Winter sports often feel different for sensory kids—and parents notice it right away. Children who struggle with overheating, overwhelm, or emotional shutdown during other seasons may suddenly seem calmer, more regulated, and able to engage longer in cold-weather activities.

In this episode, we explore why winter can be so regulating, how different winter sports impact the nervous system, and how parents can use a Sensory Emotional Lens to support connection, confidence, and joy—without pressure or pushing.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• Why cold weather, fresh air, and movement can have a powerful organizing effect on the nervous system

• How different Sensory Emotional Personalities experience winter sports—and why the same activity can feel regulating for one child and overwhelming for another

• The hidden sensory demands of common winter activities like skiing, snowboarding, skating, sledding, and snowshoeing

• How sensory sensitivity, sensory seeking, motor planning, and postural challenges shape a child’s response to winter sports

• Practical, OT-informed strategies to help you find the just-right challenge for your child

• How shifting from “pushing participation” to understanding experience can transform winter into a season of connection and growth

The goal isn’t to push children to “get used to” winter sports—it’s to understand them.

When we approach winter activities with curiosity instead of pressure, we gain insight into our children’s nervous systems. That understanding allows us to support regulation, confidence, connection, and joy, not just participation.

Join our community!

@TheSensoryEmotional_OT on ⁠Instagram⁠

@GreatKidsPlace on ⁠Instagram⁠ & ⁠Facebook⁠

Visit our Learning Center 

We know that sensory-motor experiences play a significant role in a child’s daily life and emotional well-being. Using playful interactions, The Sensory Emotional Center of Learning is designed to bring our therapeutic model, the Sensory Emotional EngageMent Frame of Reference, into your home or work.

https://www.sensoryemotionalcenteroflearning.com

Want more resources? Please visit our blog: https://greatkidsplace.com/category/blog/

and https://sensoryemotional.org/

About

AnnMarie Murphy, OTD, OT/L, PNAP

Occupational Therapist, Great Kids Place

Co-Director, Sensory-motor Emotional EngageMent

AnnMarie is an Occupational Therapist and Assistant Professor at FDU, where she teaches mental health, neuroscience, and pediatrics. She holds a doctoral degree in occupational therapy, specializes in the evaluation and treatment of Sensory Processing Disorder, and is a fellow of Michele Parkins, MS, OTR/L, IMH-E.

Her background also includes a degree in Psychology, supporting her focus on social-emotional development, parent stress, and family dynamics.

A Tribute to Michele Parkins, MS, OTR/L, IMH-E®

Founder, Great Kids Place and the Sensory-motor Emotional EngageMent Frame of Reference

Michele Parkins dedicated her life to supporting children and families with sensory processing and social-emotional challenges. As both a professional and a parent of two sensory children, she combined expertise with deep personal understanding.

Passionate about empowering families and mentoring therapists, Michele taught internationally, consulted with schools, and co-authored a chapter in the 3rd edition of Sensory Integration: Theory and Practice, the leading textbook in the field. At the time of her passing, she was writing books to help families recognize their Sensory Emotional Personality styles and discover strength and joy within them.

Though gone too soon, Michele’s legacy endures in the lives she touched, the community she built, and the vision she entrusted us to carry forward.