Visual: Activities age 4 – 10

Specific Activities:

The following strategies are suitable for most students, particularly those with sensory difficulties. Each strategy can be adapted to complement the students’ curriculum and individualised education plan. Remember, these are just a few examples of sensory strategies that can be incorporated into various classroom lessons and activities.

Shape/ Letter/ Number activities

  • Encourage the student to make shapes/ letters/ numbers using different materials e.g. finger paint, clay, sand, shaving foam
  • Have the student trace shapes / letters / numbers using tracing paper or another medium e.g. a board and a torch
  • Make shape / letter/ number rubbings

Matching Activities:

  • Colours/ Shapes / letters/ numbers could be drawn on a card and cut in half. Encourage student to find and match the pieces of card to make the shape / letter / number
  • ‘Simon Says’
  • Finding items of the same colour or words starting with same letter and grouping together
  • Matching the picture with the word

Follow the leader activities

  • Have students follow mazes on paper or dot to dot on paper
  • Have the student with visual sensory difficulties follow a peer around an obstacle course
  • Divide an activity into sequential steps and have students follow steps to complete activity example counting money:
  1. Take money out of purse
  2. Draw around each coin and identify what type of coin it is?
  3. Write down all the coins that came out of the purse
  4. Add up the value of all the coins and write down your answer
  5. Put the coins into the purse

Cutting activities

  • Cut around shapes, lines etc.

Tracking activities

  • Move an object around a course or shape and get the student to track the movement with their eyes some computer activities are good for this
  • Dropping objects from different heights (this could be included in a lesson about gravity for example)
  • Racing toy cars (this could be individualised by sticking an image of a favourite character / object on the toy car)
  • Throwing and catching, rolling and passing objects

Spotting activities

  • Spotting which item has been removed from a tray of items
  • Finding the letters / words in a clear basin or bottle of water with coloured glitter

Measuring Activities

  • Measuring water or coloured water into jugs then pouring into items

Measuring lengths and distances between objects, areas of the school etc.

Read next: Visual: Activities age 11 - 19 →