fidgets for a kid with sensory issues?

[prairiewindmomma]

I volunteer with our children's program at church. (We are all volunteers.) Since I have some experience from my own not-NT kids, I've been assigned to work with a 4yo who needs a one-on-one aide. His mom and I are friends, and we've worked out a number of details, but I know I need some small, inexpensive fidgets that I can keep in a bag to pull out as needed to help him participate in class as much as possible. What do your kids like? He has the motor skills of an 18-24 month old, a very limited vocabulary, a 2-3 minute attention span, but no cognitive impairment.  I'm guessing I need 10 or so items that are the same that can be "constants" in the bag and 3-5 items that I change up regularly. Food and drink are not options....he only has 3-4 foods he eats, and I'll already have his special sippy of water.

[PeterPan]

Sunday School sucks when you're non-verbal.  You can't answer questions, can't sing, can't color.  I'd take him for a walk.  

 

Not what you wanted, sorry.  My kid started balking at Awana.  He just totally shut down, being in a scenario where he couldn't function.  That's why I'm saying sometimes the answer is to change the plan entirely.  Yes, if you took the dc for a walk and then read to him from a Bible storybook, that would be grand.  Have you thought of having an extra set of flannel graph pieces (if they use flannel graphs for the story) and let him do them on a board at his seat?  

 

When my ds was little he had the Betty Lukens flannel graph BOOKS.  They're a pain in the butt to assemble, because you have to cut, use hot glue, lose your mind, make pockets for pieces... But yeah, there are a number of them and you could rotate.  Felt figures have been good for my ds.  

 

If you don't have a flannel graph set, you could make your own figures.  Cut figures out and put felt/flannel on the back.  Take an old lap size whiteboard and hot glue or tack down a piece of black, blue, or green felt to make it pretty.  That way it can match whatever the teacher is teaching.  Take his worksheet for the lesson and cut it up and turn it into something more like a manipulative like that.  

 

My ds enjoyed listening to the Scripture Memory Fellowship bible verse books even though he couldn't say the verses.  They have a younger book with 10 verses, all with adorable pictures and stories, and an ABC-themed book.  You could start with the younger book and read it through with him each week when he comes.  That would be part of your walk routine if you realize staying in class is making him shut down, be unhappy, or otherwise just not working.  My ds could *listen* even when he couldn't speak.  

 

 

[Lecka]

There are busy bags for being in the sanctuary, and my son likes the little cars and random fast food toys.  

 

When I have sent stuff with him -- he goes through phases, but little figures, little cars, checkers, stretchy things, a tiny slinky, are all things he might like.  

 

In his Sunday School now, they let kids play with play-doh through the whole thing.  My son (he is 5 now) is pretty content to be able to sit at the table and play play-doh, and follow along and participate some, too.  It is also easier for him to be in a chair than to be on the floor, it is more structure for him.  

 

I think -- sometimes you have to just try things.  Since they are things he will only get once a week, they will stay more novel and special that way.  It might be hit and miss, though.  

 

I agree with OhE, if at a certain point you are just trying to get him to sit there, maybe he could go on a walk.  But -- if he is engaged but just needs some fidgets, then I think it can work very well.  

 

More things my son has liked -- little dinosaurs, Star Wars figures, Octonauts, Backyardigans, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Wonder Pets, and.... other cartoons and little animals.  

 

He does like things if there is a way to move them, like if there is an arm to move or anything like that.  Or if they can sit onto a little car.  Pretty simple things :)

 

He was having a lot of struggles with "attending" and needed lots of re-directing.  For him -- try to avoid a cycle where he acts bored and to placate him you give him a toy.  Try to either give him a toy before he has gotten bored, or see if he can ask nicely for a toy, or anything like that, just so you are not having him start to be acting in a way you don't like and that is when you pull the toy out.  That is how my son would be, he "learned" to act certain ways to get certain things he wanted.  I did not know any better at the time.  He was just trying to figure out what he could do to get what he wanted and did not know a better way. That is just him, though, a lot of kids are not going to be that way.  

[PeterPan]

Yes, my ds has a church bag for when he sits in the main service and in it he has a picture bible, several bible stories as books so there are nice pictures on every page, a snack, etc. Whoever is sitting with him will doodle with him.  

 

Here are the felt books I mentioned.  We put them in his church bag.  They're very nice.  http://www.bettylukens.com/collections/felt-activity-kits

 

Also, these seem nice and they're inexpensive.  http://www.bettylukens.com/collections/kid-s-bible-felts

[LibraryLover]

ETA: While my suggestions might engage him, they don't help him participate. I misunderstood. I thought you were needing to work directly with him. Sorry about that.

 

 

In my volunteer position, I worked with a little guy with similar needs. I don't know if the child you are working with would eat play dough, but I was able to get 15 minutes regularly with it.  Not having him roll it out etc., but with me rolling the dough into little balls and letting him put them in muffin tins. He also liked stacking them. I would say things like, "Put the ball in the tin. Here's another ball, put it in the tin. More balls. More balls for the tin. More balls. Stack the balls. Squish the balls."  I took my time with that as he was not in any rush and seemed engaged.  He enjoyed watching the transformation, and enjoyed and understood the requests.  He also liked saying the word 'more' & 'go'.  You also might engage him with little cars and a little block ramp. "Go cars. Go down the ramp. More cars.Go go go. " etc.

[PeterPan]

Coming in here fresh this morning.  Have you thought about small Bible-themed (or not) puzzles?  You know, the flat kind you get at the dollar store that have maybe 12-24 pieces... I have a bunch of those I picked up one year.  They're quiet and on theme.  Or take a coloring sheet to go with the story, color, mount on tagboard, cut, and turn into a puzzle.  Or, if his fine motor skills are that delayed, some Melissa and Doug peg or chunky puzzles.  Or Lauri crepe foam puzzles.

 

We used peg stackers for years, and if his vocab includes words like me, up, etc., he might enjoy them. (That's how we used them.) As long as he doesn't throw them they'd be quiet.   :)

 

Playmobil people have lots of arms and legs and things to move.  

Does he like finger paint?  

 

If they do memory work or singing, he might like a kinesthetic element like tossing a beanbag, clapping, or dancing.

 

Just more ideas.   :)

[prairiewindmomma]

Keep them coming! :) I do have Betty Lukens felts here at home. He doesn't have the fine motor to do a puzzle and isn't willing to finger paint. He will use scented playdoh.  We are planning on taking walks a few times and doing some wall pushups, etc.  There are times when he wants to attend, though, and just needs to move his body. He doesn't have enough postural support to sit in a chair for long, so I think we will probably have a picnic blanket in the back of the room during singing time where he can sit with me. He is in a class with 10 other 4 yo right now, and sometimes that works for him, and sometimes it doesn't.