Your child's sensory needs in pre-school

Every child is different and each has different sensory needs.

A pre-school sometimes needs to adapt its environment and activities to support your child’s ways to regulate. For example, some children need movement or prefer quiet spaces.

When a child is regulated:

• they are able to cope better with sensory challenges
• their attention and concentration improves
• they can enjoy play more and learn better

Communicating with pre-school

Tell the pre-school staff about your child's sensory preferences and dislikes.

When your child has additional needs, it can help to create a pre-school communication passport together.

This is a simple way to share important information about your child with staff. You can include things such as their likes and dislikes, what helps them feel calm, their sensory preferences or the foods they enjoy.

Your child's sensory preferences

Tell the pre-school staff about your child’s sensory preferences and dislikes.

For example, you could include if your child:

• finds mouthing or chewing on things comforting - pack chewy tubes in their bag
• is sensitive to noise - they may like to use ear defenders
• likes sensory play with cool textures such as rice or pasta

You can also use the communication passport to describe what helps when your child is upset or overwhelmed.

For example: “When Johnny feels overwhelmed, he puts his hands on his ears and hums. It can help to turn off the noise, give him his fidget toys and give him space.”

Making a communication passport (PDF, 795 KB, 3 pages)

What to ask pre-school staff

Ask the pre-school staff about their sensory strategies.

For example, do they use:

• fidgets - things your child can fidget with
• visual schedules - these can be helpful for your child to find routine in a busy environment

Check if the pre-school has an outdoor space. This is especially important if your child needs to move, crash, jump and run to feel regulated.