Five benefits of sensory circuits for children

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What are sensory circuits?

Primarily developed for children on the autistic spectrum, sensory circuits are designed to facilitate sensory processing and are a great way of stimulating children’s sensory-motor skills, ready for learning.

Through a series of short, snappy actions including motor and tactile play, problem-solving and relaxation, children are able to reach a level of alertness to promote concentration, making sensory circuits an ideal activity before the start of the school day, after a lunch break, or even at home.

Activities within sensory circuits are seperated into three categories:

Alerting – Aimed at providing vestibular stimulation (movement, balance, spatial awareness), preparing the brain for learning.

Organising – Aimed at stimulating multi-sensory processing to organise and prepare the body and brain, allowing children to focus, increase their attention span and enhance learning performance.

Calming – Aimed at feeding into the proprioceptive system, ensuring children end the sensory circuit in a calm state of mind, ready for the day ahead.

Sensory circuits should last for at least 15 minutes to be effective, but equally, time shouldn't be a barrier, so they don't need to eat too much into your day.

Simply select six exercises, ensuring there is at least one activity from each of the alerting, organising and calming categories. The amount of time spent in each section may be dependent upon the needs of the individual. For example, some children will require longer in the calming phase than others.

Try to prepare space and equipment for each activity before you begin, to make it a smooth process.

Why note take a look at this great short video tutorial from Little Miricles on how to complete a sensory circuit.

Five benefits of sensory circuits for children

With Covid-19 shutting schools and many youngsters having to be taught at home, it can be a very challenging time for parents, carers and children. A good way to give children a sense of routine back and ensure they are mentally and physically prepared to learn can be to start the day with a sensory circuit. Fortunately, you don’t need a lot of equipment and space to set up sensory circuits at home.

While the primary aim of a sensory circuit is to facilitate learning and prepare children for the day ahead, there can also be longer-term benefits too.

1. Enhancing attention

By stimulating different areas of the body and mind, children can enter the day in a calmer, more prepared state, enhancing attention spans and their ability to concentrate and learn effectively.

Alerting activities to incorporate include:

Running on the spot – Run quickly on the spot, with arms pumping, for 20 seconds.

Organising activities to incorporate include:

Balance beam – Walk in a straight line across a balance beam. At home, this can be a chalk line drawn on the floor or a piece of string or masking tape on the floor.

Scooter – Manoeuvre in and out of markers on a scooter. Household items can be used as markers if necessary. Perform the course three to four times depending on length.

2. Developing motor skills

By providing children with daily opportunities to practise both fine and complex motor skills, such as aiming at a target, jumping, or shape sorting, their ability to perform these and other tasks will develop.

Alerting activities to incorporate include:

Trampoline – Bounce on a trampoline/trampette for 20 seconds.

Organising activities to incorporate include:

Target practice – Throw bean bags at a target. Other items can be used instead of bean bags, such as a small ball, a cushion or even a packet of crisps! Just adjust the distance to the target depending on the weight of the object.

3. Reducing anxiety

For children who may find certain situations challenging - such as busy classrooms, noise or a lack of routine - the addition of sensory circuits to their daily program can add stability and help prepare their body and mind. This can be especially beneficial for children with sensory processing disorder.

Calming exercises to incorporate include:

Ball roll – While the child lays on their front on the floor, roll a gym/exercise ball gently up and down their back with consistent pressure and speed.

Head or hand massage – Gently and consistently massage the child’s head or hands and wrist joints.

4. Improving coordination

Through daily practice of skills such as balancing, catching, throwing, jumping and other fine and complex motor skills, children are likely to improve their coordination in a range of everyday activities.

Organising activities to incorporate include:

Egg and spoon – Walk up and down the garden or front room while balancing an egg on a spoon. You could hard-boil the egg in advance to save waste if it is dropped.

Calming activities to incorporate include:

Yoga – Search online for ‘yoga for children’ and select a short routine/flow.

5. Improving behaviour

Through sensory circuits, children who may otherwise spend time fidgeting or daydreaming are likely to be calmer and more attentive than usual.

Alerting activities to incorporate include:

Star jumps – Begin in a crouched position and explode up into a star jump 20 times.

Calming activities to incorporate include:

Push-ups – Perform 20 push-ups either on the floor or against a wall. Push-ups on the floor can be done on the knees if conventional push-ups are too challenging.

We’d love to hear about the sensory circuits you do with your children at home. If you have a good activity, please share it for everyone by leaving a comment below.

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References

NHS - Information about Sensory Motor Circuits for Schools and Parents

NHS - Sensory Motor Circuits - A Sensory Motor Skills Programme for Children, Information for Teachers

Brighter Futures for Children - At Home Sensory Circuits