Sensory Meditation Basket

Parenting a sensory kid is one of the hardest things I have every done. At the time, I had never even heard of Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). My daughter pretty much came out of the womb not wanting her hands to be touched. She did not like to be hugged or kissed, and she cried a lot. Around three years old, a friend of mine posted about her daughter having SPD and it clicked. I researched and read as much as I could. I had answers.

I’m a big advocate of positive parenting, although at times it was difficult to parent my child this way because I didn’t know how to handle her. At one point I read about creating a spot for upset children to cool off.

So, I created a comfortable spot in the house just for her. I realized she could use something to focus her attention on while sitting in this space, so I created what we called, the “Meditation Basket”. The basket contained items that were sensory related, but also fun and would hold my daughter’s attention. I also kept a journal in there with a fun pen or pencil for her to draw out her emotions.

I kept the basket up high so that it was a novelty when she got to play with it. When my daughter was struggling, I’d ask her if she’d like her meditation basket. It worked almost every time. I’d guide her to the predetermined space I created for her, ask her if she’d like something to drink or a snack, and give her the basket.

Some people may say that this was rewarding bad behavior. I completely disagree. My daughter was not in control of her emotions. Things bothered her that don’t bother other children. In these moments of rage and frustration that she would have, giving her a safe space and kindness felt right. Of course I corrected behavior such as hitting and throwing things, but this method allowed my daughter to settle, feel loved and allowed me to feel like I was able to help her. I hope these items can help you. Of course, feel free to ask me any questions. Below, I’ve listed our favorite items. Of course you can build your basket to suit your little one. Hopefully the list will save you some time in your search for items. If your collection of items grows too large, switch some of the toys out to keep the basket exciting and fresh.

Let me know what you think and if you have any items that you think are amazing additions, please leave them in the comments!

Bead Stress Ball  This is our favorite stress ball. It is super gratifying to squeeze and also helps with hand strengthening for fine motor skills.

Bendable Magnetic Men These are amazing.

Hand Powered Flashlight We have one like this, but it is shaped like an animal. I love this kind of flashlight because it has the squeeze powered crank. This is a great and fun way to increase fine motor skills.

Small Notebook Give them something to put their emotions down in.

Eye Popping Pen Give them a fun pen or pencil to write with!

Kid O Free Play Magnatab This thing is well worth the money. It has provided hours of focus time for my kids.

Star Magic Cube

Liquid Motion Spiral Timer I made one of these out of glitter, water and glue in a peanut butter jar, but this one looks really nice too!

Dalmatian Dog Messager Love this massager. It’s great for sensory stimulation, and is super fun.

Magnetic Tiles

Silly Putty Again, great for fine more skills.

Fidget Cube