Sensory circuits have three elements: alerting activities, organising activities and calming activities. They should always be done in this order.
Alerting section: These activities prepare the brain for learning. They activate the vestibular system and provide proprioceptive stimulation. The vestibular system is our sense of balance and proprioception is our sense of where our body is in space.
Organising section: These activities use motor skills, balance and timing. The child will need to organise their body, plan their approach to the activity and do more than one thing at a time in a set order. This helps to increase focus and attention.
Calming section: It is important to finish the circuit with calming activities. These will focus on proprioception and deep pressure activities, so the child leaves the circuit feeling calm, focussed and ready to get the best out of their next activity. Deep pressure works by applying weight or pressure to provide proprioceptive input, which calms our central nervous system.
Sensory circuits can be used at the start of the school day or after lunch because they are a great way to get children settled and ready to engage in the classroom. They can also be used after school or at home.
Sensory circuits should be done regularly, and the circuit should take around 15 – 20 minutes, with three to five minutes spent on each activity.
Decide how many repetitions you will do and how much time you will allocate to each movement, based on what you think your child will achieve. You can use a stopwatch or phone timer.
Sensory Circuits
Remember that every child is different, therefore their sensory needs and tolerance for each activity will be different. Some children may benefit from spending more time on activities within a specific section (such as alerting) to set them up for the next part of their day. Some children may also need more circuits during the day. It’s important that the activities reflect each child’s sensory preferences and that you avoid any sensory stimulation that they do not like. Please also ensure that the children are supervised at all times.
Further Example
Note: Remember the aim is to achieve lots a heavy work input to the joints and muscles, so decide on the number of repetitions accordingly.
- It may be useful to play music during the circuit. It can clearly mark the beginning and end. Choose music that is fast at the start and at the end select music that is calm and turn the volume down.
- Ideally, circuits should be completed first thing in the morning and after lunch if possible. Some children may require more circuits throughout the day.
- When completing a sensory circuit as a rough guide choose 2 alerting activities, 2 organising activities and 1 calming activity.
- Activities included in the circuit also aim to develop the child’s balance, co-ordination and spatial awareness.