As a person with autism, I understand that sensory art projects can be both fun and calming at the same time. I absolutely love to get so focused on an art project that I lose track of time, and forget all of my worries for a little while. Art really is like a respite from the stresses of life for me! Trust me, all autistics have stresses. Why, because we live in a world designed by non-autistics. We have to try and conform as best we can to the alien planet that we live on that often does not make any sense to us.
Therefore, it is my life’s mission to make sure that every autistic adult and child in the universe is allowed to create, just like everyone else. If there are hindrances, then we need to overcome or work around them to allow those with autism to experience the joy that comes from creating something through sensory play.
To help in that regard, here are 9 amazing sensory art projects for you and your loved one with Autism to enjoy making together. All you have to do is set aside time to do them. Now, relax and enjoy. Have a mini vacay! You deserve it.
Edible Play-doh
All human beings deserve the liberty of getting to create something. I love playing with Play-doh because it can really spark your imagination, but I know store-bought Play-doh can be very tempting to eat for kids with Autism. So, here’s a homemade version of Play-doh that is non-toxic and edible.
Supplies
- 2 cups of water
- 5 cups of white flour
- 5 cup of salt
- 1 tablespoon of cream or tartar
- 2 packages (0.13 oz) of unsweetened Kool-Aid
- 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- 1 medium-size sauce pan
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 cooking spoon
- 1 whisk
- Cookie cutters (optional)
Directions
- Boil the water in the sauce pan on the stove.
- While you’re waiting for the water to boil, whisk the cream of tartar, flour, Kool-Aid and salt together in a large mixing bowl to create a fine powder.
- Add the vegetable oil into the dry mix in the bowl and stir it with a cooking spoon.
- Remove the boiled water from the stove and let it cool for a while.
- Once the water has cooled down (still hot but no longer boiling), add it to the mixture and stir it with a cooking spoon.
- Sprinkle some flour onto your counter or a large cutting board. Dump the dough onto the powdered surface and knead for about 10 minutes.
The word Play is in Play-doh so play with it! Use cookie cutters or dollar-store Play-doh shape cutters to create shapes, letters and words, and my favorite, create some awesome creatures.
Playing with Play-doh engages sight, smell, touch, and taste senses.
Bubble Wrap Abstract Painting
Popping the tiny, individual bubbles in bubble wrap is absolutely captivating. I think bubble wrap is just fun regardless of age, and for those with autism it’s like a little sensory adventure. Add some paint, and it’s game on!
Supplies
- Bubble wrap
- Large sheets of paper or 2 or 3 large white poster boards taped together, or an old flat white bed sheet
- 1 gallon of paint
- 1 large area outside (like a driveway, deck, porch, patio, or yard)
- 1 disposable aluminum pan
- 1 roll of packing tape
Directions
- Lay out your large sheet of paper or bed sheet outside. This is not an inside project unless you have a concrete-floor basement that can easily be cleaned up. It’s best to do this one outside where you can wash away any paint spills with a hose when you’re done.
- Fill your disposable, aluminum pan with paint and place it close to your paper or sheet.
- Wrap your kiddo’s bare feet in bubble wrap and use the tape to secure their bubble-wrap shoes.
- Have your child stand in the paint bin.
- Let them walk, dance, and jump on the paper or sheet. Let them paint! They will love hearing the bubbles popping beneath their feet.
When done, you’ll have an awesome abstract painting. Your kid will be so proud if you hang it up to display.
This is a fantastic art project for an outside birthday party, but you’ll need a lot more paint, more paper, and more bubble wrap.
This project engages sight, smell, hearing, and touch senses.
Latex Glove Finger Painting
Finger painting is fun but also quite messy. Painting with latex gloves is a way to have the fun, but avoid the mess. Also, if you wear a paint apron or old tee shirt, and paint outside on a porch or patio that can be hosed off, then the cleanup can be done easily and quickly. The latex gloves add an extra tactile sensation, and the sound of latex fingers rubbing against paper is soothing in a way.
Supplies
- Latex gloves or non-latex plastic gloves (in case your kiddo is allergic)
- Washable paint – at least 3 or more colors
- Watercolor or other painting paper
- Newspaper or an old white flat sheet
Directions
- Lay out sheets of newspaper or an old bedsheet under the area where the finger painting will occur.
- Set out the watercolor or painting paper.
- Set out the paint.
- Put the latex gloves on yourself and/or your child.
- Pour some paint onto your paper. Start with a small amount like a few dots of each color.
- Use your fingers to paint that abstract masterpiece!
Senses engaged with finger painting are sight, smell, hearing, and touch.
Sand Art
Sand provides an amazing textural experience. It’s gritty and scratchy, but can also be smooth. It creates a soothing auditory sensation when you shake it, or listen to it move from one container to another. Traditional sand could be dangerous for a child with Autism if he or she felt compelled to taste it, so I have included a recipe to create edible, synthetic sand. It’s basically colored salt, so an accidental taste won’t hurt. Just make sure it’s only a taste.
Supplies
- 1 large container of salt
- Liquid food coloring
- 1 Zip-lock baggie
- 1 pointed-tipped bottle of glue
- Paper – construction or paint paper
- 1 disposable aluminum pan
Directions
- Add a generous amount of salt into your Zip-lock baggie.
- Drip a few drops of food coloring into the baggie. Add the drops slowly so that you don’t accidentally end up with a darker color than you were anticipating.
- Lay your baggie flat on a countertop or table and squeeze all the air out of the baggie before closing it.
- Knead the salt in the bag until it’s all mixed up. Voila! You’ve made your own imitation sand.
- You can leave the sand in the baggie, or pour it into something with a small pour opening like a sippy cup without the straw, or even a small, empty water bottle.
- Lay your paint or construction paper in your disposable, aluminum pan.
- Open the glue and create shapes on the construction paper for your child. If your child is more independent, allow them to create the shapes themselves. You could do geometric shapes, or any design you choose.
- Sprinkle the sand on the construction paper.
- Have your child gently shift the pan from side to side to allow the sand to cover all the glued areas. Listen to the sand move.
There you go. A beautiful work of sand art.
Senses engaged with sand art are sight, hearing, taste, and touch.
Edible Slime
Slime has been all the rage for children for years, and your child with Autism should not be missing out on all the fun. Slime is a gooey, sticky substance that can be molded into shapes or just squished between fingers. Maybe you have been hesitant to make slime with your kids in worry that they might try to taste, or because the ingredients of traditional slime recipes make you cringe. With this new edible slime recipe you can put all of those reservations aside. Let your kids escape into sticky heaven because this recipe is made without Borax.
Supplies
- 1 tbsp of Psyllium husk powder
- 1 cup of water
- Food coloring, multiple colors
- Flavor or essential oil (to make the slime smell fun!)
- 1 Large microwaveable bowl
Note: Psyllium husk powder is an ingredient that can be found in Metamicul. You can get psyllium powder online. You can also use Metamucil as long as it contains psyllium.
Directions
- In a large microwaveable bowl combine 1 tablespoon of psyllium husk powder with 1 cup of water and mix well. You can also add a few drops of food coloring, and flavoring at this time if desired.
- Stir until all ingredients are dissolved.
- Place the bowl in the microwave and heat on high until you start to see bubbles (roughly 2 minutes) . Continue to microwave the bubbling slime for one minute. Then, stop the microwave & stir.
- Microwave again for 2 more minutes.
- Carefully remove the bowl from the microwave and allow it to cool. At this point the slime will still be liquid, but it will thicken as it cools. Once it is completely cool it will be ready for play!
- Be sure to check that the center of the slime is cool before giving it to kids.
- Repeat the above steps for each color of slime that you wish to make. Then, the fun can begin!
Make a batch of this slime in every color of the rainbow so that kids can make slime rainbows. Remember ROY G BIV for rainbow colors, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet.
Although this slime is Borax-free and edible, it is not meant for all-out consumption. A taste or two is fine, but you would not want your child to eat very much of it.
Give the slime to your child to play with. If your child does not like the sticky feeling of the slime, place the slime in a Zip-lock baggie. That way, they can enjoy the squishy feeling without having to get sticky.
Senses Engaged are sight, taste, and touch.
Finger Paint
Guess what you can do with a box of potato flakes other than make those fake mashed potatoes that no one wants to eat? Potato flakes make the perfect finger paint for babies and toddlers. They are edible, inexpensive, and fun! Here’s an easy recipe for finger paint using potato flakes.
This is the safest way I know for babies to paint!
Supplies
- Potato flakes
- Food coloring
- Hot water
This recipe only requires two ingredients plus water. Any brand of potato flakes will do so just buy the generic. You can make many batches of paint with a single box.
Directions
- Pour the desired amount of potato flakes into a small bowl, using one bowl for each color of paint that you wish to make.
- Add several drops of food coloring to each bowl.
- Then, slowly begin to add water in small amounts, slowly adding more water and mixing until the desired consistency is reached. Less water will give you a thick, finger-paint type of consistency.
Once the finger paints are mixed, pour them into easy-to-handle containers that can’t be broken. Now, it’s time to paint!
The paint has a really fun texture and is safe-to-taste, making it great for kids of all ages, but especially for babies who want to put everything in their mouths. However, it doesn’t taste very good and is quite bland, so most babies won’t taste much.
Senses engaged are sight, taste, and touch.
Cloud Dough (Regular)
Cloud dough is one of the easiest sensory recipes around, and it is so awesome to play with. Even adults love it. It can be messy, so put something down to keep your table and floor clean, or take it outdoors and you won’t have to worry about extensive clean-up.
The consistency can be powdery like flour one moment, and then moldable like damp sand the next.
Supplies
- 8 cups flour
- 1 cup oil
- Essential oil for scent (lavender is relaxing)
Directions
- Scoop and pour the flour into the center of a large tub.
- Create a hole in the middle of the flour.
- Pour the oil into the hole.
- Gently mix it all together.
- Add lavender or other essential oil drops for scent.
Enjoy playing, mixing and learning about the properties of the dough. Then add some small bowls, spoons, or cups to make small structures, hills, animals, or pretend cakes. It is so relaxing!
Senses engaged are sight, smell, and touch.
Cloud Dough (Gluten-free)
I’m adding the gluten-free version since I found out that kids who are completely gluten-free can’t even touch regular flour. Therefore, here’s an option.
Supplies
- 8 cups rice flour
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- Essential oil for scent
Directions
- Scoop and pour the rice flour into the center of a large tub.
- Create a hole in the middle of the flour.
- Pour the oil into the hole.
- Gently mix it all together.
- Add lavender or other essential oil drops for scent.
I have heard that rice flour is expensive at the natural food stores, but it can be purchased for half the price at asian food stores if you have one in your area.
If you can’t find rice flour, you could experiment by trying garbanzo flour, gluten-free baking flour, corn flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, or arrowroot starch. You may have to change the ratio of flour to oil as the different flours and starches may combine differently with the oil. Just start with 1/4 cup and add slowly until you get a good consistency.
Senses engaged are sight, smell, and touch.
Colored Rice
Rice is a natural play material, and kids love the sensory experience of sifting it through their hands. Coloring it makes it even more fun. Another good thing is that colored rice will last for a long time, so you really only have to make a batch of colors one time. Just store your colored rice in sealed jars or containers, and pour it out for sensory time another day.
Supplies
- 1 Cup white or brown rice
- 1 Teaspoon vinegar
- 1/8 Teaspoon food coloring
- 1 Zip-lock plastic bag for mixing the color
- 1 Cookie sheet
- 2 Paper towels
Directions
- Fill a zip-lock bag with 1 cup of rice and 1 teaspoon of vinegar.
- Drop or pour about 1/8 teaspoon food coloring into the zip-lock bag.
- Zip the bag shut.
- Squeeze the bag and mix the rice all around until the food coloring is well distributed to color all of the rice.
- Add more food coloring if needed to reach the desired color.
- Line the cookie sheet with 2 paper towels. This will absorb moisture and allow the rice to dry quicker.
- Pour the colored rice onto the cookie sheet. Spread it out to expedite drying time. The rice can take between 2 hours and a full day to dry, depending on your climate and humidity.
Senses engaged are sight, smell, hearing, and touch.
In know this is a long article, but I wanted to give full details on as many sensory art projects as possible. I hope you are able to try all 9 projects over the years. Have fun, and I’ll see you soon in our virtual art world!