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Fantastically Fun Sensory Activities for Summer

Sensory integration, or the way in which the mind communicates with the senses, begins developing before birth and shapes the way that a person interacts with the environment. 

Children with over-responsive sensory profiles or sensory processing disorder can struggle in environments that are too stimulating for them, like the child who is stressed by noisy surroundings. Under-responsive sensory profiles, meanwhile, can present with a child who can’t sit still because his body needs to be active in order to transmit signals to his brain. A child’s sensory profile is influenced by new sensory input the child encounters. 


Parents can use holiday time away from school to help their kids’ neurological growth by exposing them to summer sensory activities.

Gross Motor Movement Activities

Vestibular (balance) and proprioceptive (body position awareness) are two senses that impact a child’s gross motor activity. The sensory seekers (whose nervous systems are under-responsive) are continuously on the go and will thrive in sports, whether it be on a team or solo.

Vestibular seekers will love activities that involve jumping and running, or any quick directional changes. Proprioceptive seekers can try activities such as gymnastics, in which positional awareness is put to the test.

If the child in question is defensive (or over-responsive), activities with less sudden movement, such as baseball, yoga or entry-level hiking might be a better choice.

Fine Motor Movement Activities

Tactile and visual senses can be stimulated by fine motor sensory play in the summer. Tactile-seeking kids will love sidewalk chalk as well as activities involving water, finger paint and soap bubbles, while their visual-seeking peers will revel in the challenge of tracking and popping bubbles. Tactile-defensive children can be offered a paint brush to use instead of their fingers, or slowly introduced to touching paint with the suggestion of using one finger only.   Summer parenting tips often include recommendations of eye protection such as sunglasses, which suits the visually defensive child and, along with a sunhat, enables her to participate in more activities outdoors.

Incorporate Sounds and Smells into Play

Summer fairs and carnivals are teeming with all the fragrance and noise that a sensory seeking child could want. Play dates held in groups have an energetic volume level, and barbecues, campfires and baking activities are aromatic opportunities for the sensory-seeking child to be a parent helper. The defensive child, on the other hand, will likely prefer one-on-one play dates or a quiet walk in the park where the environment is more calming.

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Patient Reviews

LLA Therapy

Patient Reviews

Crystal Scheibe

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Great place, glad we found them. Been going to Medina over 2 months now and he loves Lauryn and Kyler. Wish they had more ABA therapy places available... live in Wooster and long drive everyday.

Karrie Swan LaRock

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My 11 year old son has dyslexia and has made noticeable gains in working At LLA THERAPY. Katie is strong in her approach toward him and also keeps him comfortable enough to perform well. We will continue visiting both the Fairlawn and Hudson offices and recommend them highly.

Ron Monroe

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My 9 year old just completed about 9 months of weekly speech sessions (due to his stuttering) with Matt Hagge at LLA and we are thrilled with the experience and results. What I thought might be a negative (what kid really wants to go to speech class?) was made very positive by Matt, and my son never hesitated or complained when we talked about class. He really enjoyed it and really took what Matt taught him to heart. His speech has been greatly improved and we definitely recommend LLA. Thank you so much!

Heather Dougherty-Pantoja

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My son’s Occupational Therapist, Jess, is an amazing OT! She gives practical tips on working with my son at home and school!

Terri Apgar

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I cannot say enough good things about LLA Therapy. My daughter was a client of Teal Simmons’ for approximately 2 years and was just released from speech therapy! She was diagnosed with Apraxia in 2015 and worked with Teal twice a week. Through Teal’s application of PROMPT therapy, my daughter had age-appropriate speech after one year. All of the staff we interacted with at LLA were absolutely wonderful. They really care about what they do and making sure your child achieves their goals.

Kelli Geisler Davisson

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LLA Therapy has been an excellent experience for my son as well as my family! My son always asks, "When can I go see Ms. Jeannine again, is it Monday??" He has also made huge gains in only 5 months! I would highly recommend LLA and have already shared my experience with friends looking for services!

Victoria Hansford-Price

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We are so grateful for our Speech Therapist Ms.Teal. We have seen a great improvement with our sons confidence and communication abilities since we have started "Prompt" therapy. What we love the most about LLA and Ms. Teal is that Kohl feels comfortable and relaxed which has played a critical role in his progress. Thank you Ms. Teal for all you have done.

Laura Lee Hogsett

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They have helped in numerous ways. Speech, OT and behavioral. I've had numerous compliments on my son's progress thanks in very large part to LLA. I would recommend LLA before I recommend our local children's hospitals, though they are good, they don't have the staff that LLA does.

Amy Furukawa

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We had a great experience with Matt Hagge at LLA! Our Middle School age son was becoming very conscious of his voice, which is nasal due to a cleft palate. Matt helped him to better form his sounds and project his voice in a way that makes the unavoidable nasality less noticeable.Our son is more confident and outgoing & even took on a speaking role in the church play. Matt has the perfect personality to relate with our son, and we would recommend him to anyone needing speech therapy services!

Jessica Havalotti

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LLA Therapy has been an excellent experience for our daughter. I would highly recommend LLA. Miss Grace was so amazing and I can't believe how quickly our daughter showed improvement. Thank you!
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