Setting Up Sensory Spaces in Tiny Places

RDLeslie

I often hear teachers speak about the challenges of small classrooms. Some parents also find their home area limited but they're still looking to create a sensory-friendly space or several micro-environments. Smaller spaces in classrooms, schools and homes can be more challenging to work with but they can still be set up to provide upregulating and downregulating options if they’re organized in a simple, streamlined and cohesive way. Kids do best in these space when they're explicitly taught how, when and why to use the available sensory tools. If our focus is on cultivating self-regulation, we want our children and students to learn more about themselves and what they personally need for calming down or revving up.
I created this space here a few years ago and although it's teeny tiny, I was able to include a stationary bike, some vertical sensory boards, a jumping ball, and building tools.

Stationary Bike

• I love including quiet stationary bikes and foot pedals into school spaces because they can support so many kids with a range of needs! In homes, stationary bikes can be added into a basement space, a playroom or even on the front porch.
• Pedalling can be incredibly upregulating, meaning that the movement can help increase attention/focus and can help diminish fidgeting.
• Biking strengthens balance, coordination, and sensory integration. Research studies also show that cycling can improve speech, behaviour and general social interactions.

Jumping Ball

These types of exercise balls are a 2-for-1 and work perfectly in most spaces: they can be upregulating or downregulating, depending on needs & how they’re used.

• Jumping on the ball provides vestibular input and can be alerting.
• Gentle, rhythmic bouncing or lying over the ball on one’s belly and rocking can be soothing. Add some soothing music while the child rocks for a deeply calming experience. 
• Kids can get tons of proprioceptive input to the lower body joints, spine and legs from seated bouncing on the ball. This can feel incredibly grounding & therefore becomes a regulating experience. (Keep in mind - as always - that one size does not fit all when we're talking about sensory needs and nervous system regulation. What works for some kids doesn't work at all or provides a different experience to others. Everyone's needs are unique and so are their reactions!)

Pictos

I use pictograms absolutely everywhere because they can be so universal!! What are pictos? They're clear pictures that help people visualize simple information. Paired with simple language or on their own, pictos can be used for labels, instructions, and to represent more complex information. When in doubt, as you're communicating with your own kids or students, speak less and say more! Visuals can convey a thousand words and can help to reduce frustration created by any language or processing barriers.

• Pictos - or these visual cues - promote inclusion. What’s good for one or some is often beneficial for many.
• Pictos can be helpful regardless of age, reading ability, development, or speech/language skills. They just take some of the extra auditory stimulus out of the equation & can simplify processing, allowing the child to focus all their energy on the important message or task at hand.

Sensory Boards

In smaller spaces, it can be helpful to use vertical space because there's not usually much square footage. Here, I handmade a vertical interactive sensory board that kids can use while standing or sitting on a ball. While coordinating shoulder and arm movements in that position, kids have the opportunity to improve their strength, flexibility and dexterity all at once. Hand-eye coordination and fine motor control are also targeted with these boards as kids play with locks, beads, xylophone hammers, and gears.
​
We definitely made the most of every square inch of this tiny space! No corner was left strategically unused!