Sensory-rich ideas and inspiration for neurodiverse, PMLD, SEND and sensory learners to celebrate the month of November including Anti-bullying Week, Bonfire Night, National Stress Awareness Day, LS Lowry and more!
Dates At A Glance
Nov 1 Anniversary of the unveiling of the Sistine Chapel
Nov 1 Birthdate of LS Lowry
Nov 2 National Stress Awareness Day
Nov 10-14 Anti-bullying Week
Nov 23 National Plant a Tree Week
Nov 2 National Stress Awareness Day
These Sensory Calming Strategies (Bubble Breathing, Stretch & Release, Stillness Invitations, and Warmth & Cool Contrast) are practical tools that support the goals of National Stress Awareness Day—an annual observance held on the first Wednesday of November to raise awareness of stress’s impact and promote effective self-management techniques.
Each activity offers an exploration focus—an opportunity for learners to engage with internal sensations through gentle, sensory-led experiences that support regulation and choice.
Exploration Focus:
Bubble Breathing
To explore breath control by engaging with bubble play, noticing how different breathing patterns affect the bubbles produced.
Stretch & Release
To participate in gentle stretch and release movements, developing awareness of internal sensations related to tension and relaxation.
Stillness Invitations
To engage with a calming sensory environment and experience moments of stillness, with opportunities for choice-led participation.
Warmth & Cool Contrast
To experience safe temperature contrasts and begin to notice internal bodily reactions to warmth and coolness.
On this Day in History
Nov 1st 1887 – Birthdate of LS Lowry
English painter LS Lowry as well-known for his matchstick figures
Choose a background then cut and stick the silhouettes below onto your chosen background to re-create an inclusive Lowry masterpiece.
Tip
Add an extra sensory element by cutting your templates from sensory materials: thin sponge, felt, sandpaper etc
On This Day in History
Nov 1st 1512 – The Unveiling of Michelangelo’s Ceiling Painting in the Sistine Chapel
Michaelangelo painted a total of 343 figures on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
Many people believe Michelangelo painted the ceiling lying on his back, he actually stood on scaffolding and used long brushes and craned his neck to reach.
Sensory Activity
You will need
- Cardboard
- Masking tape
- Paints
- Paintbrushes/rollers
- Paper
- Tape the paper to the cardboard the hold above the student’s head.
- Can the student reach out using their brushes and rollers to create a painting?
- Can the student lie on their back and paint above their head?
This activity can also be done using whiteboards and pens.
Did you know?
Previously, the ceiling was painted blue and covered with golden stars. This activity could be simplified by painting a blue background then sticking pre-gummed stars onto the ‘sky’
Nov 10 – 14 Anti-bullying Week
Antibullying – A Sensory Story for Neurodiverse, PMLD, SEND and Sensory Learners
This resource has been created to support inclusive, multisensory engagement, creativity, and connection with sensory learners. By interweaving tactile props, soundscapes, and movement, the story and activities invite meaningful communication, choice-making, and sensory exploration—offering story explorers a rich, embodied way to experience anti-bullying themes.
The couplets have been gently grouped into a narrative arc:
- Voice and greeting
- Turn-taking and sharing
- Boundaries and emotional awareness
- Movement and kindness
- Belonging and collective care
This resource also includes ideas for themed art collaboration, offering creative ways for learners to express themselves through shared visual projects that echo the story’s sensory themes. These collaborative activities can extend the narrative into paint, texture, and form, deepening connection, and celebrating each learner’s unique contribution.
Due to its simplicity and rhythmic clarity, this resource can be used as part of a daily circle time routine as well as a standalone story experience. Its flexible format allows facilitators to revisit key themes regularly supporting emotional literacy, sensory engagement, and inclusive connection in everyday classroom moments.
Rooted in a commitment to accessibility, and emotional resonance, each couplet offers a sensory prompt that gently guides the story participants through a journey where they can explore Anti-Bullying themes and togetherness through a multisensory lens and connect in a space where every sense is welcome.
Nov 23
National Plant a Tree Week
Share a Tree Poem
November Nature
November is the last full month of Autumn.
Autumn Sensory Walk
Head outdoors for an Autumn walk or forage around your outdoor learning area:
Find five different items to look at
Find four different items to touch
Find three sounds to listen to
Find two things to smell
Find one items to taste
What to look for in Nature in November Acorns, Apples, Animal Tracks, Apples, Bark, Beech, Berries, Birds, Bracken, Brambles, Bugs Colours, Conkers, Elderberries, Frost, Fruits, Fungi, Geese Greenfinch, Halloween, Hazelnuts, Hedgehogs, Horse Chestnut Tree, Hops, Insects, Leaves, Mist, Moss, Nuts, Oak Tree, Pears, Pinecones, Seeds, Sloes, Squirrels, Starling, Swallows, Sycamore Seeds (‘Spinners’), Tracks, Trees and Twigs.
Autumn Leaves
In November the outdoor areas will be carpeted with leaves.
- Promote gross motor skills, rake, and sweep the leaves!
- See how many different coloured and shaped leaves you can find. Catch the student match the leaves?
- Paint the leaves.
- Make a leaf collage.
November Music
- Listening to music enhances mood and aids concentration. Play low background music during snack time, when baking and when engaging in arts and craft activities.
- Take a portable speaker and bubbles into the outdoor area at break and lunch time. Have a mini disco!
- Listening to music provides the opportunity to explore different artists and genres of music and invites the sensory explorer to have a little dance, move their body and feel good!
Theme your Music by Month
(please check suitability of lyrics)
“November Rain” by Guns N’ Roses
“November” by Tom Waits
“Gone Till November” by Wyclef Jean
“November Song” by Yerin Baek
“November” by Azure Ray
“November Blue” by The Avett Brothers
“Rose Hip November” by Vashti Bunyan
Theme Music by Artists Born in October
3rd Nov: Vincenzo Bellini (Italian opera composer)
5th Nov: Art Garfunkel
6th Nov: James Bowman (English tenor famous for singing in Handel’s operas)
12th Nov: Neil Young (Canadian singer-songwriter)
14th Nov: Aaron Copland (American composer)
16th Nov: Paul Hindemith (German composer)
18th Nov: Carl von Weber (German composer)
22nd Nov: Benjammin Britten (British composer)
21st Nov: Coleman Hawkins (American jazz saxophonist)
23rd Nov: Manuel de Falla (Spanish composer) 26th Nov: Tina Turner
Nov 27th: Jimi Hendrix
Nov 28th: Jean Baptiste Lully (French composer)
Theme Music by Historical Musical Events in November
Nov 6th Belgian Adolphe Sax invented the saxophone
Nov 20th1805 Beethoven’s opera ‘Fidelio’ is staged for the first time in Vienna
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‘Autumn – A Multisensory Exploration’
Explore the sights, sounds, smells and textures of Autumn with this multisensory story.