Sensory Seeking: What It Means and How to Support Your Child

In this post you will learn about sensory seeking and how to support your child.

Does your child crash into furniture, chew on everything, or spin in circles for fun?

Are they constantly moving, touching, or climbing—even when everyone else seems ready to wind down?

If so, you’re not alone—and your child may be a sensory seeker.

Understanding sensory seeking behavior can feel overwhelming at first, but once you learn what your child is telling you through their body, everything begins to click. This post will guide you through what sensory seeking means, why it happens, and how you can lovingly support your child’s unique sensory needs.

What Is Sensory Seeking?

Sensory seeking is a form of sensory processing where the nervous system craves more input—more movement, more pressure, more sound, more texture.

Kids who are sensory seekers often:

Touch everything around them
Jump, climb, crash, and spin often
Prefer loud environments or make lots of noise
Chew on clothing or objects
Have trouble sitting still or focusing without movement
Thrive on intense play like roughhousing, heavy lifting, or swinging

While it might look like misbehavior or hyperactivity, sensory seeking is not a discipline issue. It’s your child’s way of saying, “I need more input to feel okay in my body.”

Why Does Sensory Seeking Happen?

We all take in sensory information from the world through our senses—sight, sound, touch, taste, smell, movement, and body awareness. But for sensory seekers, their brains process this information differently. They may not feel certain input as intensely as others do—so they seek out more.

Think of it like needing a higher volume to hear the same music. Sensory input helps your child’s brain and body feel regulated, alert, or calm. If they don’t get enough, they feel ungrounded, scattered, or even anxious.

How to Support a Sensory Seeker

Supporting your sensory seeker doesn’t mean eliminating their behaviors—it means giving them safe, purposeful, and empowering ways to get the input they need.

Here are nurturing, practical strategies you can try:

1. Create a Sensory Toolkit at Home

Offer tools and activities that match your child’s sensory needs:

Weighted blankets or stuffed animals
Chewable necklaces or gum
Fidget toys or squishy balls
Resistance bands or compression vests
👉 Check out My Sensory Tools Guide for a full, printable list you can post on your fridge or share with teachers.

2. Use Movement Breaks Throughout the Day

Kids with sensory needs need to move—especially before tasks that require focus.
Try:

Animal walks (bear crawl, crab walk, frog jumps)
Chair pushups or wall pushes
Jumping jacks, trampoline time, or yoga poses
👉 Want visuals? Grab these ready-to-go Movement Break Cards to print and use today.

3. Offer Heavy Work Activities

These are gold for proprioceptive input (body awareness) and help calm and focus your child.
Ideas:

Carrying groceries or laundry
Pulling a wagon or pushing a bin of toys
Doing an obstacle course or wheelbarrow walking
👉 These are all included in the Sensory and Movement Break Cards Choice Boards.

4. Build Routines Around Regulation

Instead of waiting for meltdowns, add sensory input before transitions:

Morning energizer: trampoline or jumping
Pre-dinner heavy work
Bedtime sensory calming (like lavender lotion and deep pressure hugs)

5. Give Them a Voice

If your child can’t yet say “I need to move,” give them a way to show it.

✅ Visual cards
✅ Body clues posters
✅ “I need a break” choice boards
👉 Download our FREE Quick Guide to Identifying and Responding to Sensory Needs here.

A Gentle Word for the Overwhelmed Parent

If you’ve been wondering what’s “wrong” or feeling like you’re constantly managing chaos, please hear this: There’s nothing wrong with your child. They just experience the world differently.

And there’s nothing wrong with you either. You’re learning a new language—one that isn’t often taught in parenting books or schools.

Supporting a sensory seeker is not about “fixing” them—it’s about helping them feel safe, understood, and empowered in their own body.

💛 Want Even More Support?

Grab this FREE Sensory Processing Disorder Checklist to help you identify possible sensory challenges across all 8 sensory systems.

This printable checklist gives you clarity on signs like:

Sensory seeking behaviors
Avoidance or shutdown
Clumsiness, picky eating, high pain tolerance, noise sensitivity, and more
Includes tactile, vestibular, proprioceptive, auditory, visual, smell, taste, and interoception signs

Use it to:

Talk with your child’s care team or teachers
Notice patterns at home
Better understand what your child is experiencing
Start taking action to support them—without guessing

This isn’t about labeling—it’s about seeing your child clearly and showing up for them with confidence.

Sensory Support Tools You’ll Love

Looking for ready-to-use tools to support your sensory-seeking child?
Here are our most popular sensory regulation resources:

Support That Grows With You

This post is part of our Sensory Regulation Blog Path, designed to walk you step-by-step through understanding, identifying, and responding to your child’s sensory needs. I will be writing entire series for you to understand and support sensory needs.

You’re Not Alone

Whether you're a parent, therapist, or teacher—you’re doing important work.
Let’s build a world where sensory needs are understood, respected, and supported.

With love,
Sara
Occupational Therapist + Mama + Creator of Learning for a Purpose