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30+ Sensory Diet Activities for Every Sense!

Updated: Nov 29, 2022

Once you understand a child's sensory profile (use this guide to get a free PDF checklist), you can start to create a sensory diet. These are a carefully selected set of sensory activities that meet an individual's needs, i.e. their seeking and avoiding behaviours. Sensory diets allow children to engage in things that they like whilst also helping them gradually approach their sensory challenges whilst also giving you tips on things to avoid. Here are some activities for both seeking and avoiding profiles for each sense.

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Auditory

Sound is probably one of most common sensitivities, especially in children with autism.

Auditory Seeking

  • Offer toys that produce lots of sounds - shakers, drums, echo microphones, musical toys

  • Use songs to teach concepts - ABC's, numbers, colours etc

  • Play music in the background whilst working

  • Read books aloud

Auditory Avoiding

  • Keep a quiet environment - consider group sizes, seating plans etc to minimise auditory input which may be stressful.

  • Give advanced warnings about loud environments where possible

  • Consider using ear defenders or noise cancelling headphones

  • Put a warning sticker or sticky note over automatic hand driers or toilet flushers in bathrooms to avoid sudden noise


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Visual

Sound is probably one of most common sensitivities, especially in children with autism.

Visual Seeking

  • Offer lots of opportunities for visual stimulation

  • Use toys or items with lots of changing colours, e.g. LED lights

  • Introduce optical illusions

  • Use visually stimulating toys like kaleidoscopes, fidget spinners, sensory toys and view finders

  • Play I-Spy games

  • Do lots of arts and crafts, e.g. painting, connect the dots, colouring, glitter painting

Visual Avoiding

  • Keep clutter and mess to a minimum

  • Keep an environment visually calm - avoid busy displays, bright or mixed colours, lots of photos etc.

  • Give breaks from visual stimuli when needed

  • Use guided reading strips


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Touch/Tactile

Touch is a difficult sense to understand; that’s because six different types of sensory receptors sense different types of touch. So, you may have mixed responses because your child may be a seeker of some forms of tactile input and an avoider of others. Try different sensory strategies to find what works best.

Tactile Seeking


Tactile Avoiding

  • Modify art activities, so there’s less tactile input. For example, provide a rolling pin and tools with play-doh instead of using only their hands, or provide paintbrushes instead of finger painting activities.

  • Allow children to line up last so that they avoid the potential of bumping into others.

  • Remove tags from clothing

  • Chewing on ice before a meal may decrease sensitivity to food textures

  • List specific textures children don't like and avoid any clothing or materials like those.


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Smell and Taste

Smell and taste are grouped because they’re so closely related to each other. They’re both known as “chemical senses” because the sensory receptors receive messages from the molecular particles when they come in contact with them.



Smell/Taste Seeking

  • Use essential oils or diffusers in the home.

  • Use scented play-dough, markers or stickers

  • Paint with spices or herbs

  • Encourage them to get involved with cooking or baking a lot, both in school and at home

  • Offer toys for chewing

  • Offer foods with an intense flavour, for example sour foods or spicy foods.

  • Crunchy foods are great - raw carrots/celery/cucumber, crackers, pretzels

Smell/Taste Avoiding

  • Respect sensitivity to odours - avoid strong perfumes, room sprays, cleaning products

  • Use mildly scented or unscented cleaners, laundry detergents, hand soaps, etc.

  • Avoid mixing odors – for example, burning a vanilla-scented candle while also preparing a stir fry with Asian seasonings.

  • Provide snacks that are soft, or bland, depending on the child’s preferences

  • Use a sticker chart for trying new foods.

  • When cooking, use little to no seasoning or spice


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Proprioception

Smell and taste are grouped because they’re so closely related to each other. They’re both known as “chemical senses” because the sensory receptors receive messages from the molecular particles when they come in c



Proprioception Seeking

  • Heavy work games and activities like tug-o-war, pushing and pulling heavy items, gardening

  • Stretching activities like yoga, pilates, Simon Says

  • High movement activities like trampolining, gymnastics, swimming etc. Seekers need lots of time to be active including moderate to intense physical activity.

  • Deep pressure like using weighted blankets, massage and large hugs


Proprioception Avoiding

  • Both over- and under-responsive children benefit from additional proprioceptive input but respect your child’s preferences. If they ask you to stop an activity, do so right away.

  • Focus on calming activities rather than active ones - gentle rocking movements, spinning, walking on sensory mats

  • Deep pressure massage

  • Allow extra time for learning new movements, teach in a 1:1 environment where they can feel safe.


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