Ideas for calm SEN-friendly weekend activities for three children

[Helpingoutwithasdkids]

Does anyone have any ideas for nice activities for children with SEN? We have offered to start helping with my dsis 3 dc once a week so she can have a break with her DP as they are both carers and totally exhausted.

They will be coming to us so that Dsis can rest at home if she wants to. She told me they really just wouldn’t even mind watching their iPads or playing with Lego but it’s up to me what I do as she doesn’t want it to be too much hard work for us. She said the most important thing to keep them calm is the correct food and drink as all 3 have ARFID (also ASD and ADHD) and one has to eat totally separately to the others. Plus sticking to the same times for things and schedules.

I was thinking maybe to just get some nice arts and crafts bits to just have out if they want to use them rather than a structured activity and we are getting the garden sorted out and made safe too so that they have an outdoor space to explore / relax in. It’s just for one full day every weekend. Are there any other calming activities that might be good? I understand that dsis is anxious we don’t have a difficult time that’s what she suggested Lego or iPads but I want to offer some other things too.

Park/ walk with a picnic

Don't overcomplicate things

Also, can't help but wonder, if your sister thinks that 3 Sen kids are 'happy with ipads' it's perhaps contributing to their problems?

Just a thought

Do any of them put small objects in their mouths? My autistic 11 year old loves building things out of those big plastic shapes that attach with magnets. He also likes washing up liquid and water in a bowl with a whisk that you turn the handle to make bubbles.

Park/walk with a picnic.

Might be idyllic.

Might be:

One runs off.
Two get into a fight with each other over the one desirable piece of play equipment.
One (has been retrieved).won't go on any play equipment.
One won't get off the play equipment.
One is scared of dogs. Another keeps approaching them.
One won't eat any of the food.
One eats all the tomatoes and is full yet starving half an hour later.
One has no road sense at all.

Again, do not ask me how I know 😂.

You sound really kind.

Both of my little children are autistic, a boy and a girl and we do very low demand things so if you did baking or painting as a ‘big activity’ they’d possibly just want to chill doing Lego etc for the rest of the time. My son will do Lego for hours. Colouring is popular, there’s a website called Monday Mandala where you can print off free colouring sheets based on their interests-Disney characters, hot wheels, transformers, squishmallows etc which I find useful.

Hope it goes well.