Does your child appear clumsy? Do they run into objects or people? Do they have a hard time carrying multiple objects at once without dropping anything? Do they have a hard time imitating motor movements such as animal walks or simple dancing? All of these may be a
sign that they are having a hard time processing proprioceptive input. Proprioception is the sense of where our bodies are in space. For example, if you’re sitting down, you may sense that your left leg is crossed over your right and your right arm is bent at the elbow with your head resting on your hand. All of this is sensed without even looking! The receptors for proprioception are found within our muscles, joints, and tendons. Kids who have difficulty with proprioception are having a hard time processing whast their receptors are telling them! Here are some activities to work on processing that proprioceptive input to improve their body awareness.
Simon Says
During Simon Says ask your child to point to body parts, imitate poses, or imitate movement patterns. Here are some examples:
a. "Simon says touch your elbow!"
b. "Simon says waddle like a penguin!"
c. "Simon says do tree pose!"
Songs
A fun way to work on body awareness is following song movements! Songs such as the "hokey pokey," "head, shoulders, knees, and toes" and "tooty ta" are all great for learning novel motor patterns and identifying body parts! If these are too easy for your kiddo, GoNoodle on youtube has a great variety of interactive dance videos for older kids!
Obstacle Courses
Obstacle courses are a common activity in therapy sessions because they can address so many areas of motor development all at once, and body awareness is a big one! An obstacle course where you have to maneuver around, over, or under items is a great challenge for proprioceptive functioning. Setting up hurdles to step over or do animal walks over is a great example. It's a great challenge to get over the hurdles without knocking one over or even touching it! Using a narrow hallway and attaching strings or painters tape from one side to the other is another fun activity idea; try using your ninja skills to get down the hallway without touching a "laser beam!" Or try crawling under the coffee table without touching it with your back or head!
Animal Walks
Animal walks are another common tool in the therapist tool box! Not only do they work on strengthening and motor planning, but they are also a great way to work on body awareness! Animal walks give a lot of proprioceptive input due to the weightbearing most of the animal walks require! Some of the most common animal walks are:
-Frog Hops
-Bear Walk
-Polar Bear Walk (bear walk but backwards!)
-Crab Walk
-Donkey Kicks
-Wheelbarrow Walk (technically not an animal but still a great one!)
Here is a great website with descriptions and visuals of many animal walks! Animal Walk Examples
One fun way to do animal walks at home is setting up puzzle pieces on one end of the room and the puzzle board on the other side of the room. Do an animal walk to one side to pick up several pieces (have the child put them in their pocket or a small fanny pack!) and then animal walk back to the puzzle board. Keep going until all the puzzle pieces are collected and the puzzle is complete!
Another idea is to make a visual linking the numbers on a dice to a certain animal walk. For example, rolling a 1 would be a bear walk, rolling a 2 would be bear walk. Let the child roll the dice and see what they get!
Yoga Poses
Yoga poses are another great way to practice novel motor movements while also often working on balance and strengthening! Some fun poses to try are: warrior pose, tree pose, bow pose, and crescent moon pose. Check out this link with great visuals for many poses: Namaste Kid Yoga Poses.
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