet x 70 feet.StarterPackagePremiumPackageDeluxePackageTiptoe Octopus ✓✓Jumpin' Buddies ✓✓Tree Hopscotch✓ ✓✓Friendly Leap Frogs ✓✓Criss Cross Ice Cream Cones ✓✓Step Stones✓ ✓Rainbow Infinity ✓Brave Bear Crawl✓ ✓Star Alphabet ✓Downward Dog ✓Application Kitx1x2x3
This post contains affiliate links. **Update August 2020 - It is possible to utilize or create a path to fully support social distancing. Such spaces will be all the more important if other practices are limited or modified. For virtual learning, we might support families in creating appropriate paths or spaces at home.** You may have seen the video that went viral of a young boy walking, stretching, and hopping along a path that a special education teacher designed, painted, and implemented in the elementary school where she works. She labored over the path for more than 80 hours, creating something special for the students in her school. A sensory path is meant to help a child use their own bodies and environment to calm themselves down. They use their muscles, breathing, and spatial awareness to make their way through the path and walk away from it reset and refreshed. When teachers know certain students in their class would benefit from movement breaks, they can allow students to leave class (in our space the students would leave with a madrich or madrichah - Hebrew for classroom assistant) and move through the sensory break path. It’s a preventative measure, geared toward improving focus and preventing disruptive behavior before it occurs. In our space we already have students who need breaks throughout the session walking laps around our building. I designed this as a productive alternative. If you’ve seen the sensory path that went viral (image above), it is quite obviously a labor of love, but it is also rather busy. In my opinion there’s almost too much going on. It's always important to strike the right balance between a positive sensory experience and sensory overload. I also think that while wonderful for younger children, this path would seem too juvenile for older elementary and middle school students, who might dismiss it out-of-hand. So, like many others out there, I designed my own. Also a labor of love, I might add; it just took me much less than 80 hours to complete. Rather than paint I used colorful floor tape that can be removed. (Additional items include: large footprint decals, red floor marking tape, green floor marking tape, orange floor marking tape, hand-print decals, spiral wall decal.) I was aware of the limits of our space. Most importantly, our supplemental religious school serves children in PreK through grade 12, so I was wanted to create something that would be appropriate for the variety of ages. All students can use the path from time to time, to ground them on days when they’re feeling hyped up, anxious, or overstimulated in class. As expected, the space was an immediate hit. The most rousing endorsement came from two parents; one who is a physical therapist and the other who is both an early childhood educator and the mother of one of our students who typically walks laps around our building. My favorite moment was when a few third grade boys came to try it out. One, after whipping through it, declared that it was “too easy”. I tried to explain that it wasn’t a race, but he wasn’t listening. Nevertheless, word spread fast and few minutes later the rest of the third grade class wanted to try it out, so back he came along with his peers. Before his turn he again declared, “But it’s so easy.” This time I shared, “It’s not an obstacle course, it’s a sensory path. Do you know what sensory means?” “You mean like our senses?” he asked. “Yes. Some people need a short break from their work to clear their head. Others need to get their blood flowing again so they can get back to work.” “OK,” and off he went, back through the path. As he neared the end I asked, “So, is your blood flowing?” “Yeah, now it is.” The value of using spaces like this, fidgets, or any other tool meant to help a student find success is the context in which the tool is presented. Using the language of “this is a tool to help you” or “let’s take a sensory break,” enables students to more effectively speak about their needs and advocate for themselves in productive and meaningful ways. I think one of our third grade girls had the most important insight of the day: As she completed the path she declared, “Oh, these need to be EVERYWHERE. I’m telling my mom we need one in our house.” For more research on the benefits of sensory breaks read: The Impact of Sensory-Based Movement Activities on Students in General Education. Updated June 2019: ***NEW*** To keep this space interesting for our students I added new elements (and will aim to do so each year). I purchased the spiral sticker and hand-print stickers below. Here are pictures of how this new pieces look: Here are all the products I used to create this space: Contact me to design a sensory break space for your setting or for additional professional development in using such tools effectively. Never miss a post from Removing the Stumbling Block:
Add these sensory cards to any popsicle stick and have the card you need at your finger tips. Behavior Sensory Yoga Self Calming Best Seller!!!! Over 1,500 copies sold. The resource has been updated with more visuals and the option of larger visuals plus adjusting the visuals a bit by size!
It can be challenging to keep kids occupied during the hot summer months in Arizona when the temps reach triple digits. My daughter has been wise in purchasing an annual pass to the Children's Museum of Phoenix. This is an amazingly creative, hands on interactive museum. Voted in 2011 Parents Magazine among the Best 10 Children's Museums in the U.S. I couldn't agree more. As an adult, I could hardly wait to see what exhibit was around each corner. Probably one of the biggest draws is The Climber, which stands at 37 feet reaching up through 3 floors. Think of a very large maze, with gerbil like compartments leading to unique destinations. Like flying bathtubs. Even though I am afraid of heights, the grandma in me succumbed to the requests of my grandchildren, and up I went. Holding Noah's hand, I'm proud to announce I climbed through child size claustrophobic tubes and made it clear to the tip top rocket ship. The next big attraction was the Noodle Forest. This had somewhat of a Field of Dreams experience as you enter through a large room filled with foamy noodles suspended from the ceiling. You can't see where you are going or who is standing next to you. Fortunately Issak has a good sense of direction and kept me safe. One room was a completely stocked general store, with freezer case and check out registers. Good place for Kayla to get a head start on her shopping skills. As a family of foodies, we loved the pizza kitchen. I thought the fabric pizzas were a great idea that could be implemented at home with left over quilting scraps. With all the things to do at the museum, it was interesting for me to see where Noah wanted to spend quite a bit of his time. He loved water "painting" on this large slab of rock. Another idea that could be made at home. There is so much to see and do. One entire section of the museum was dedicated to "cars". Amy helped the kids as they made their way through the car wash. Real antique gas pumps and fun road racers. But, I'm not sure it was wise to let Kayla start driving a big green pickle. I'm already visualizing her 16th birthday.
Grounding techniques A sensory path is a great way for kids to develop motor skills like balance, hand - eye coordination, and spatial awareness. Sensory Pathways support fine and gross motor skills, help with problem solving and social interaction. Sensory paths can help children in a calming or frustrating or anxious state. Sensory paths are being used throughout schools, daycares & hospitals to help kids and adults when they need a break. MATERIAL - I use a permanent, high quality waterproof outdoor rated vinyl and it holds up very well to foot traffic and hand touching. washing with or without sealing it. INSTALLATION - Each vinyl decal is pre-cut and ready to install with peel and stick backing. Apply decals to clean walls and follow instructions. *Chantal’s Paths is not responsible for any mishaps in the vinyl (bubbling, wrinkling or folding) or for foot paths that are improperly installed* but please contact me if you have any issues. If you like this listing, please check out more at www.chantalspaths.com LARGE measures 20”x23” If you would like specific colors or words feel free to message me in advance. ** Some customers in some countries will have to pay Duties and Customs upon delivery**
The Sensory Path designs beautiful and engaging sensory pathways for schools and other institutions. Address kids' sensory needs with our unique products!
