Inside you’ll find: Super simple sensory activities that can be done with an exercise ball with no prep! Fun ways to use an exercise ball for sensory therapy!
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My little Loopy has Sensory Processing Disorder. His biggest needs are in the vestibular (inner ear) and proprioceptive (joints and body awareness) areas. You can read more about how he was diagnosed in this post. We’ve found a simple tool that helps him cope with the world around him while stretching him to get even more comfortable with sensory input. The lovely Exercise/Stability Ball
.
.Here’s SIX WAYS for your child to get sensory input,
four alone and two with your help.
Alone:
1. Roll it up a wall.
Heavy lifting, motor planning, keeping his balance while having his arms over his head.
2. Dribble it.
Pushing the ball into the ground is great for the proprioceptive sense as well as when it bounces back up and knocks you over! Hee hee!
3. Bounce on it alone.
Bouncing is such a great way to combine proprioceptive and vestibular input. He does it all the time anyway. Doing it on a ball is just extra fun!
4. Kick it against a wall.
Same benefits as dribbling for the lower extremities. Things can get wild here. Use your best judgement! :O
Want to discover more versatile sensory tools for your kids? This is the ultimate list of sensory toys for kids.
With the Help of an Adult:
5. “Roll out the cookie dough”
Lay down on the floor and squish/roll the ball on top of your child. (Not over the face!) This is Loppy’s favorite. He gets the goofiest grin when we do it. To keep his interest, I tickle his belly by putting “sprinkles” and other assorted goodies into the “cookie dough.” Anything to get him to do something for more than 30 seconds. Always ask the child what amount of pressure on the ball feels good to them.
Lumpy likes to help with therapy time!
6. Rolling on top of the ball
Roll your child over the top of the ball. We usually start tummy down until he is comfortable with the rocking motion. Then we flip to the back. I encourage him to let go of me and reach over his head till he touches the ground. Then he pushes off the ground to get back up. (On a good day.)
Do you use a ball to bring added sensory input into your child’s day? Share it in the comments below!
AND LOOK! We’ve come up with even more ways to use an exercise ball for sensory input!
Boasting In Weakness: I’ve been spending so much time working on this blog, that I’ve stopped going to the grocery store, or at least meal planning. So no, I can’t do it all. And yes, I’m bad at prioritizing. Just a little transparency so you don’t get the wrong impression of me.
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Julie is a frazzled mom of three tornadoes. As a dorky second-generation homeschooler, she writes about learning and play, natural living, special needs parenting and matters of the heart. She serves an astounding God that radically saved her.
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motherhoodandotheradventures says
I sit my son on top of the ball and rock him back and forth or side to side to wok on his gravitational insecurity 🙂
Julie says
Oh yeah! We do that too! I totally forgot to add that one because I couldn’t manage to get a picture of it! ha ha! I’m always trying to coax him into letting go and reaching up. Does your son have a lot of the same symptoms as my son? I’ll have to check out your blog! Thanks for reading!
Margaret@YTherapySource says
Found your link over at Good Tips Tuesdays. These are some great ideas. I especially like the picture of the little guy adding some extra proprioceptive input to the ball rolling.
Julie says
Hee hee! Yes, Lumpy is a great for the reassuring comfort of weight. 😉
Chuck Habing says
I liked the ideas with the bouncing ball including the one mentioned in the comment above. An inexpensive toy or tool for use with gravitational insecurity and the vestibular system. Not sure I am using the correct terms as I am new to these discussions but I enjoyed the article.
Zachery says
Did the ball last long how big is the ball