September 2023 Sensory Teaching Calendar

• Fill your box (a shoebox is the perfect size) with sensory items relating to the person’s life.
• If working in an educational setting you can use the student’s communication passport as a tool to help you do this, as well working with the student to find out their personal likes and sensory preferences.
• If working with adults, involve the person and also ask their family, friends and other people who have been involved in their lives to help you.
• Keep the boxes up to date e.g., new items can be added as the person encounters new experiences (a seashell from a seaside trip)

Below is example of a box but you can take the concept and change the headings.

1. Me: I have used a mirror. Shatterproof, safety mirrors are advisable, but depending on the individual, these bike mirrors that strap onto the wrist are great for a hands-free option and promote self-awareness.
2. Born: This could be an item relating to the person’s identity. In this example, the person was born in Manchester and enjoys going to the home matches, so I represented this using a football scarf.
3. Family: A photograph or a drawing.
4. Dad: This person adores their Dad, so I took a piece of clothing and spritzed their Dad’s aftershave on it (this could be a tie, sock, tshirt)
5. Music: This person’s favourite instrument is a wrist bell. You could change this category to another activity such as a pot of bubbles or favourite fiddle toy.
6. Relaxation: This person enjoys a hand massage so their box would include a hand cream in their favourite scent. You could also include a massage brush/roller
7. Holiday: This person has returned from a holiday in Fuerteventura over the summer and this magnet signifies their holiday. The magnet has an embossed sunshine and palm trees which are nice to run the fingers over and talk about, and I placed some euro coins into the box to explore with the magnet.
8. Future Event: This person is going to their brother’s wedding in November. They will be wearing a bow tie.