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If one or more of your children have special educational needs, they may likely use a sensory room at their schools whenever they need some “time out” from their classroom activities.
A sensory room is the perfect place to help kids feel calm, and it also helps improve their visual, auditory and motor skills.
Wouldn’t it be great if you could have such an environment for them in your home as well? If you’ve got a spare bedroom at your home, why not convert it into a sensory room for your children?
The following explains how you can do that – even if you’ve only got a very limited budget to achieve such a transformation:
Make The Sensory Room Warm And Inviting
It goes without saying that your sensory room should feel warm and inviting. The last thing you want to do is make the room a negative place in your home for your kids to use!
Firstly, ensure that the room feels warm. If you’re converting your loft into a sensory room, fit some rockwool insulation to ensure heat doesn’t escape through the roof.
Secondly, have some long-pile carpet fitted that feels soft and warm for bare feet. Lastly, check that all lighting is sufficient in the room and that there are sockets available for installing additional electrical lighting.
Personalise It To Their Tastes And Needs
Your children’s sensory needs will differ from other kids, so you must tailor your home’s sensory room to their specific needs. For example, consider the toys and therapy items they use at school or elsewhere. Which ones do they enjoy using the most?
If they enjoy performing specific activities, make sure you’ve got the things they need to do so in their new sensory room. Remember that learning through play is essential for children with special educational needs.
Add Some Low-Cost, High-Quality Solutions
Some parents assume you have to spend a fortune creating a sensory room at home. The truth is, you can usually make your sensory room using a whole host of inexpensive items. There might even be some things you can use that you’ve already got at home!
For example, if you want to create a “calming corner” using some LED lighting, you can buy inexpensive LEDs online and configure them to the colours your children find soothing.
Create A Unique Sensory Wall
Does the room in your home that you want to convert have a large wall? If so, you should consider creating a sensory wall. In a nutshell, a sensory wall is where children can explore different textures, shapes, and colours.
You can easily create one using some inexpensive cork board, and you can pick up the materials you need from a waste material recycling centre like a scrapstore.
Include Some Therapeutic Scents
One final addition that all sensory rooms should have is some therapeutic scents.
There is no need to spend money on things like aroma machines when you can incorporate some simple aromatherapy such as essential oils dabbed onto cotton wool balls that your children can smell.
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