21 therapeutic activities with SHX Proximity

How to make the most out of your Sensory Room

SHX Proximity provides endless possibilities within the multisensory environments, since you can create all kind of customized immersive environments and lots of creative ways of engagement for the users in the room. We have come up with these 21 ideas or therapeutic activities to do with children with autism, learning disabilities or in the early years; also with the elderly, people with cerebral palsy,  brain injuries or other disabilities.

21 activities you can do in a sensory room with SHX Proximity

• • A tale of the unexpected…
    This activity involves telling an improvised, interactive story. The activity leader places a basket of objects, which have all been labelled with pre-programmed stickers, in front of the participants before beginning to tell an improvised story. The plot will depend on the objects taken from the basket, and each one launches a different scene in the story. This way, the story that unfolds is the result of pure chance. The leader can also ask the participants to choose the objects that influence the activity themselves, either specifically or at random.
    Alternative: The activity leader can also encourage the participants to tell the story themselves by selecting an object and handing it to a participant, who must place it on the magic platform and continue the story by introducing the object that is suddenly projected into the storyline. This way, a very unconventional, imaginative story can be created by a group of people.
  • The room of enveloping emotions
    The activity leader associates every colour with a feeling and selects cards or objects representing that emotion at random and placing them on the platform. Then, they encourage participants to express how that emotion feels or who makes them feel it, or, alternatively, talk about what that emotion symbolises for them. This activity can be used similarly to The Colour Monster story to help participants identify and express their feelings and emotions.
  • Colour-Action
    Each participant is assigned a colour and an action they must carry out when that colour appears in the sensory room: “When you see XXX, you need to YYY.” This stimulus-response activity therefore holds the attention of the entire group.  When the participant has completed their assigned action, they can select another card or object and place it on the magic platform to summon the following participant to perform their action. The special “Die” card can also be used to select content at random every time it is placed on the platform.

• • Guessing game…
    Users can try to guess what the object they hear, smell or feel with their hands is. The answer will be revealed when it is placed on the platform.
  • A hidden treasure
    In this activity, an object is hidden in a box in front of the group. Participants must guess what it is in order to win the prize. They have 3 cards that offer clues about the hidden object. When someone guesses the answer, the box is opened to reveal their prize.
  • Let’s dress up
    The cards used for this activity are blank or printed with generic images and launch a new scene or character. Each user must dress up to match the scene or character that appears when it is their turn. For example, if a pirate is projected when they place their card on the platform, they have to look for the pirate costume or accessories. Then, we can act out a story.
  • Test
    SHX Proximity can be used to set participants a test or assess certain knowledge areas, such as letters, numbers or different subjects. For example, a card can hold the question: “2+2=?”, and when we place it on the platform, we see the answer “Four!”  We can create a trivia game that can be adapted to suit each participant’s specific needs.
    
  • The magic world of…
    In this game, the activity leader invites the participants to discover a magical new world. The idea is to allow them to enjoy a wide variety of immersive experiences in the sensory room: auditory, visual, olfactory, tactile or vibratory. This is done by placing the cards on trays loaded with related objects (autumn leaves, flowers, snowflakes or cotton wool, beach sand, etc.).
    For example, they can enter into the magical world of Narnia, where they will experience the four seasons: in winter, the entire room will become a wintry scene bathed in the relevant light and effects, while participants touch snowflakes; in spring, the entire room bursts into bloom and the participant touches cherry blossom; in summer, the room becomes a warm, summery scene and the participant touches sand; and in autumn, the room scenery matches the season while the participant touches dry autumn leaves.
    We can invent as many different worlds as we wish, such as a party in which we see colours and lights on the screens while balloons fill the room and we touch confetti and party blowers, or any other environment we wish the participant to experience.
  • Ready, steady, cook!
    This activity involves an alternative way of cooking. The leader asks the user to select ingredients and place them on the magic platform so that the entire room projects them, or place them in a real recipient, such as a bowl, to recreate a recipe (such as a cake). Finally, we can use the card that reveals a baked cake on the magic platform and invite users to enjoy a slice by smelling, touching or even eating it.
    
  • Download the pdf with the rest of activities by pressing the download button.

What is SHX Proximity?

SHX Proximity is a new way of interaction in a sensory room which allows the users to interact with the room by using real objects. It is so easy as to bring any object close to the platform and you will be diving into a whole new world. You can create any combination of lighting, images, sounds, vibration, music,… lots of enveloping effects that will fill the room up so that you can enjoy an experience as immersive as you can imagine.
If you want to learn more about SHX Proximity or the multisensory environments, contact us at: info@bjliveat.com

If you would like us to create a virtual design of a room free of charge, contact us at: info@bjliveat.com