Meeting Students Sensory and Social-Emotional Needs

Funded Dec 8, 2021

Thank you to the moon, stars, and back for your contribution to our classroom. My students and I are very thankful for the array of new sensory integration items that arrived in the mail this semester. As the boxes started arriving, they were curious about what was inside! Once everything arrived, we began using the materials instantly on our lesson breaks and during moments of need.

I provide my students with breaks during lessons as part of their classroom accommodations, and they enjoy a bunch of different things during their breaks such as computer time, games, and coloring or art. They have also started to prefer the use of sensory tools and toys more and more to help them re-energize and re-focus during lesson breaks. This is exactly what your donation has helped make possible! Students now have the option to grab a squishy ball or a fidget to relieve stress or energy after working their brains for extended periods of time. It gives them something to look forward to in between 10-15 minute work sessions, and they come back to their work with more concentration, attention, and motivation.

In addition, these tools for the classroom have also helped students have an option not just for their routine breaks, but also for times when they are feeling upset, angry, or anxious. We practice different choices for regulation of our emotions such as deep breathing, getting a glass or water, or counting. Having sensory and fidget tools also provide an additional option to help students in regulating the emotions they are experiencing in their brains. For example, I have a student who has drastically improved in his use of coping strategies in the classroom. Whenever he encounters a feeling or situation that is hard, he now has our bin of tools in the classroom that he can access to help him feel calm and safe. We are forever grateful for your kindness and compassion.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Jewett