10 Holiday Gifts for Sensory Seekers and Avoiders
We are well into the holiday season and this can be a stressful time for many kids and adults with sensory processing difficulties. With all of the extra sounds, lights, colors, crowds, smells, and changes in temperature and routine, this can be an overwhelming season for children and adults alike! If you have a sensory seeker or avoider in your life here are some gift ideas to help them cope!
** Please note that any links below are NOT affiliate links and are purely provided as examples for your reference, most of the items are available from various place.
Chew Tools/ Chewelry
For oral sensory seekers
One of the top complaints I hear from parents and families is that their child chews on everything or puts things in their mouth. This is often a behavior that is related to sensory under-responding (meaning that they need MORE input to notice things that most people notice with general input). Because they need more input to notice what their mouth, tongue, or jaw feels like, you can give them a wonderful gift that is not only stylish, but functional in the form of a chew necklace or bracelet. There are many different brands to choose from if you do a quick Amazon or Google search, but I prefer the stronger chew toys (such as any of the MANY options here). Most are made of medical grade silicone (and many are dishwasher safe) and they usually come with some type of string (make sure you choose one with a break away clasp) or a key chain of some kind to help your child keep it handy for those urgent chewing needs. You could also attach it to a pacifier clip to make sure that your child always has it available when they get the urge to chew.
If your child prefers to chew on clothing or fabric, they also make chew necklaces out of soft materials (usually something like terry cloth). Here is one example and there is also a wrist band option. This is also great as a home-made option. If your child tends to chew holes in their shirt, don’t throw them away! Cut the shirt into strips of fabric and then braid the strips together for a bracelet or necklace to chew on. You can add velcro to both end in order to make it a break away necklace for safety. The down side to the fabric options is that they will get wet and you will need to throw them in the laundry to make sure that they are clean for use.
Other chew tool options include: vibration (such as Jigglers from Talk Tools), a set of silly straws (to suck thick liquids through or blow cotton balls/ pom poms), whistle sets (such as this one from TheraPro), or Popsicle molds (like this one) to offer frozen juice or water Popsicles which give more intense input for those seeking more sensory input.
** A safety note for any chew tool: ALWAYS use with adult supervision and monitor for signs of wear, if your child chews through it enough that pieces are breaking off, DISCARD the tool and buy a new one to avoid the risk of choking or swallowing the broken piece.
2. Noise Cancelling Headphones
For the child in your life who may be overly sensitive to loud (or even not so loud) noises, noise cancelling headphones are a must.
These ear muff style headphones have insulation that helps to dull the sounds in the environment, which often helps your child to cope with those loud and irritating noises we can’t generally control. Another added benefit can be that they usually provide some level of compression to the sides of the head, which many kids enjoy. Some kids who have noise sensitivity can’t tolerate that same compression that others find soothing. For these kids, ear plugs or a noise cancelling headband (like this one) may be a better option. If you have an older child, teenager, or are buying for a young adult, another option could be noise cancelling ear buds so that they can listen to their favorite music rather than the surrounding noises. While not every child will respond in the same way to all of these methods, it’s often worth a try to see if it can help to reduce the stress and frustration that many children experience in noisy settings.
3. Crash Pad
For proprioceptive seekers
Do you know a child (or adult for that matter) who can be a bit of a dare devil and is always bouncing and crashing? Then this person may benefit from a crash pad. Crash pads are usually very large, squishy, soft floor pads (although there are MANY different variations) that are a safe place to crash, drop, and roll without risk of injury. These pads offer great proprioceptive input and help offer some resistance as well, which helps to burn off extra energy in a safe way. While most industrial crash pads (these are the ones marketed as crash pads) can be quite expensive, there are other options to offer the same regulating sensory input. Something as simple as a large bean bag chair will also do the trick. For a home made option fill a duvet cover (one with a zipper closure) with several extra fluffy pillows, stuffing, or memory foam (make sure that it’s soft enough to land on without injury before giving to your child). Crash pads are great to add as part of a sensory obstacle course or to use on their own, just make sure to follow any directions from the manufacturer (ensure that only one child uses at a time, put the crash pad in a safe place away from other furniture that may cause injury, and ALWAYS make sure that your child has adult supervision while using, also make sure they only crash from the ground and NOT by jumping off of anything).
4. Compression Vest/ Compression Clothing
For kids who can’t get enough squeezes
For those kids and adults who LOVE being squeezed or giving/ getting big bear hugs, compression vests and compression clothing are the way to go. These garments (usually made out of lycra, neoprene, or other stretchy material) are meant to be worn to help provide consistent compression (or squeezing) to the torso and tops of the shoulders in order to keep the sensory system regulated. I tend to recommend a compression vest to my clients (rather than a compression undershirt) because you can take it off easily to avoid the child becoming too used to the input, which would make it less effective after a while. The general rule is to wear the compression vest for 20-30 minutes each hour as needed during activities or times of day when your child needs help regulating themselves. Vests are also great because kids usually get hot while wearing them, so they can take the vest off before playing outside (especially in the summer time) or when they start to get too warm. While there are numerous brands available, here is an example of what to look for. Other options for compression include compression headbands, compression sleeves, and even compression leggings. So no matter where your child prefers their squeezes, you can find a way to give them the compression that they crave!
5. Swing
For kids who love to move
Swings are typically one of the universal activities of childhood. Even us adults can enjoy the rhythmic back and forth motion provided by the swing sets at our local parks. Swinging is one of the BEST activities for both sensory seekers and kiddos who may be more sensitive to movement/ are generally more easily over stimulated. While the use for these two situations would be very different, a swing may be a great gift for your child this holiday season. You don’t need a big swing set, although if you have the finances and space swing sets are a great option for a bunch of different types of sensory input.
Depending on your child’s size and weight, there are more basic swing stands that have both two point and single point hanging options. For kids who seek out more movement a single point swing may be a great option to offer more movement (not just back and forth) and can even offer spinning as an option for kids who enjoy that sensation. The important thing to consider is to give your child this input in an organized way. DON’T allow your child to kick off of anything or to swing too erratically, YOU as the adult should ALWAYS be in control of the swinging at all times. Always discuss this with your child’s occupational therapist if you are unsure.
For those children who may be more sensitive to vestibular/movement input, swings can help to desensitize them to movement and a simple two point swing can offer more rhythmic back and forth input. Again, YOU as the adult should always be in control of the movement and be sure to start out with slow, small movements as your child builds up their tolerance.
There are a variety of different swings available. From the basic flat swing seat we’re all familiar with to compression swings and pod swings. I’ve also used a basic polyester hammock in either 2 point (for more relaxing back and forth input) or 1 point suspension (for compression and spinning) to offer my clients and students vestibular input. As long as you have a safe and sturdy frame or if you’re fortunate enough to have the space, they also offer ceiling mounts for indoor swings, your child can enjoy hours of regulating sensory input!
6. Slime/ Kinetic Sand/ Play Doh
For tactile kiddos
Play Doh has long been a childhood staple and for good reason! Not only do these materials allow children ways to express and explore their creativity while also working on hand strength and fine motor skills, they also offer valuable tactile sensory experiences that help to regulate the nervous system. Play Doh is the least messy option (although in the right, unsupervised hands, even Play Doh can create quite a mess) so if you have a child in your life who is sensitive to the feel of textures, Play Doh is probably your safest bet, not to mention there are hundreds of accessories available to make it more fun and work on fine motor skills as well!
Kinetic sand is another good option, but tends to be a bit messier. While the sand sticks together to make sand castles, sculptures, or anything else your imagination can dream up, the sand tends to stick more to the hands, which some kids may find distressing. This one is a better option for kids who don’t mind getting some sand on their skin OR if you are working on decreasing tactile sensitivity and your child is already ok with Play Doh or clay, then kinetic sand would be a good next step.
Slime is probably the messiest option on this list and depending on the type (there are DOZENS out there), slime will stick to hands, clothing, and fabric (think rugs, couches, etc) so it’s best to keep the slime contained to a specific area. If you don’t mind a little mess (that’s what childhood is about after all and how we create new neural pathways) then any of these options are great ways to help offer your child a way to use their hands and work on multiple skills all at the same time. They may even have so much fun that YOU won’t want to miss out!
7. Balloon Launcher
Fun for kids of all ages!
This balloon launcher pump has been one of the most popular sensory tools (I call them tools not toys) I’ve ever purchased. Even my little littles are able to enjoy this activity with the right support! This is a great option to offer your child deep pressure or heavy work to help with overall sensory regulation. There are a few varieties, but generally the kit comes with a hand pump, cars, and rocket ship with rocket launcher attachment. This activity does use balloons, so unfortunately it’s not for those with a latex allergy. The sensory aspect comes from the pump. The child has to push/pull the handle up and down to fill the balloon with enough air to launch either the car or the rocket ship. This offers deep pressure input to the arms, elbows, shoulders, and sometimes the torso if your child engages their abdominal muscles. Children also get some visual input by watching the balloon fill up and the cars roll across the floor or the rocket ship lift off! The colors and sounds from the balloons also offer valuable sensory input. To make this activity even more sensory based, you can have your child retrieve the car or rocket by doing some animal walks to and from the landing location! I’ve only seen this activity available on Amazon, but you can always check your favorite retailer to see if they carry something similar.
8. Tent/ Tunnel
For kids who like “small and cozy” spaces
This gift is great because it can be for kids who are overly sensitive to sensory input or for those who seek it out. The tent will be a better option for kids who may get easily overwhelmed by sensory input from their environment. Tents offer a smaller (i.e. more controlled and less threatening) space for kids to take a break, read a book, listen to music, play with a fidget, or do whatever they need to do in order to regulate themselves before they go into full on meltdown mode. While there are plenty of fancy pop up tents and wooden supported options, your child doesn’t always need something expensive. Setting up a private space with a plain colored sheet to cover and block some of the light with some pillows on the floor is a great option! You could even use a big cardboard box from other holiday gifts, just cut out a door and bam! Instant cozy space!
For kids who may be more active or seek out more movement, a pop up tunnel can help give proprioceptive input (from crawling) or I’ve also had numerous kiddos who LOVE to sit inside of the tunnel and press their body against the sides of the tunnel, rocking back and forth for vestibular and proprioceptive input. Pop up tunnels are also great because they are generally easy to store. I have one in my car that I use during my in-home sessions and it fits nearly behind my front seat without any issues.
9. Body Sock
For kids who need extra resistance
Most people outside of the occupational therapy realm have never head of a body sock. This is an awesome sensory tool to have on hand, especially if your child likes to be squished or seeks out burrowing under things. The principle behind the body sock is similar to the compression vest, but this tool provides input to many body parts at once. The idea is that your child climbs inside (there are two kinds: one has a hole at the top and one a hole in the middle) and presses outward against the resistance of the stretchy material. This resistance provides regulating deep pressure input to the arms, legs, torso, and if your child is willing to pull their head inside, it can also provide compression to their head. Some kids are resistant to trying the body sock (it can be kind of weird going inside this giant stretchy bag at first), but once inside, most of the kids I’ve worked with respond well and LOVE the deep pressure they get! If they bring their head inside, it also blocks out some of the light (they can usually still see a little it from the inside) which provides calming input. Another option is to fill the body sock with ball pit balls. This is one of my favorite activities to do with the kids I work with and I have even had a few fall asleep, nestled inside the balls with the dim lighting and gentle compression. So if you have a child who loves hiding inside things, a body sock may just be the gift they need!
*ONLY use a body sock with adequate adult supervision to ensure safety
10. Fidgety Things
Great for anyone
If you have a child in your life, you’ve probably heard of “fidgets.” While we often think of fidget items as children’s toys, fidgets are also great for adults! I’ve often used a fidget in my hands (under the table) to help with anxiety during meetings. You may think that a fidget needs to be a specific therapy tool, but honestly almost anything can become a fidget item (that can be both a good and bad thing).
As a therapist, I try to keep the fidgets that I offer to kiddos as something that offers some type of tactile input and isn’t inherently visually or auditorily distracting (although during a sensory break at home, visual and auditory input can be great in fidgets). The whole point of a fidget item is to give busy or nervous hands something to do, not to take your attention away from something else. Fidgets can be great tools to use at school or during homework if your child has difficulty concentrating while sitting still. I’ve had several students in the past who were able to successfully utilize fidgets while also listening to their teacher. The fidget is giving them the movement that their body is telling them they need so that their ears can attend to the lesson.
For younger kiddos, fidgets offer a chance to explore something with their hands, and they often also look, listen, or sometimes even try to taste the object. There are hundreds (if not thousands) or different fidget items available on the market. A Google search for fidget items can be super overwhelming, so here are a few of my favorite fidget tools: stretchy noodles, spinners, stress balls, tangle fidgets, pop its, pop tubes (although these make noise so not ideal for classroom fidgets), and bubblers. If you need any other ideas, feel free to talk with your child’s occupational therapist!
While this is by no means an extensive list of sensory gifts, hopefully I’ve given you some ideas for the children in your life and helped to explain what to look for when you’re looking for tools to help support your child’s sensory processing skills. As we continue on this holiday season, make sure that your child takes frequent sensory breaks and make sure that YOU are also taking some time out from the chaos and over stimulation that this season brings! Have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
