Understand the magic of proprioception

Proprioceptive processing difficulties:

With proprioception processing difficulties it can be like their bodies can’t get enough of it. Sometimes, children that love this type of input may be labelled as hyperactive or naughty but their behaviour is related to meeting their sensory needs.

Let’s gets specific though, kids that are proprioceptive seekers may frequently:

• Chew on everything
• Hide/squeeze in tight spots
• Love heavy blankets
• Play rough (which can affect friendships)
• Crash into things on purpose
• Always try to jump on the couch or bed
• Be described as very physical or “wild”
• Over-step personal boundaries
• Hold onto writing utensils tightly (lots of pressure through the pen)

• Clumsy
• Generally low energy
• May not want to get out of bed in the morning
• Bumps into walls and objects, seeming not to notice them
• Very high pain tolerance

If your child has several signs listed above, then activities/behaviours that target proprioceptive input will be meeting their needs and encouraging their development completely.

Also, If you see a lot of these signs you may want to consider one of our specialist assessments or VIP day. 

Let’s start looking at activities! These activities can be used to alert, calm and improve focus and attention in your child, but it’s also possible that they can make a child wild, as well. Sometimes, jumping on the bed can get really silly and out of control. This will do anything but calm, and that probably isn’t what you’re going for.

If you’re looking to calm or to improve attention, then you may want to structure the activities a little bit, although this isn’t always necessary. I would try these strategies if you notice that any of the proprioceptive activities are winding up instead of winding down:

1. Sing a rhythmic song like, “The Ants Go Marching One by One…” or some other song with a steady beat while your child jumps or stomps. Jumping, in particular, can really stimulate some kids.
2. Give the activity purpose. Instead of saying, “Go run around the house”, say, “Can you run to the swing set and back?”

Now that we’ve got that cleared up, let’s look at these powerful proprioceptive activities:

• Jumping
• Trampoline (trampettes are amazing!)
• Bed
• Floor
• Couch
• Running
• Climbing
• Jungle gym
• Stairs
• Tree
• Rock wall
• Backwards up a slide
• Hanging
• Monkey bars
• Tree
• Pull up bar
• Rope swing
• From the side of a bed
• Stomping
• Bouncing on top of a large ball 
• Crab walking
• Using a pogo stick
• Pushing a scooter board (especially with hands while riding on belly)
• Kicking
• Balls

• Crawling
• Through a tunnel
• Obstacle course
• Chewing
• Gum
• bracelets, and toys
• Crunchy foods (raw veggies, pretzels, etc.)
• Chewy foods (dried fruits, gummy candy, etc.)
• Drinking through a straw
• Milkshake or smoothie (thicker drinks give even more input)
• Squeezing
• Stress ball
• Play dough
• Putty
• Stretching and pulling on a stretch band (like a yoga or pilates strap)
• Chair push ups
• Jumping jacks
• Push ups
• Rolling on belly over a large yoga ball and using arms to hold up
• Playing in a body sick
• Yoga poses 

Heavy Work Activities

Heavy work activities mean exactly what the name implies, these activities require our kids to actively use their muscles to push, pull, lift, or carry objects that are heavy. When we use our muscles in this way, it creates resistance and pressure and inadvertently turns on those proprioceptive receptors in the muscles and joints.

When you begin to think about heavy work like this, you’ll be surprised at how often the possibility presents itself! It even includes chores, music to your ears right?

Here are some ideas to inspire you:

• Push/pull heavy objects
• Laundry basket
• Wheelbarrow
• Lawn mower
• Grocery cart (could be a play version for young children)
• Vacuum
• Furniture
• Carry heavy objects
• Bags or items from grocery store/pantry
• Book bag
• Loaded boxes
• Medicine 
• Garbage bins/cans to or from the curb
• Dig
• Rake
• Shovel
• Snow
• Sand
• Leaves

• Pull on a rope
• Tie it to a door knob
• Tie to a tree
• Tie to a swing set
• Tug of war
• Load/unload the dishwasher

Deep Pressure Activities

Deep pressure activities are often passive and provide lots of calming sensations. They are often used when a child has difficulty sitting still or transitioning to different activities. But, these types of activities aren’t received well by all kids. Deep pressure also provides a lot of tactile input, and if your child is sensitive to that, deep pressure may not be a good strategy for them. They’ll let you know!

If you aren’t sure that your child will like these activities, you can experiment by just putting a lot of blankets on them or try placing a heavy object on their lap. If they seem to like it, you may want to invest in (or make) some of the weighted item below.

• Getting or giving hugs
• Rolling up tightly in blanket like a burrito
• Sitting with a weighted lap pad or toy 
• Wearing a weighted or pressure (You’ll want to make sure you get the right size and if using weights, the correct amount of weight)
• Squeezing into tight spots
• Lying under heavy objects
• Couch cushions
• Pillows
• Weighted Blanket (these are an investment, but for kids that respond well to them, they can be worth every penny.)
• Getting or giving a massage
• Joint compressions

• Use a large ball to “steam roll” over a child’s body (press firmly, be careful with head, this is discussed in this video )
• Sit or stand on a wobble cushion (great for when kids need to sit still)

*Note that weighted vests, lap pads, and toys will only be beneficial for about 20 minutes, after that, the body gets used to the weight. It is fine to use a weighted blanket throughout the night though. Do not use any weighted equipment over night. Please check the weight and get the correct weight for your child.

Must Read Tips Before Starting Proprioceptive Activities

1. Any of the activities in the above list can be used as often or as little as your child seems to need them. If you aren’t sure when your child “needs” these activities. Integrating these into a sensory lifestyle can be amazing for your child’s body and enhance their day to day engagement.
2. These proprioceptive activities will work for kids of all ages, but you may need to adjust them to fit your child’s development. For instance, an 8 year old can push the cart while you’re in the grocery store, but your 2 year old could use a play cart at home with a couple of heavy cans in it. For a 17 year old it may be using resistance training and weights to increase their input.

3. About half of the activities above are actively controlled by your child. Meaning, they decide how long and hard to run, how many times to jump on the bed, or how many boxes they can pick up. This is ideal because they are determining what is the best level of input for their needs, and they know that better than anyone. However, some of these activities give passive proprioceptive input, like giving joint compression, a hug, or a massage. You have to watch for cues that your child isn’t uncomfortable or disliking the input you’re offering.

Few, that's a lot of information right? But proprioception can make a huge difference to a child if us a therapists, parents and educators get it right for them and integrate it pro actively into day to day life!