Wimborne First School & Nursery

At Wimborne First School and Nursery, we have a fantastic, well equipped, multi-sensory room for children to use. This includes bubble tubes, light boxes, weighted blankets, exercise balls, bean bags, blackout blinds, mood lighting, and sensory and tactile toys.

Sensory rooms can help those who have learning difficulties, developmental disabilities, social and emotional difficulties or sensory impairments learn to interact with the world around them, but in a safe environment that builds up their confidence and their ability. 

• Sensory stimulation
  Encouraging the user to engage with and explore the environment can have positive effects on their ability to understand, react and interact with the larger world around them.
• Enhance learning through play
  Sensory play helps children to develop their senses, encourages problem solving and can build nerve connections in the brain. Sensory stimulation also engages different areas of the brain, helping children absorb and retain more information. 

• Sensory stimulation
  Encouraging the user to engage with and explore the environment can have positive effects on their ability to understand, react and interact with the larger world around them.
• Enhance learning through play
  Sensory play helps children to develop their senses, encourages problem solving and can build nerve connections in the brain. Sensory stimulation also engages different areas of the brain, helping children absorb and retain more information. 

• Improve balance, movement and spatial orientation

  Sensory rooms can help develop users’ visual processing abilities as well as their fine and gross motor skills, facilitating day-to-day living. This is particularly beneficial for individuals with physical difficulties or Cerebral Palsy. 

• Develop communication skills

  For some individuals, particularly those with autism spectrum disorder, both verbal and non-verbal communication is a challenge. Interactive sensory rooms can help to engage withdrawn individuals, and sensory equipment that focuses on sound can be especially helpful in encouraging vocalisation. 
• De-stress 
  Sensory environments can be highly absorbing, providing a moment of comfort and calm for overactive and distressed individuals. Similarly, the safe and controlled nature of a sensory room can help withdrawn individuals feel comfortable enough to interact with their surroundings. 

• Improve focus
  Some individuals find it difficult to focus. In fact, this is a common trait for those with ADHD. Sensory equipment is designed to help users concentrate on the activity in hand and, what’s more, the atmosphere of a well-designed sensory room should help to enhance focus. This is an important skill for children to develop so they can cope with real-world environments where calm and concentration is key. 
• Promote socialisation 
  A great sensory room benefit is that it can be used by individuals on their own or in groups. Using a sensory room with others can help to promote socialisation skills in a safe, calm and stress-free environment. If you’re designing a sensory room in a school or care home, for example, it’s great to consider how you can cater to the needs of a group and encourage interaction between users. Group sensory rooms can also help users understand cause-and-effect, for example how their decisions or movements may affect others.