Creative Mindful Activities to Support PMLD and Sensory Learners’ Wellbeing

Art sessions with learners with PMLD can drift towards the finished product: a picture for the wall, a target ticked off. Mindful creative time works the other way round. What matters is the squelch of the paint, the weight of a bottle in their hands, the colour spreading across the page.

You'll come away with 10 activities to try, from sensory bottles and bubble painting to a rainbow walk that collects coloured leaves on sticky tape. Each can be adapted so a learner takes part with the smallest movement, like pressing a switch that works an electric whisk. You'll also see how to fit a short, predictable session into the day, opening and closing it the same way each time, and how to set wellbeing targets instead of learning ones.

The ideas come from a teacher with 27 years' experience with learners with PMLD.