October is Sensory Processing Awareness Month, a time to recognize how our senses influence the way we experience the world. Dr. Ariel Mansholt, OTR/L, CPSI, is an inclusive play specialist at Landscape Structures and a practicing pediatric occupational therapist. Drawing on her clinical expertise, she shares eight sensory play activities that families can explore at their local playground.
How do playgrounds support sensory development?
Our sensory systems help us take in, organize and interpret information from our bodies and the world around us. They shape how we experience everyday sights, sounds, movements and sensations.
We often think about five senses: sight, sound, touch, taste and smell. But three additional senses play important roles in how we move, understand our bodies and recognize what we need.
Together, these eight sensory systems help us navigate our environments and participate in everyday activities.
For children with sensory processing differences, these experiences can look and feel different. Some children may be particularly sensitive to certain sensations, such as clothing seams or loud noises. Others may seek additional movement or deep pressure to help meet their sensory needs.
At Landscape Structures, we work with organizations like the STAR Institute for Sensory Processing to better understand these differences. We use that knowledge to help create sensory-friendly playgrounds that offer a variety of experiences and opportunities for play.
In recognition of Sensory Processing Awareness Month, I encourage you to visit your local playground and try these eight sensory play activities. Each one offers an opportunity to explore a different sensory system.
1. Slide into body awareness: Proprioceptive sense
The Rollerslide offers a fun way for children to experience proprioceptive input.
Proprioception is our body’s ability to sense its position, movement and force. It helps us understand where our body parts are without having to look at them.
As children slide down on their belly, bottom or back, the rollers provide sensory feedback to their muscles and joints. This input can help children explore body awareness and discover how they move through space.
Pushing and pulling activities also engage the proprioceptive system. Children can explore this sense while helping a friend move on a We-Go-Round® or pushing someone on a swing.
2. Swing into motion: Vestibular sense
Swinging is a great way to explore the vestibular system, which helps us understand movement, balance and our body’s position in space.
As children swing, change directions or adjust their speed, their vestibular system processes information about how their body is moving.
Different types of movement create different sensory experiences. Some children enjoy slow, gentle and rhythmic swinging, which may help them feel calm and organized. Others prefer more active movement.
Encourage children to explore movement at a pace that feels comfortable for them. Pay attention to their responses and let them guide the experience.
3. Get messy with sand: Tactile sense
A sand pit or sensory table offers endless opportunities to explore the tactile system, or our sense of touch.
Our tactile system gathers information about textures, temperatures and physical contact through our skin.
Start by encouraging children to feel dry sand with their hands or feet. Ask them to describe what they notice. Does it feel soft, rough, grainy or smooth?
Next, add a little water with a spray bottle. Children can squeeze the damp sand, dig with their fingers or build shapes and structures.
As the sand becomes wetter, its texture changes. These differences create opportunities for children to explore and compare tactile sensations.
Remember that not every child enjoys messy play. Offer tools such as scoops or shovels so children can participate in ways that feel comfortable.
4. Take a break in the Cozy Dome®: Interoceptive sense
Some children seek additional sensory input, while others benefit from environments with fewer distractions.
The Cozy Dome® offers a place where children can crawl inside and take a break from some of the visual and auditory activity around them.
It’s also a great opportunity to explore interoception.
Interoception helps us recognize signals from inside our bodies. These signals tell us when we’re hungry, thirsty, tired, hot, cold or need to use the restroom.
Encourage children to pause and notice how their bodies feel. Are they breathing quickly? Do they need water? Are they ready to play again, or would they like another minute to rest?
One of my favorite ways to introduce slow, controlled breathing is by blowing bubbles. Children can practice taking a comfortable breath and slowly blowing out to create a bubble.
This simple activity can encourage body awareness while making the experience playful.
5. Make some music: Auditory sense
Find a playground with outdoor musical instruments, like those in our Rhapsody® Outdoor Musical Instruments collection.
Xylophones, drums and chimes offer opportunities to explore the auditory system, which helps us recognize and interpret sounds.
Children can use mallets or their hands to create rhythms, experiment with different sounds and discover musical patterns.
Encourage them to compare high and low notes. What happens when they tap an instrument gently? How does the sound change when they play more loudly?
Children can also practice listening to the sounds around them, from birds chirping to leaves rustling in the wind.
For children who are sensitive to sound, encourage quieter exploration and allow them to choose their distance from musical activities.
6. Pack a playground picnic: Gustatory sense
The gustatory system is responsible for our sense of taste. It helps us recognize sweet, sour, salty, bitter and savory flavors.
A playground picnic offers a fun opportunity to explore this sense while taking a break from active play.
Pack familiar snacks with a variety of flavors and textures. Encourage children to describe what they taste and notice how different foods feel in their mouths.
Is the apple sweet or tart? Is the cracker crunchy or soft?
A picnic also creates opportunities for conversation, connection and social interaction.
Remember to respect individual food preferences, allergies and dietary needs. Children can participate by talking about, looking at or smelling foods without feeling pressured to taste something new.
7. Stop and smell the flowers: Olfactory sense
The olfactory system gives us our sense of smell.
Take a walk around your local playground or park and explore the trees, flowers and plants growing nearby.
Encourage children to notice different scents. Does a flower smell sweet or fresh? Do fallen leaves have an earthy smell?
Depending on your local environment and the season, you may discover something different each time you visit.
You can also explore the scents of familiar items from home, such as an orange peel or fresh herbs.
These activities encourage children to pay attention to the world around them while exploring their sense of smell.
8. Go on a color hunt: Visual sense
Our visual system helps us recognize colors, shapes, movement and other information in our surroundings.
Playgrounds offer plenty of opportunities to explore this sense through colorful equipment, interesting patterns and changing perspectives.
Try a color scavenger hunt. Ask children to find something red, blue or yellow. Then challenge them to find different shapes, repeating patterns or objects that move.
Encourage children to look up, down and around the playground. What do they notice from the top of a climber compared with the ground?
You can also explore light and shadows. Watch how shadows change as you move or how sunlight filters through playground panels.
These simple activities encourage visual exploration, observation and curiosity.
Why are sensory experiences important in inclusive playground design?
Our sensory systems influence how we interact with the world around us. They also contribute to body awareness, movement, emotional regulation and participation in everyday activities.
Sensory experiences can support opportunities for learning, problem-solving, social interaction and play.
But every child processes sensory information differently. An activity that feels calming to one child may feel overwhelming to another.
That’s why variety matters in inclusive playground design.
When we create playgrounds with opportunities for movement, touch, sound, visual exploration and quiet breaks, we give children more ways to engage with their surroundings.
We also create opportunities for children to discover which experiences feel best for their bodies.
Try an eight-senses playground scavenger hunt
Looking for another fun way to explore the senses? Turn your next playground visit into a sensory scavenger hunt!
See if you can find something that engages each of the eight sensory systems:
- Tactile: Can you find something rough or smooth?
- Gustatory: Can you find your favorite playground snack?
- Vestibular: Can you find something you can spin or swing on?
- Proprioceptive: Can you find something you can climb, push or pull?
- Visual: Can you find something colorful?
- Auditory: Can you find something that makes a loud or quiet sound?
- Olfactory: Can you find something with an interesting smell?
- Interoception: Can you tell if your body feels hot, cold, thirsty or tired?
As children discover each item, talk about which sensory system they’re using and how the experience makes them feel.
There’s no right or wrong way to explore. Encourage children to participate at their own pace and choose the experiences they enjoy.
Celebrate Sensory Processing Awareness Month through play
Sensory Processing Awareness Month reminds us that everyone experiences the world differently.
By recognizing those differences, we can create more welcoming play environments that offer meaningful experiences for children of all abilities.
Whether children are swinging, climbing, making music or simply taking a quiet break, playgrounds offer opportunities to explore their senses and discover what works best for them.
This October, I encourage you to visit a local playground, try a few new sensory play activities and celebrate the many ways we experience the world through play.
