In a classroom setting, restrictions often stop children from moving, making noise, eating and experiencing the environment in a distracting manner. To combat this sensory deprivation, provide a visually rich environment for students that displays illustrations, vocabulary words and informative charts. Picture books, flashcards and vocabulary games such as "I Spy" are useful tools for visual learners.
Teach children to appreciate their sense of sight by playing blindman's buff or reading books about blind children. To explore color, create color wheels and design art projects based on limited color palettes. Discuss the phenomenon of colorblindness and how people may perceive colors differently.
Integrate listening into the day by playing music or nature sounds during quiet times. Ask children to describe the sounds they are hearing using descriptive adjectives and comparison words such as "louder" or "smoother." Students will also enjoy recreating melodies and rhythms on kazoos, recorders or homemade instruments.
Use sound-based methods to illustrate curriculum content for auditory learners. Clap out the syllables of words, talk your way through a math problem or analyze song lyrics. Sound cues such as a bell ringing are useful to grab attention and signal the end of an activity.
The senses of smell and taste are intimately connected to memory and imagination. In creative or descriptive writing assignments, encourage children to include details that appeal to these senses. For a classroom activity on taste, expose students to foods from different places. Children will be more excited to learn about history, geography or culture when they experience the food of the region.
Children love to investigate the world with their hands. Indulge this desire by providing "feely bags" that challenge kids to identify objects using only their sense of touch. Skin allows us to sense temperature, as well as textures and sizes. Keep a classroom thermometer and show children how to measure the temperature using appropriate units.
Physical manipulatives are useful for hands-on learning, particularly in mathematics. Blocks and tiles illustrate mathematical concepts such as size, volume and surface area. Young children can practice basic arithmetic using bean counters, coins or abacuses.