OT-reviewed Parent-tested

The Free Printable Sensory Diet Template

One page, six time blocks, no email wall. Print it, fill in one activity per row, and stick it on the fridge tonight.

Written byMaya Ellison

Medically reviewed byDana Whitfield, OTR/L

Last reviewed August 1, 2026 · every clinical claim checked by a licensed pediatric OT

Verified accurate as of August 1, 2026

No sign-up, no email — prints cleanly onto one sheet of A4 or Letter.

The blank template

Six rows is the whole system. Write one activity per row, in pencil, and change it when the week changes. A sensory diet fails from complexity far more often than from the wrong activity.

Blank sensory diet template — one activity per block
Time block	Minutes	Did it?
Wake up	5 min	☐
Before leaving the house	5 min	☐
Mid-morning	3 min	☐
After school	15 min	☐
Before homework or dinner	5 min	☐
Bedtime wind-down	10 min	☐

A filled-in example to copy

This is the version most families land on for a school-age child who seeks movement. Swap the activity column, keep the timings.

Worked example: school-age sensory seeker
Time block	Activity	Minutes	Input type
Wake up	Wall push-ups ×10	5	Proprioceptive
Before leaving the house	Weighted backpack carry to the car	5	Proprioceptive
Mid-morning	Chair push-ups at the desk	3	Proprioceptive
After school	Trampoline or garden crash pad	15	Vestibular
Before homework or dinner	Wobble cushion and chewy snack	5	Oral / vestibular
Bedtime wind-down	Weighted lap pad during a story	10	Deep pressure

How to use it in the first two weeks

Fill in only the three blocks around your hardest transitions. Leave the rest blank.
Run those three every day for a week without judging whether they are working.
Add the remaining blocks in week two, then tick and date the sheet each evening.
Review after four weeks. Most families see the first change between weeks two and four — abandoning it after three days is the most common reason a workable plan gets binned.

The full reasoning behind each block, plus age-banded activity lists, lives in the sensory diet guide. If a term on the sheet is unfamiliar, the sensory glossary defines it in a sentence, and the sensory toys guide covers the equipment each block needs.

Use or share this template

Free for parents, teachers, and therapists to print and distribute. If you publish it, please credit and link back.

Citation

Sensory Steps. "Free Printable Sensory Diet Template." Reviewed by Dana Whitfield, OTR/L. https://sensorysteps.site/sensory-diet-template

Link / embed code

<a href="https://sensorysteps.site/sensory-diet-template">Free printable sensory diet template — Sensory Steps</a>

Canonical URL: https://sensorysteps.site/sensory-diet-template

Questions parents ask about the template

Is this sensory diet template really free?

Yes. There is no email wall and no account. Print it, photocopy it, and hand it to a teacher or therapist — we only ask that reposted copies link back to this page.

Can schools and therapists use this template with clients?

Yes. Occupational therapists, teaching assistants, and SENCOs are welcome to print it for individual children and to include it in a home programme, with a credit line to Sensory Steps.

How many activities should go in the template?

One activity per block, six blocks a day. A template that lists three options per block reliably gets abandoned in the first week because the adult has to make a decision every time.

How do I know which activities to write in?

Pick from the age-banded schedule in our sensory diet guide, then match the input type to the system your child seeks or avoids. Heavy work suits almost every profile as a starting point.

Keep reading

Start with the sensory tools by sensory system guide, then go deeper: