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Alerting & Calming Foods for Oral Sensory Input (Free Printable)
Children with special needs tend to exhibit oral motor sensory seeking behaviors quite a bit. In addition to non-food oral motor sensory ideas like bite bands and fidget necklaces, providing a child with the appropriate oral sensory input that they need includes giving them specific types of snacks.
This list of sensory snacks can also be paired together to make a great sensory-rich meal for lunchtime at school or in a child care setting. Grab a variety of foods from this list for the kids’ lunch boxes and you can help them get the oral motor sensory input they need while away from home.
ALERTING FOODS FOR ORAL SENSORY INPUT
These foods are meant to wake up a child’s senses while providing lots of proprioceptive and oral sensory input. So when a child seems sluggish or off, these snacks are a perfect way to get them back on track!
Chewy Foods
- Dried fruit
- Dates
- Beef jerky
- Fruit leather
- Bagels
- Granola bars, especially with caramel
- Cheese
- Celery
- Fruit gummies
- Sausage sticks
Sour, Tart, & Spicy Foods
- Pickles
- Greek yogurt
- Lemon or lime slices
- Lemonade
- Kiwis
- Grapefruit
- Olives
- Pickled beets
- Cranberries
- Salsa
Cold Foods
- Popsicles or ice pops
- Smoothies
- Frozen yogurt bites
- Ice cream
- Sherbet
- Frozen yogurt
- Milk
- Frozen peas
- Frozen corn
- Frozen berries
Crunchy Foods
- Pretzels
- Nacho chips
- Crackers
- Nuts
- Popcorn
- Roasted chickpeas
- Sesame snaps
- Pumpkin seeds
- Sunflower seeds
- Carrots
- Apples
- Granola
- Banana chips
- Dry cereal
- Toast
- Snap peas
- Dried veggie chips like beet or sweet potato
- Kale chips
- Peppers
- Cucumbers
- Graham crackers
- Arrowroot biscuits
- Pita chips
- Rice cakes
CALMING FOODS FOR ORAL SENSORY INPUT
These calming snacks are perfect when your kids are bursting with energy!
Sweet Foods
- Bananas
- Strawberries
- Cantaloupe
- Honeydew
- Watermelon
- Peaches
- Pears
- Plums
- Berries
- Grapes
Smooth & Creamy Foods
- Yogurt
- Hummus
- Hard boiled egg
- Applesauce
- Cottage cheese
- Avocado
- Oatmeal
- Peanut butter or similar alternative like almond butter, sunflower butter, or Wow butter
- Spinach dip
- Guacamole
- Smoothies
- Pudding
Warm Foods
- Soup
- Hot chocolate
- Tea
- Oatmeal
