Sensory Motor Paths! Make your own!

Affiliate links are used throughout this website to promote products I love and recommend. I receive a commission if any purchases are made through these links. Please see my disclosure policy for more details. ​

My Facebook newsfeed was (and continues to be) full of them. 
Viral video after viral video. 
Advertisements are selling them.
​OT group members can't stop showing theirs.
They certainly have been the buzz of the last few years!

I'm talking about "sensory paths" seen in school hallways. No idea what I'm talking about?  Have a look at these awesome examples:

• Mindful Maps Sensory Path 
• The Sensory Path (non-affiliated with this company)
• Roland's School 120 Foot Sensory Path

Why the popularity? Was it to pretty up school hallways to impress parents? Was it a  gimmick to sell a new product?

Let's start with the name.  "Sensory Path" provides some clues as to the reasons occupational therapists and teachers like this idea so much.  To be truly accurate, the paths created were "sensory motor paths".

Occupational therapists get excited to see students moving. Opportunities for both proprioceptive and vestibular input for children have reduced with the reduction in school recess and lunch breaks.  With more accessible technology (at school and home) and reduced "play time", children are not getting the natural movement opportunities that they would have experienced in play. Children are expected to sit longer at their desks in classrooms (yes this is a generalization) so that teachers can address the curriculum. 

Some teachers are great at incorporating movement and brain breaks in the classroom to help students with concentration and attention.  Teachers know that students need opportunities to release energy and move.  This is especially true for sensory seeking children who may fidget in the classroom, stand up at inappropriate times, have difficulty sitting on the floor or are generally disruptive.  Read more about how brain breaks can help with concentration HERE.

"Sensory paths" encourage students to jump, spin, hop, balance, frog jump, skip, crawl, perform push ups, bear walk and perform other large body movements.  These movements provide an opportunity for proprioceptive (feedback to the skin, muscles and joints through weight bearing and pressure) and vestibular (movement forward/backward/around) sensory input.  These activities can have a calming affect for some children and can also help some children to be more alert. 

These paths are a series of lines or pictures for children to move along.  Children may walk toe to toe along a zig zag line. They may jump from one spot to another.  They may follow the curved path or place their hands on hand prints.   They may walk sideways. These all encourage visual coordination with parts of the body (eye/hand or eye/foot).  It encourages spatial and body awareness as they navigate through the different aspects of the path. 

Many of these paths incorporate the alphabet or numbers to encourage identification, order and learning.  Counting and simple mathematics have also been incorporated into many paths.
 
The "hallway" concept makes use of potentially unused spaces in schools.  There is no restriction with the weather and can easily the movement can easily be incorporated into transitions between rooms (eg. moving between the classroom and the library). ​​

A new take on an old concept! 

​Occupational therapists and physiotherapists (physical therapists if you are in the US) have been incorporating these concepts for years!  You can too!  

These are low-cost options. Some are temporary so you can change the layouts and set it up wherever you might be.  You don't have to stick to hallways!  

Here are some easy ways to DIY your own sensory motor path.  

•  Chalk paths in driveways - draw your own sensory motor path with chalk. Check out this one by Your Therapy Source.
•  Painter's tape - lay down tape in a hall, a room or garage.
•  Use non-slip matting or bath mats to create targets for jumping and movement.
• Create multisensory sections for children to explore with their feet and hands.  Indoor paths could include  synthetic grass, carpet squares, polar fleece, felt, rope, etc.  Outdoor paths could include stones, bricks, sand, dirt, water, tree stumps, etc. 
• Sticky feet - access my printable HERE 
• Use contact paper to create a shape path - read more HERE
• Calico mat - I created mine last summer (yes it has take a while to share this with you) and the kids have all loved it!  I used 3 metres of calico, some iron-on letters and numbers, felt, scrap material, placemats and my summer holidays! The material was hemmed (with a sewing machine) and then everything was adhered to the calico mat either with adhesive spray or iron-on webbing.  I added the placemats as I thought they would add great texture (which they do), however it makes washing a bit tricky.  My "sensory motor path" has lasted 9 months with intermittent use without too much wear and tear (I always ask my OT kids to remove their shoes).  I designed my path to include lots of open ended opportunities for movement and learning.   For some of my OT kids, I have used "ankle weights" to provide feedback to the muscles and joints. 

Watch some of my OT kids in action with this video!  Email subscribers will need to click on this link to see the video via Youtube or click back to the Your Kids OT website/blog to find it online.
​

Have you created your own sensory motor pathway?

​I would love to see yours! Tag me on IG @yourkidsot with #yourkidsot. 

Would a sensor motor pathway work in your school hall?  Could you make one at home? 

Cindy is a registered occupational therapist practising in Sydney, Australia.  She has two growing children who are a constant source of inspiration and learning.  Cindy loves working creatively to help children to reach their potential, finding opportunities in everyday living and making learning fun. She is also addicted to making printables (even when they take a long time to complete).  Cindy is the author of the Occupational Therapy blog Your Kids OT.  Read more articles from Your Kids OT at https://www.yourkidsot.com/blog

Cindy is a member of the Functional Skills for Kids Therapy Team.  They have together published THE HANDWRITING BOOK, THE SCISSORS SKILLS BOOK and THE TOILETING BOOK.

​The information on this site is general in nature. The activities are safe for most children, however, you should consult an Occupational Therapist or health professional to address specific movement, sensory or other medical conditions.

You may also like: