Fun Activities for Kids in ABA Therapy: Winter Edition
Even if you love the snow, when winter comes around, it can sometimes feel impossible to set foot outside in the cold. When that happens, it can be a bit difficult to find engaging activities for kids with autism. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is an evidence-based therapy that is designed to help children with autism and other developmental disorders learn new skills, decrease challenging behaviors, and increase their overall independence.
ABA therapy uses strategies that can be integrated into your child’s daily routine. As a parent, you can help ensure that they continue to progress, even if the winter weather is keeping them at home.
Today we bring you some winter-themed sensory and therapeutic activities that both your child and the whole family can enjoy!
1. Sensory Play with Real or Fake Snow
Winter offers us a unique sensory experience when playing in the snow, but creating fake snow at home can be just as fun! With this sensory play, you can provide an engaging sensory activity in a controlled and fun way.
-How it fits into ABA: This game reinforces skills such as fine motor skills, attending to an activity, and appropriate social behaviors. Encourage your child to interact with the texture of the snow. You can do this by playing with the snow yourself and using positive reinforcement when they do so appropriately.
-How to do it: You can create your own fake snow using baking soda and shaving cream to get a soft, moldable snow-like texture. Ask your child to help you scoop and mold the snow, praise them, or give them a small reward for following instructions or participating in sensory exploration.
2. Create Visual Schedules with Familiar Activities
A visual schedule can become an ally and a very helpful tool for children with autism, especially when they are staying home for extended periods. It helps children understand expectations, which can reduce their anxiety and promote participation in activities.
-How it fits into ABA: Visual schedules are effective tools in ABA therapy to promote structure and predictability. These schedules can provide a visual cue to the child of the activities to be carried out in the day, ensuring that they know what to expect and what is coming next.
-How to do it: Create a visual schedule with images or icons of daily activities such as “play with toys,” “sensory bin,” or “story time.” This can help your child move smoothly from one activity to the next.
3. Sensory Art Station
With the weather sometimes keeping us in the house, winter is the perfect time to explore creative expression through art, which is also a sensory activity. Different textures, colors, and materials can help children develop fine motor skills while exploring sensory feedback.
-How it fits into ABA: Art projects can encourage focused attention in children and build self-confidence. ABA techniques are incorporated through the use of prompts and reinforcement for working on the task.
-How to do it: Set up a sensory art station with crayons, markers, paint, and items like cotton balls or textured paper. Then, encourage your child to express themselves and provide reinforcement when they show patience or finish an activity.
4. Practice Social skills with Pretend Play
This is the perfect time to create a pretend play area at home where your child can practice critical social skills like sharing, taking turns, and imaginative play.
-How it fits into ABA: Pretend play develops creativity and communication skills, two key areas in ABA therapy. Social skills like asking for help, waiting for a turn, and sharing toys can be reinforced during this play.
-How to do it: Create a pretend kitchen or grocery store and take turns being the “customer” and “cashier” with your child. Prompt your child to ask for an item or say “thank you” after a transaction and praise or give high fives as reinforcement.
5. Storytime for Language Development
Reading with your child can be a relaxing and enriching winter activity. Storytime helps your little one develop language, comprehension, and attention skills.
-How it fits into ABA: Storytime offers the perfect opportunity to practice asking and answering questions, helping your child interact with the story’s structure. ABA therapy uses strategies like prompting and reinforcement to improve communication skills during story time.
-How to do it: Choose books with engaging pictures and simple sentences and ask your child questions throughout the story (e.g., “What color is the dog?” or “Where is the boy?”). This allows you to help your child interact with the story. Then, reinforce their responses with praise and use visuals to enhance their understanding.
6. Homemade Sensory Bins
Sensory bins filled with rice, beans, or textured materials can be easily created at home and offer a fun and engaging way for children to explore tactile sensations. You can also add toys or small objects for additional stimulation and interaction.
-How it fits into ABA: Sensory bins promote sensory exploration and encourage fine motor skills. They also serve as a way for children to practice following directions like “take the red block” or “find the animal.” These tasks align with ABA principles, as they teach new skills and use reinforcement.
-How to do it: Creating sensory bins is very simple. Fill a bin or container with rice, beans, or sand and hide small objects inside. Then, encourage your little one to find the objects following specific directions. Praise them when they complete the activity, reinforcing appropriate behaviors.
7. Sensory Movement Games
Let’s not forget the importance of physical activity in children’s daily routines! For children with autism, it can be beneficial to participate in structured physical activities that promote coordination, motor skills, and body awareness.
-How it fits into ABA: Physical activities provide sensory feedback and help children interact with their environment. For this reason, ABA therapists use physical activity as an opportunity to teach new play skills and social skills.
-How to do it: Using pillows, chairs, and blankets, you can create a mini obstacle course in your living room. Invite your child to follow simple instructions such as “crawl under the table” or “jump on the cushion,” reinforcing each action with praise or high fives.
8. DIY Calming Tools for Self-Regulation
If your child has trouble self-regulating or gets overstimulated easily, it’s essential to know techniques and tools to calm him down. Winter is certainly the perfect time to teach your child some self-regulation techniques for times of frustration or overstimulation.
-How it fits into ABA therapy: ABA therapy incorporates calming tools to provide support to children with autism. Children can benefit from structured methods or choices that help them manage overwhelming feelings or behaviors.
-How to do it: Create calming tools with items like a soft blanket, stress ball, and noise-canceling headphones. Then, teach your child how to use these tools when they feel upset, celebrating the appropriate use of these tools with positive reinforcement.
By using and adapting these activities for your child in your own home, you can create a nurturing and enjoyable environment, even when the winter weather is keeping everyone indoors!
At Adapt for Life, our dedicated team of trained BCBAs and Registered Behavior Technicians are here to support you every step of the way. We’re here to help your child thrive and grow, no matter the season!
Stay warm, stay engaged, and most importantly, have fun!