Sensory Diet: What It Is, Activities and a Sample Daily Plan
What a sensory diet is, how occupational therapists build one, calming and alerting activities, a sample day for school-age children, and tips that work.
What is a sensory diet?
A sensory diet is a planned and scheduled activity program designed to meet a child’s specific sensory needs. Some sensory activities are like eating a “main course”: they are very powerful and satisfying. Hence the name “sensory diet”, coined by Wilbarger and Wilbarger (1991). They developed the approach to provide the “just right” combination of sensory input to reach and keep the nervous system at its best level of arousal and performance.
A sensory diet is based on sensory integration therapy. The right sensory diet can improve a child’s ability to orient to and respond to sensations. It also helps reduce protective or sensory-defensive responses that can harm social contact and interaction.
Think of it like food. A child needs regular meals to keep their energy steady through the day. In the same way, a child’s nervous system needs regular sensory input to stay steady and regulated.
Main courses and sensory snacks
Sensory diet activities that provide movement, deep-touch pressure and heavy work are the powerhouses of any sensory diet. They have the most significant and longest-lasting effect on the nervous system (Wilbarger 1995; Hanschu 1997).
Other activities can help too, but their effect is smaller. These “sensory snacks”, or “mood makers”, are activities that last a shorter time and usually involve the mouth, sounds, sights or smells.
| Main courses | Sensory snacks | |
|---|---|---|
| Type of input | Movement (vestibular), deep pressure (tactile) and heavy work (proprioceptive) | Mouth, auditory, visual and smell experiences |
| Effect | Strong and longer-lasting | Lighter and shorter |
| Examples | Trampoline, swinging, animal walks, carrying heavy books, wall push-ups, pillow sandwich | Chewy or crunchy snacks, drinking through a straw, calming music, a lava lamp, a favourite scent |
| When to use | Built into the day's routine at set times | Between main courses, or whenever the child needs a quick reset |
Why a sensory diet helps
- Focus and attention. Engaging children in sensory experiences on a regular schedule helps them focus, attend and interact.
- Preventing overload. The main aim of the sensory diet is to prevent sensory and emotional overload by meeting the nervous system’s sensory needs before a crisis.
- Calming in the moment. When a child becomes overwhelmed and out of control, calming sensory techniques are very helpful.
- Fewer challenging behaviours. A well-planned and well-implemented sensory diet can help prevent many challenging behaviours, including some self-stimulatory and self-injurious behaviours.
Calming or alerting? Choosing the right input
Every child has unique sensory needs, and their sensory diet must be customised to their individual needs and responses. As a general guide, the speed, rhythm and intensity of the input change its effect.
| Sense | Usually calming | Usually alerting |
|---|---|---|
| Movement (vestibular) | Slow, rhythmic, linear rocking or swinging | Fast swinging, bouncing, jumping, spinning (only if tolerated) |
| Heavy work (proprioceptive) | Pushing, pulling, carrying, firm hugs, being rolled in a blanket | Jumping, running, climbing (heavy work can do both) |
| Touch (tactile) | Deep pressure, massage, a weighted lap pad as advised by an OT | Light touch, cold water, textured bins |
| Mouth (oral) | Sucking through a straw, chewy foods, warm drinks | Crunchy, sour or cold foods |
| Sound (auditory) | Soft, steady music; quiet; ear defenders in noisy places | Upbeat music with a strong beat |
| Sight (visual) | Dim light, uncluttered space, slow-moving visuals | Bright light, colourful and busy visuals |
Sample sensory diet for a school-age child
This is an example only. Your child’s OT will choose the activities and timing based on their sensory profile.
- 7:00 am
- Wake up: 2 minutes on a mini-trampoline
- Wash face with a cool cloth
- 7:30 am
- Breakfast with crunchy cereal; smoothie through a straw
- 8:00 am
- Walk to school carrying their own backpack (heavy work)
- 10:30 am
- Classroom movement break: wall push-ups or delivering books to the office
- Squeeze a fidget during listening time
- 12:30 pm
- Playground: climbing frame, monkey bars, swings
- 3:30 pm
- After school: carry the shopping, push the laundry basket, animal walks
- 5:00 pm
- Before homework: 5 minutes of heavy work, then a chewy snack
- 7:30 pm
- Bedtime routine: warm bath, deep-pressure massage, slow rocking, dim lights
How an occupational therapist builds a sensory diet
Sensory diet implementation needs the commitment of a team: parents, grandparents, teachers and the therapist. Depending on the child’s needs, a sensory diet may include very specific activities carried out at prescribed times.
-
Assess
The OT completes a sensory profile and marks the problem areas.
-
Choose activities
Main courses and snacks matched to what the child seeks or avoids.
-
Schedule
Activities are placed before known difficult times: mornings, transitions, homework, bedtime.
-
Teach the team
Parents, grandparents and teachers learn each activity and the signs to watch for.
-
Review and adjust
The plan changes as the child's needs change.
The active participation of the child is key to a sensory diet working. Whenever possible, let your child choose between two activities and help design their own sensory “menu”.
Sensory diet activities by type
We try to provide easy, low-cost ideas that are practical for parents, teachers and daycare providers. Sensory diet activities work best in environments that offer structure and routine.
1. Touch, movement and heavy work
- Tactile activities: general touch play, learning to feel with the fingers, and recipes for tactile play.
- Vestibular activities: swinging, rocking, bouncing and sliding.
- Proprioceptive activities: pushing, pulling, carrying and climbing.
2. Oral motor activities
| Goal | Activity ideas |
|---|---|
| Learning to drink from a straw | Thick smoothies or yoghurt through a straw; crazy straws; sports bottles |
| Learning to blow | Blowing bubbles, whistles, pinwheels; cotton-ball races with a straw; blowing out candles |
| Learning to chew | Age-appropriate crunchy and chewy foods such as apple slices, crackers or dried fruit, with supervision; chew tools recommended by your OT |
| Keeping the mouth busy | A water bottle with a bite valve; chewy snacks during focused work |
| Keeping the chin dry | Lip-closure games such as holding a straw between the lips; blowing activities; face and mouth awareness games |
3. Fine motor activities
Squeezing therapy putty or home-made play dough, pulling apart snap beads, and threading pasta are fine motor activities that give useful proprioceptive input to the hands. See our fine motor skills guide for more.
4. Gross motor activities
Swimming, backyard games and park activities give the big movement and heavy-work input many children need. See our list of gross motor activities.
Related guides: Sensory seeking behavior, Sensory toys, Sensory overload, Heavy work activities, Sensory diet for ADHD, Proprioceptive activities before bed.
References
- Wilbarger P, Wilbarger JL. Sensory Defensiveness in Children Aged 2–12: An Intervention Guide for Parents and Other Caretakers. Avanti Educational Programs; 1991.
- Wilbarger P. The sensory diet: activity programs based on sensory processing theory. Sensory Integration Special Interest Section Quarterly. 1995;18(2):1–4.
- Hanschu B. Ready Approach: A Sensory-Based Program. 1997.
- Kranowitz CS. The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun. Revised ed. Penguin; 2003.
Frequently asked questions
What is a sensory diet?
What are examples of sensory diet activities?
How often should a child do sensory diet activities?
Does a sensory diet work?
Can I make a sensory diet without an occupational therapist?
Written by
Deepam Pawar, OT
Deepam Pawar is an occupational therapist and co-founder of Occupational Therapy OT. He focuses on clinical frameworks, assessment, and evidence-based practice.
All articles by Deepam →This article is for general education and is not a substitute for individualized assessment or treatment by a licensed occupational therapist. Always seek the guidance of a qualified professional for specific concerns.
