I’ll admit it: when our grant team asked me to help set up two “sensory classrooms” at Warren Wilson College (WWC), I said yes without much enthusiasm. The suggestion to convert two classrooms came as part of an Endeavor mini-grant funded through the Endeavor Lab Colleges (ELC) that explored play as a form of pedagogy. I pictured fidget toys clicking through discussion and students coloring instead of listening. Classrooms already have plenty of distractions, so why would we want to add more?
Although I was reluctant to take on this project, I did understand why the idea mattered. Like most colleges, WWC has expanded its wellness offerings in recent years, and like most colleges, nearly all of that support lives outside the classroom. Data from the national Healthy Minds Study show steady increases in depression and anxiety among college students over the past decade. More of our students are also neurodivergent, and for many of them, moving, fidgeting, or doodling is how they stay regulated enough to listen at all. Universal Design for Learning has pushed many of us to build flexibility into how we teach, but we rarely ask how it feels to sit in our classrooms day after day.
Setup
So, I kept it simple. I bought quiet fidget tools, adult coloring books and colored pencils, weighted lap pads, and a variety of bright posters for the walls that signaled the importance of both diversity and community. I also bought a lot of hand sanitizer. Over spring break, the materials went into two shared classrooms in two different buildings, stored in a cabinet or box that anyone could reach. Because several faculty taught in those rooms, I emailed each of them to explain what was there and to ask for five minutes of class time to survey their students before introducing the sensory materials. Three of my own classes took part – one in the sensory classroom and the other two through materials that traveled with me and came out regularly. None of the sensory materials were tied to a syllabus or an accommodation letter, and no student had to explain why they wanted to use something. The materials were just there for them.
The results of the first survey surprised me. Of the 69 students who responded, more than three-quarters said they benefit from being able to move or fidget while learning. They were also blunt about the rooms. One student called a classroom sterile and uncomfortable, writing that they were always fidgeting or getting distracted “because there is nothing else in the room to focus on.” Another asked for the walls to be painted “a color that does not resemble a psych ward.” The students I had worried about distracting seemed to already be distracted.
Over the semester, the posters and items became ordinary, but the students seemed to continue to feel special. Many repeatedly thanked me for the fidget toys. One student started bringing her own items and giving me feedback on what I should purchase next if I had more money. Many students took advantage of the coloring pages.
Small Changes - Big Impact
A follow-up survey of students in one of the sensory classrooms showed:
The posters mattered more than I expected. More than three-quarters agreed the room signaled that diverse identities and perspectives were valued, up from about a quarter in the first survey.
Nearly half said the visuals helped them feel engaged, compared with about one in ten in the first survey.
One student wrote that the environment felt “welcoming and warm” and that the coloring books were “sweet.”
16 of the 18 students reported having used at least one sensory item.
No one reported being bothered by classmates who used them.
Several stated that they liked having the option.
While all of this was more encouraging than conclusive, it spoke to the way students felt when someone took the time to make their space more welcoming.
Not everything worked, of course. The weighted lap pads went almost entirely unused, and some students pointed out bigger problems such as accessibility issues, harsh lighting, and uncomfortable chairs that no mini-grant can solve, but they did spark a conversation about where to go next.
Initial Conclusions from a Simple Pilot:
I started this project worried that sensory materials would pull students away from learning. I ended it seeing them as a way to help students engage. I was concerned about distracting students and realized that distractions already came in the form of bare walls and unfocused energy. A bin of fidget tools, coloring books and some posters cannot solve the mental health challenges our students face, but they can signal that we care, even if we can’t fix everything that is wrong with our buildings. Sensory supports are one simple way to make the classroom itself a site of care. I hope this one-page guide helps faculty who want to try this. It covers what to buy, what to skip, and how to introduce the materials without stigma. With money remaining from the mini-grant we have plans to expand this into more classrooms and I’m grateful to the ELC and the Endeavor Foundation for giving a skeptic room to be proven wrong.
Dr. Susan Ortiz, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Warren Wilson College.