The Many Benefits of Playing in the Snow
As the season of winter is vastly approaching, snow is (potentially) in the air! While we may want to stay indoors when it is snowing, playing in the snow actually has many benefits to a child’s development (once bundled up, of course!). Playing, moving around, building and creating in the snow provides opportunities for gross and fine motor skill development, coordination, body awareness, problem-solving, and even social skills. Not to mention an overall great activity to provide sensory input.
Oral Motor Activities for Proprioceptive Input
Does your child like crunchy foods? Do they like to chew gum? Do they move their mouths
when they are overstimulated or stressed? If you see these behaviors, your child may be seeking
proprioceptive input to calm and organize their body through their oral system. Along with fun
activities like crashing into mats, jumping on a trampoline, wall pushups, and animal walks, you
can help your child receive the same proprioceptive input through oral motor activities.
What is Proprioception?
Many people consider proprioception our “sixth sense”. Proprioception allows us to sense our body’s movements and actions. It helps us determine how much force to use when holding, pushing, pulling, or lifting objects. Proprioceptive input is received throughout our muscles and joints that tells us about our movement and body position. Another way to describe proprioceptive input is heavy work. Proprioceptive input can be regulating and organizing for many children, and provide them with movement that their body is craving! This movement can help them calm their bodies down and potentially allow them to better focus on tasks.