Creating a Sensory-Friendly Classroom Environment
If you’re a teacher looking to create a sensory-friendly classroom but feel overwhelmed by budget constraints and too many options, you’re not alone!
You’ve probably seen Pinterest-perfect sensory rooms filled with swings, cozy corners, and glowing bubble lights and thought, That’s exactly what my students need! But making it happen in a real classroom?
That’s a whole different challenge. The good news?
Creating a sensory-friendly learning environment doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated.
In this guide, I’ll break down sensory processing, how it affects students, and practical, low-cost ways to design a classroom that supports focus, emotional regulation, and learning—without breaking the bank.
Understanding Sensory Processing
What is Sensory Integration (Processing)?
“Sensory integration refers to the processing, integration, and organization of sensory information from the body and the environment.” - SensoryIntegrationEducation.com
Automatic neurological Sensory processing occurs in everyone’s lives. In most people, it develops naturally through things like play, socialization, and school learning and doesn’t require intervention. At birth, our brains constantly take in the world around us through smell, sight, feel, hearing, and taste, which develops and gets more robust as we grow from babies to children up to adulthood. These five senses are just the beginning when it comes to Sensory Processing!
🌟 Let’s Practice!
🧠 Think about where you are right now.
What does the area look like? Sound like? Feel like? Smell like?
Now, think about your body position. Are you sitting in a chair?
🤨 How would you feel if you read this while lying on your side?
The feeling of gravity shifts, and you can tell that you are no longer upright; this is part of the Vestibular System in your inner eat.
What would happen if you changed your seat from a desk chair to a yoga ball? Would your core hold you up while you read the rest of this story?
How hard would you have to work to keep yourself upright? That’s the Proprioception System hard at work!
Types of Sensory Inputs:
Vision - sight, brightness/darkness, and types of light (sunlight, fluorescence, LED, etc.) can all impact a person differently.
Auditory—hearing, how loud or soft something is, the direction the sound is coming from, whether we’ve listened to the sound before, pitch, and type of sound (music, animal, person, etc.).
Tactile - feeling such as temperature, texture, pressure, wet/dry
Gustatory - taste (tasting the different sensations of salty, sour, sweet, bitter, and umami), licking/biting, grinding teeth, chewing
Olfactory - smell (some people with autism have a heightened sense of smell where others work)
Interoception - feelings within your body (heavy breathing, heart racing, needing to go to the bathroom, upset stomach, etc.)
Proprioception - movement with our joints and muscles “lets us know where our different body parts are, how they move, and how much strength our muscles need to use. We receive proprioceptive input from sensory receptors in our skin, muscles, and joints.” - Occupationaltherapy.com
Vestibular - “Vestibular input gives our bodies information about whether we are moving with or against gravity, fast or slow, moving or still, and what direction we're headed. From infancy through adulthood, vestibular information contributes to the development of:
muscle tone
Righting reactions
Balance
postural security
eye movements
overall alertness”
How It Impacts Those Who Are Sensitive
Sensory Processing Disorder vs Autism
Autism:
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, “Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological and developmental disorder that affects how people interact with others, communicate, learn, and behave. Although autism can be diagnosed at any age, it is described as a “developmental disorder” because symptoms generally appear in the first two years of life.”
Common Symptoms
“Difficulty with communication and interaction with other people
Restricted interests and repetitive behaviors
Symptoms that affect their ability to function in school, work, and other areas of life.”
People with Autism may also be sensitive to sensory inputs such as bright lights, loud noises, different sounds, textures, tastes, etc.
✨ However, just because someone is sensitive to various sensory inputs
does not necessarily mean they have Autism! ✨
Please talk to your doctor if you or someone you care for is experiencing sensory difficulties!
Autism is known as a spectrum because there is such a wide range of symptoms and severity that people can have!
While, for some people, it impacts your ability to understand social cues or body language, it can impede a person’s ability to develop speech or gross-motor milestones like walking.
People can have various symptoms that affect their behaviors in certain environments due to specific inputs, such as stimming when excited or anxious, hyperfocusing on a particular subject, or struggling to deal with change.
Additionally, it can impact a child’s learning ability because they process and organize details differently. However, it is essential to know that just because a person has Autism does not mean they are unable to learn!
Many times, people with Autism will be able to organize and recall details to the degree that surpasses a typically developing person, allowing them to excel in various professional fields.
Because a trait of Autism can be restrictive behaviors (specifically restricted interests), they will have an intense love and passion for their topic. Imagine spending years learning about one specific thing without getting tired or bored. You would become an expert in that field.
Temple Grandin is an excellent example of this, having spent her entire life studying animals and their behavior. Because she could understand the animals so profoundly, she made significant changes in the Livestock Industry, fighting for the welfare and handling practices of various livestock breeds.
Learn more about Temple on her website: https://www.templegrandin.com/
Sensory Processing Disorder:
According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) affects how your brain processes sensory information (stimuli), which means your sight, smell, taste, hearing, or touch. It can impact one, some, or all of your senses simultaneously. You can also be either oversensitive or undersensitive to various stimuli.
For example, a person may have difficulty recognizing that a surface they touch is too hot and will take a higher temperature to realize it than someone without SPD learning to injury.
Anyone can have aversive responses to sensory input (disliking solid smells, particular tastes, tolerance to temperature), but it does not mean you have Sensory Processing Disorder. You can also develop sensory processing issues through various other mental and physical health problems, meaning you can have these same struggles without being diagnosed with SPD.
Though anyone can have sensitivities to different stimuli, it does not qualify as a disorder unless it significantly impacts your physical, mental, social, or emotional well-being.
People with SPD can become overwhelmed due to hypersensitivity, which can lead to behavioral problems.
For example, if a tag in your shirt is scratchy and you are sensitive to that feeling, a person without SPD would be annoyed but can continue with their day. In contrast, a child with SPD could throw a tantrum, try to take their shirt off, or not focus on a task until the tag is no longer there.
Because sensory stimuli can impact balance or fine motor skills, children can struggle with walking over uneven surfaces, developing muscle or having low muscle tone, or using handheld items like toothbrushes, forks, or pencils.
People with SPD either seek or avoid sensory input. If they are undersensitive to stimuli, they will seek it out.
If they are oversensitive, however, they will avoid it. Luckily, there are various therapies and resources available that can be discussed with your doctors or other health professionals.
Autism and sensory processing disorder are two common reasons someone is sensitive to different sensory inputs. Still, those with things like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Fibromyalgia, anxiety, dementia, or other issues can impact sensory processing as well.
✨ Remember, don't hesitate to contact your doctor if you are struggling with sensory processing! ✨
How Does It Feel to Be Sensitive to Specific Sensory Inputs?
One of the best resources I have found for learning about the different sensory inputs is Twenty-One Senses, an amazing organization that aims to advance inclusion for all people with invisible disabilities.
Their site goes more in-depth about these different senses if you want to learn more! It’s essential to know about these different sensory inputs to ensure that you don’t leave any of these out when planning your area or room. I
t is important to remember that if you are dealing with multiple sensory-sensitive people, it won’t be perfect. It is nearly impossible to meet 100% of the needs of every single child 24/7.
It would also be a disservice as we prepare them for the real world. While we as educators should provide supportive environments for our students to be safe, it is also just as important, if not more important, to teach them strategies to be comfortable in the world around them.
👇🏼 Take a look at these slides to learn more about the different types of senses!
People can react to sensory inputs that are both seeking and avoiding, and sometimes even at the same time!
This can be incredibly overwhelming, and for those who already struggle with emotional regulation, it makes it even harder. Because a child or adult feels significantly uncomfortable or is even in pain or feeling very sick, it makes it extremely hard to focus.
To get an idea of what this may feel like, the National Autistic Society created a simulation.
While watching, try to determine what this child is sensitive to and what supports could be added to his day to make it easier.
Adjusting The Environment
Working With What You Got:
If you are reading this article, then you are likely like me.
You saw these amazing sensory rooms filled with swings, chairs, bubbly lights, comfortable seating, and many smiling faces. You thought, “That’s exactly what my classroom needs”! Then, I immediately started to dive into Amazon, only to realize that not only are there a vast amount of resources out there, but they are either too expensive, have terrible reviews, or won’t fit your space.
You think about Little Johnny, who tends to throw chairs at breakable objects, and suddenly, that beautiful bubbly light fixture becomes a gigantic glass-shard monster threatening the safety of everyone in the vicinity.
Then you remember that you’re a teacher with a minimal budget but the dreams of Walt Disney, and you become overwhelmed and disheartened, wanting to give up on the idea altogether. But I will tell you that while it may take some strategic planning or support from your administration, creating a supportive environment for your students is still possible on any budget!
Before making any changes to your space, make sure you understand the limits of what you can do.
This means thinking about things like fire code.
For example, the lovely blue light coverings popular on Pinterest are great for toning down harsh fluorescent light.
However, my school district’s fire departments determined they were a fire hazard, and we had to take them down.
To combat this, I went to my local Ikea and found soft standing lights for $10, found a lovely salt lamp at Michaels on sale, utilized some soft-white Christmas lights that weren’t being used, and kept my classroom lights off.
Not only could I keep my budget down while creating a much more calming and supportive space, but I was also keeping with our fire code!
If you are creating a space in a school, discuss your ideas with your administrators or department heads to ensure that your additions or changes are allowed.
Surge protectors are a must!
Standing Dividers are my go-to for a sensory-friendly space, but I had to learn the hard way about doorways and walking areas within the classroom when planning where to put my sensory area.
I had to divide my room into sections because I taught both social skills and behavior intervention at the same time.
The front of the room housed our kidney table, where students could sit together and work on social skills lessons on the projector screen.
In contrast, the back corner of the room was the sensory area for kids to practice their cool-down strategies or visit if they needed a break at any time in their day (I taught middle schoolers, so my room was very popular with my kids).
Balancing the two needs in my room was extremely difficult, but we made it work!
The dividers enabled my students to have a private area while I was teaching or working with a small group!
If you want to hear more about managing both social skills instruction and significant behavior support in the same room (yes…including moments of thrown furniture WWE style, fights, and screaming matches), keep an eye out for future posts because it was a wild ride and I learned A LOT!
That said, I had to become very realistic about what I could use in my classroom and realized that more is not always better! Just a few simple changes and some planning made a massive difference!
How to adjust your current environment or plan for a new sensory-friendly space:
Think: What are they getting out of the space?
The first thing I did was “determine my why” as our lovely administrators love to say!
For me, I need to provide a space where students can have a calming, small-group environment where they’d be able to work on skills and strategies that might make them uncomfortable (like talking about dealing with conflict or how to ask their teacher for help) while feeling safe and supported.
I also needed an area of the room where, if a student was having a big emotional moment, like sensory overload, was removed from class due to an outburst, or needed a quiet place to work without the distractions of a full classroom.
This birthed the idea of having a closed-off space in the back area of my classroom.
The kids could go there whenever they felt overwhelmed by using a designated hand signal, which included simple posters of pre-taught calming strategies, a bean bag chair, and plenty of fidgets.
The picture here shows my ELA Resource Classroom where I had cushions, a couch, picnic chairs, and tables. The kids could sit on the floor, stand, or chill on the couch to work or have a cool-down.
We also usually only had half the lights on, which isn’t shown! And, for some reason, the kids often LOVED having the lights off! The only things that were on were all my string lights, my lamp, and the board which always had some sort of relaxing video and a timer. Things looked different in the behavior classroom!
One of my FAVORITE and FREE resources for calming vibes is ClassroomScreen.com! I used this to post the directions, used the timer, included reminders, etc. It was a great way to showcase the important tasks! I tied this with some Lo-fi music and we had the ultimate relaxation zone!
Here is a quick demo of classroomscreen.com! I couldn’t recommend it more!
Designing and Decluttering the Space
One of the biggest things that I learned when completing my Master’s in Special Education is the impact that the environment has on the student's academic and emotional well-being.
I love going on social media and seeing the “back to school” posts about a new classroom theme, adorable classroom decorations, and first-year teachers getting so excited to set up their rooms for the first time.
Choosing the design and vibe for my classroom was my FAVORITE part about teaching, but I had to ensure that everything I had in my room was intentional.
While everyone wants that beautiful Pinterest-Board classroom with wall decor everywhere, bright rugs, and things hanging from the ceiling, your room may need to look different if you have students with sensory sensitivities.
These items can become distracting and distract focus from important information like anchor charts or reference posters.
For students who already need help with attention or getting overwhelmed with too many bright colors, this can be a big problem.
When designing my classroom, I had to determine the most important things I wanted to display.
These items included:
signs for classroom procedures and where different items are located (break space, games, binders, extra supplies, teacher-only cabinet, etc.)
posters for calming strategies
an area to play specific anchor charts based on our units (I did the same for when I was teaching reading and when I was teaching Social Skills).
These are the posters I used in my Behavior Intervention classroom! I post all kinds of resources, activities, nad posters on my TeachersPayTeachers! Check it out!
Because these items were already very visual, it didn’t leave much space for “extras.” Once the walls were covered with the necessary materials, I focused more on calming elements than decor elements.
For example, I wanted to utilize calming lights like a salt lamp (on my desk), soft paper lamps, and string lights to allow us to have the overhead LED lights off, creating a dim and relaxed environment.
Depending on your school district, you can also place coverings on your lights to help dim them, but mine didn’t let me.
Lastly, I made sure to keep only the essentials on the counters. The more decluttered a classroom is, the better!
This was EXTREMELY hard for me because I love the “more is more” mentality. I love bright colors, fun trinkets on shelves, and pictures everywhere.
While I could get away with this at home, I had to do the opposite in my classroom.
I loved having calming posters in my room!
Though my desk was often covered in papers (which some of my students would come and organize as a calming strategy! Two birds, one stone), every other desk or counter was nearly empty.
When I was the ELA Resource Teacher, I had the desks in various rows or groups depending on the needs of our units, but when I moved to Social Skills, I could get away with using a kidney table.
In both rooms, I had a dedicated space for their items (binders, papers to draw/write on, pens/papers), and that’s it.
Things were even more limited in my Social Skills classroom because I had nearly everything stored away in cabinets I could lock (in case a student was in a crisis and was throwing/destroying items).
The only thing in my Social Skills classroom was a small bin with pencils, coloring pencils, crayons, and the computer where they would sign in and out (more information on how I documented breaks, cool-downs, and small groups to come!). Everything else was in a locked cabinet!
Though it seemed bare, it allowed the focus to be on the calming atmosphere of soothing music, calm lighting, and posters of calming strategies instead of a ton of items strewn around.
Your students will feel more peaceful and relaxed when the area is clean and clutter-free. Think about how you feel when trying to cook in a clean kitchen versus a dirty one! It makes a difference!
✨ Remember: when designing a sensory-friendly space, the atmosphere is significantly more important than the decor. Less is more! Everything should have a place, procedures should be posted, and the different areas of your classroom should be labeled.
TIP: When thinking about purchasing items for your classroom, please check out these amazing resources first!
Donors Choose: Find a classroom to support | DonorsChoose
AdoptAClassroom: Registration | AdoptAClassroom.org
Understanding laws/ tax refunds: Tax Tips for Teachers: Deducting Out-of-Pocket Classroom Expenses - TurboTax Tax Tips & Videos (intuit.com)
Daily Structure/ Things to Keep In Mind
Fidgets:
⭐️ Using fidgets should be taught and practiced at the beginning of the year to discuss procedures and expectations! ⭐️
It is important to teach kids why people use fidgets and how they can help them learn and calm down. They need to know that these items are tools and not toys. Labeling your fidget bin as “Fidget Tools” or “Calming Tool Box” can help!
Let your students try different types of fidgets until they find one they like (even those who don’t necessarily need it!).
I know what you’re thinking - “Rachel, my students are going to be so distracted if I let EVERYONE use a fidget!” I completely understand. We already struggle with keeping our kids engaged, and fidgets can become a huge distraction. This is where the expectations and reinforcement come into play.
Because you had already taught them that these are used as tools to HELP FOCUS and calm down when upset, and that if they are getting distracted, then it isn’t something that is working for them, you already set that expectation.
When a student gets distracted during a lesson, because it inevitably will happen, let the student know that if it isn’t being used as a “focus increaser” or any other verbiage you want to use, they cannot use it during classwork or instruction.
Alternatively, it is also helpful to praise students when they are using it effectively and responsibly. It is vital to stay consistent with this! If I can convince a classroom full of second graders to responsibly use wiggle chairs and yoga balls without being mad that some got to use them and not others, you can, too!
As a side note, this is also a great avenue to teach kids about self-management, understanding themselves as learners, and recognizing when they are off task.
Flexible Seating:
You can use the same methods for fidgets as you do for flexible seating!
Things like yoga balls, wiggle cushions, standing instead of sitting, or lying on the floor need to be discussed and reinforced in your classroom.
All of your students should get the chance to use the different tools and should be instructed on how to use them (both for safety and to support their focus). Visuals like posters are also very helpful!
Classroom Rules:
Things like letting kids sit on the floor, walk around the room, lie on the floor, eat in the classroom, chew gum, listen to music, etc., are all things you can do to make your space supportive for all learners.
✨ Remember, if it is in their IEP or 504 Plan, you HAVE TO let them do it even if it goes against the school rules (i.e., gum chewing). ✨
Story Time!
Don’t worry about Mrs. Karen down the hall, who requires all of her students to sit in perfect, neat little rows and makes comments about how you let the kids “break the rules” because I’ve been in your shoes.
Not every teacher will agree with how you run your classroom, and some may be very vocal about it.
Teachers refuse to give kids accommodations, like taking breaks and eating snacks, because it “went against school rules.” I fought for years with teachers about making sure my students had their basic accommodations like graphic organizers, scheduled breaks, audiobooks, and more.
It was one of the most stressful parts of my job as a younger teacher. It seemed like it was impossible because no matter how hard I tried to show them the research, remind them of the legal obligations for following the IEPs, it still made little difference. Over time, making sure I was relentlessly advocating for my students made a huge difference.
As long as you have support from your administrators and follow the student's IEP or 504 guidelines, you’re doing great!
If you are ever having a hard time with teachers giving out accommodations, please feel free to reach out! I’d love to help!
Overall, I knew that even though I got looked down upon when they’d come into my room and see kids sitting on the floor or lying upside-down reading their books, my students were on task, their accommodations were being met, and THEY WERE HAPPY TO BE THERE!
❤️ No amount of judgment could take away the feeling of having students say things like “Your classroom feels like home” or “You make me love being at school.”
When it comes to your classroom, you need to trust yourself and follow your gut! Don’t let anyone tell you that doing what is best for your students is wrong! It may not look like a traditional classroom setting, but if it works, keep doing it!
Thank you for coming to my TED Talk!
Conclusion
Creating a sensory-friendly environment is essential for supporting students with autism, ADHD, Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), and other sensory sensitivities.
Sensory processing affects how students engage with their surroundings, influencing their ability to focus, regulate emotions, and learn effectively.
From lighting and seating arrangements to fidget tools and calming areas, small yet intentional changes can make a big difference in creating a safe, supportive, and inclusive learning space.
Designing a sensory-friendly classroom isn’t about perfection—it’s about understanding your students and making thoughtful adjustments that help them feel comfortable and successful.
Whether you’re making small changes like dimmed lighting or setting up a quiet corner for self-regulation, these strategies can transform your classroom into a space where all learners thrive.
Keep exploring, experimenting, and adapting—because every step you take toward a more inclusive classroom makes a world of difference.
