Sensory Break Choice Board
Six break options covering movement, deep pressure, oral input, and quiet, so a student can say what their body needs by pointing. Swap the options for the equipment your room actually has before you print it.
- 6 options
- Free printable PDF
- Editable in browser
US Letter, portrait, 2in cards.
When to use this board
Bring this out at the moment a break is offered, whether that is on a schedule, at the student's request, or when an adult spots the early signs of overload. The choice is what turns a break from something done to a student into something they direct.
Two children who look equally overloaded can need opposite things. One needs to move hard and fast, the other needs to be still under something heavy. Asking in pictures settles that question in a couple of seconds, where guessing wrong costs the rest of the lesson.
Six options is a lot to scan mid-overload. Plenty of teams keep the six-option board for calm practice and planning, then print a three-option version for the days when scanning is the problem.
Only put equipment on the board that is genuinely within reach. A pictured swing in a building with no swing is worse than a shorter board, because the student learns that the pictures are decorative.
Cards that fit this board
The slots print at 1.5, 2, or 3 inches square, the same sizes the free PECS card templates cut to, so a card from either set lands on either board. Print the blank Velcro version above, add a hook-and-loop dot to each slot, and swap the options as the day changes.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a sensory choice board?
- It is a board of sensory break options shown as pictures, so a student can choose the input they want rather than accepting whichever break an adult picked for them. It suits students who cannot easily explain what their body needs.
- How is this different from a sensory diet?
- A sensory diet is the whole plan, usually written with an occupational therapist, covering what a student needs and when. This board is one tool inside that plan: the moment where the student chooses between the options the plan already allows.
- How long should a sensory break last?
- School teams commonly time breaks in single-digit minutes and use a visual timer so the end is predictable. Where an occupational therapist has written a plan, follow the length in that plan rather than a general rule.
- Can parents use this board at home?
- Yes, and the after-school stretch is often where it helps most. Fill the six squares with what exists in your house, whether that is the trampoline in the garden, a chewy necklace, or a quiet room with the lights off.
- Does a sensory board fit an ABA programme?
- It does. Behavior analysts use choice boards as an antecedent strategy, and a break board also functions as a running preference assessment that shows which sensory input a student reaches for most often.
- Is the sensory choice board free to print?
- Yes. It prints free in US Letter and A4, in portrait or landscape, and you can change every picture and label first. Nothing is gated behind an email address.
Related templates
Calm Down Choices
Six regulation options on one board, so a student who cannot generate a strategy under stress can point to one instead. Print it as it stands, or change the options to match what actually works in your classroom or at home.
Free Time Choices
Six activities a student can choose from during free play or centers, shown as pictures rather than asked as a question. Change the six to whatever is genuinely available in your room today.
Feelings Choices
Six emotions on one board so a student can show how they feel by pointing. Useful at check-in, after an incident, and any time a question about feelings would otherwise get no answer at all.