This was one of those projects I had in mind for ages and ages. When I finally put it into action, I wished we had done it way sooner! The idea behind a sensory path is to provide a variety of sensory input for kiddos which can help to calm and regulate them. It’s also Just. Really. Fun!

I involved the bigger kids (PreK, K, and 1st grade age) in the planning of this. They helped brainstorm ways to move, how to represent those movements on our path, and helped draw a little “map” to follow as we created our big path. After we planned it, we had a blast creating it! Everyone got a turn to add their handprints or footprints to the path. It directs the child to jump forward, backwards, sideways, in circles, to do “donkey kicks” on their hands”, to walk in a “grapevine” pattern crossing one foot over the other…all kinds of different movements! This is a great way to work on spatial awareness and simple awareness of body parts.

At the end of the movement portion of the path, we created some squares of sensory materials on which to walk in their bare feet. We had marbles, pompoms, a large ziploc bag of hair gel (duct taped shut to within an inch of its life), popsicle sticks…the sky’s the limit on what you can make for them to walk on!

Bare feet are an under-utilized source of sensory input. All the kids here (mine and everyone else’s who seem to live here) love exploring the world with the soles of their feet!

This sensory path was a super fun way to do that, and the best part? I had my very patient husband store it up on the attic so we can use it again…and again…and again!

I know, I know, it breaks my rule on letting the kids help create the activity, and I may do a “from-scratch” one again some time, but this allows me to plan it as a short activitiy in a day that does not have a long stretch of time to create.