MENU

DONATE NOW
Uncategorized

Diy Sensory Toy Instructional

Hi, 

I am Leann Firestone. I am the director of Neurodiverse Network and the writer of the majority of the blog posts for this site! I am an autistic/adhd adult, an educator, and a parent to a neurodivergent daughter. Both of us love sensory friendly toys and we have a large collection of fidgets at our house. As you know, it takes a lot of testing to find the perfect one. If crafting isnt your thing and  you want to learn more about my other favorite fidget toys, view the other blog post I have done! 

Today, I am going to be sharing one of my favorite homemade sensory toys that  you can make with just a few basic items that you probably have at home, especially if you are a teacher or parent!

I am not sure if there is an official name for these but I like to call them squishy pads. They are very simple to make and can be customized to your specific needs or for a class lesson. View the instructional below to make these yourself and feel free to email me with any questions or comments ~ Leann@ndnet.org . 

 

Items Needed *(scroll to bottom of blog for links to these items) 

  • -Laminate Sheets 
  • -Clear Glue
  • -Fine Glitter
  • -Food Coloring 
  • -Duct Tape 
  • -Small Flat Iron 

Steps 

  1. 1. Use a small flat iron along the very edge to seal off 3 edges of the laminate sheet completely to make sure it is sealed with no bubbles or holes. 
  2. 2. Seal the 4th side but leave a 3-4 inch gap at the top to be able to fill the sheet. 
  3. 3. Add approximately 1 cup of clear glue and ½ cup of water inside the plastic with funnel. 
  4. 4. Add the glitter and any other items you want to use inside! (ideas listed below). 
  5. 5. Remove most of the air from the package.
  6. 6. Wipe the area clean where you will seal off. 
  7. 7. Then seal the edge with flat iron. 
  8. 8. Use the duct tape around the edges to make them extra secure and safe.

*Tips* Avoid using large glitter with sharp edges or points that could poke through the plastic.  

* Make sure the laminate sheet is 100% clean and dry before using the flat iron to laminate. 

*This project is easiest with a partner, if you don’t have any help make sure you have some kind of time available to help you hold up the plastic.

*These are very sturdy and can handle some intense pressure from kids sitting on them or squishing them! If they break it is usually a slow leak around the edges then I usually throw them away before it gets worse. I have never had any explode on me! I have also never tried to repair any for extended use. 

Items Needed 

–Laminate Sheets 

–Clear Glue

-Fine Glitter 

-Food Color 

-Duct Tape 

-Small Flat Iron 

Some of my favorite themes for the squishy pads are 

-Cloud types (glue, water and blue food coloring made with cotton balls) https://amzn.to/3WUvScW

-Alphabet search (glue and water with glitter and alphabet beads) https://amzn.to/46GKdNp

-Beach theme (glue and water with mermaid and shell glitter) https://amzn.to/46Akzdr

-Color mixing (shaving cream glue and multiple colors) https://amzn.to/3LVBxJs

-Rainbow fun (made with orbeez and water) https://amzn.to/3WGOa02

Keep following my social media pages and read the other blog posts to learn more of my ideas! 

 

Leann Firestone

 

 

I am an amazon affiliate, if you purchase from these links I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you! 

Thank you for reading!