Joint and Muscle Activity

Did You Know That Heavy Muscle and Joint Activities Calms And Organizes The Body?

Crawling, pushing, pulling, lifting, climbing and "crashing" all provide input to receptors deep in the muscles and joints that provide calming input to the body. Just like using the fitness equipment or weights at a health club, the "just right" feeling is still around 2 hours after the workout. Children get this same "ahh this feels right" feeling by doing play activities that give them this input. By providing this type of regular input it would be possible to feel "just right" throughout the waking hours. Work with a therapist to develop this type of "sensory diet" for your children. When in doubt, "move, move, move!"

Some Activities include:

*Jumping on a trampoline large and small

*Using a 3 or 5 lb medicine ball to play basketball or hold when jumping

*Crawling though tunnels

*Climbing Activities

*Wheelbarrow walking

*Walking over a ball on hands, bouncing on a large ball