06 May Making a holiday sensory snow globe craft with your Autistic child!
At our autism pre-school in Johannesburg, we love making sensory bottles – and our students love to play with them. So why not make one for your child this holiday?
It is such an easy craft to make at home. Sensory bottles or a sensory snow globe can be made using plastic bottles filled with water glitter and even small figurines. This activity engages both the child’s visual sense and their tactile sense.
Having a sensory bottle with you during outings can also be a great help when your child becomes overwhelmed by his or her environment because a good sensory activity can have a calming effect on your child. Playing with a snow globe or sensory bottle can help your child feel more relaxed and it will most certainly reduce the child’s feeling of anxiety.
Let’s look at a few more reason why to have a snow globe or sensory bottle with you over the festive season:
- A good sensory toy will help with self-regulation because when a child is participating in a sensory activity, they learn to manage their emotions and reactions independently.
- When an autistic child is feeling unsettled a good sensory toy such as a snow globe craft or sensory bottle can act as a regulation tool.
- A snow globe or sensory bottle can help distract your child’s focus away from overwhelming emotions or stimuli.
Whilst it’s important to choose sensory activities that align with your child’s preferences and sensitivities – it is also important to engage in sensory activities over the holidays because they support the brains ability to process and organize sensory information. For a young child with autism spectrum disorder this can enhance overall sensory processing and it can contribute to better emotional regulation in the long
