• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • New? Start Here!
  • About GHOK
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and Policies
  • Blog
  • The Shop
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
Growing Hands-On Kids

Growing Hands-On Kids

Child Development Tips, Tools, and Strategies

You are here: Home / Hands-On Activities / Y is for Yard Work Sensory Play

Y is for Yard Work Sensory Play

April 28, 2015 By Heather Greutman Leave a Comment

Like what you read? Share it!

107shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Print
  • Email

Affiliate and Referral links are used below to promote products I love and recommend. I receive a commission on any purchases made through these links. Please see my disclosure policy for more details.

I am thrilled to have my dear blogging friend Colleen of Raising Lifelong Learners sharing with us as part of the A-Z's of Sensory Play for Kids series. She has a great post on using yard work as sensory play! 

 

Kids that need proprioceptive input will love helping out in the yard during all seasons, but spring time can give them lots of opportunities to lift, push, and pull, giving their muscles and joints the sensations they need.

And you’ll have a gorgeous yard to show for it!

Yard work sensory play ideas, perfect for proprioception input. www.GoldenReflectionsBlog.com

So what jobs can you hand off to the kids that will help you get your yard in shape, be age appropriate and fun for them, and will help them out if they need proprioceptive input? Check out these suggestions:

Pulling Old Plant Debris: Your flower beds and gardens are likely to be in tough shape after the fall and winter seasons have taken their toll. Have your kids get out there and clean up those beds. They can pull out the old plants, rake them into piles, then drag the trash bag to the curb.

Digging holes: Do you plan to plant some seedlings? Maybe some berry bushes? Send your sensory seekers out into that sunny patch of dirt and have them start digging. Make sure they’re digging in an area that’s not too hard, but has dirt they can actually move.

Yard work sensory play ideas, perfect for proprioception input. www.GoldenReflectionsBlog.com

 

Shoveling Mulch: Do you have landscaping that requires mulched every year? When the mulch is delivered, make sure to get your kids in on the action. A kid-size wheel barrow is great for this, and can give your kiddos the push-pull sensation his muscles and joints need. He may not actually make the job go faster, but you’ll have lots of great memories of shared yard adventures.

Planting a Garden of Their Own: Giving your kids a bit of dirt and some seeds can yield all sorts of sensory fun, play, and therapy. They’ll dig dirt, push seeds into the soil and cover it up, and then they’ll pull the weeds that inevitably pop up. Don’t worry about the production of their garden, but revel in their experiences with them.

Creating Their Own Play Spaces: With a bit of imagination, some planting, pushing and pulling of materials like bricks and old tires, and dirt, kids and adults can work together to create these and other great outdoor play spaces, guaranteed to get kids outside, active, and experiencing all they need to have a rich sensory diet.

Do you have other suggestions for getting kids outside to push, pull, and work hard while getting fresh air and helping to create a family space everyone can be proud of?


 

Colleen Kessler Author 300 x 300Colleen is a former teacher of gifted children who prayed for nice, average kids. Since God has a sense of humor, she now stays at home to homeschool her highly gifted kids, trying desperately to stay one step ahead of them while writing about their adventures {and messes} at Raising Lifelong Learners. You can find her avoiding housework by playing around on Pinterest and chatting on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus.

For more sensory play ideas, be sure to follow my Sensory Fun pinterest board and the A-Z's of Sensory Play for Kids series.

Follow Heather @ Golden Reflections Blog's board Sensory Fun on Pinterest.
A-Z's of Sensory Play Ideas for Kids Series. www.GoldenReflectionsBlog.com

Like what you read? Share it!

107shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Print
  • Email

Filed Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: For Parents, Gross Motor, Sensory

Reader Interactions

CONTENT DISCLAIMER: Heather Greutman is a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant.
All information on the Website is for informational purposes only and is not a replacement for medical advice from a physician or your pediatrician. Please consult with a medical professional if you suspect any medical or developmental issues with your child. The information on the Websites does not replace the relationship between therapist and client in a one-on-one treatment session with an individualized treatment plan based on their professional evaluation. The information provided on the Website is provided “as is” without any representations or warranties, express or implied.
Do not rely on the information on the Website as an alternative to advice from your medical professional or healthcare provider. You should never delay seeking medical advice, disregard medical advice, or discontinue medical treatment as a result of any information provided on the Website. All medical information on the Website is for informational purposes only.
All activities outlined on the Website are designed for completion with adult supervision. Please use your own judgment with your child and do not provide objects that could pose a choking hazard to young children. Never leave a child unattended during these activities. Please be aware of and follow all age recommendations on all products used in these activities. Growing Hands-On Kids is not liable for any injury when replicating any of the activities found on this blog.
YOUR RESPONSIBILITY The Website was developed strictly for informational purposes. You understand and agree that you are fully responsible for your use of the information provided on the Website. Growing Hands-On Kids makes no representations, warranties, or guarantees. You understand that results may vary from person to person. Growing Hands-On Kids assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions that may appear on the Website.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Fine Motor Skills checklists

Get This Free Fine Motor Checklist!

Sign-up for my weekly child development newsletter and receive this free fine motor checklist for ages 0-6.

Website Terms and Policies

Welcome to Growing Hands-On Kids! My name is Heather and I’m a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant with experience in school-based Occupational Therapy. I use my background to share child development tips, tools, and strategies through hands-on activities. You can read more about me by clicking here.

The 8 sensory systems printable packet.

Get This FREE 8 Sensory Systems Handout

Sign-up to receive my 9-day sensory processing email series and get this 8 sensory systems handout in English & Spanish!

Website Terms and Policies

Footer

Growing Hands-On Kids

Growing Hands-On Kids, LLC 2020. All content, photos/graphics, video, printables and ebooks written or created by Heather Greutman of https://growinghandsonkids.com are copyright of the owner. You may not alter or reuse text/content, photos/graphics, or videos in any way (print or digital use) without express written consent from Heather Greutman. For more details, please read our website terms of use and policy page.


PRIVACY POLICY

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

SAVE & ACCEPT