Proprioception is one of the most important senses when it comes to movement. Our senses allow our bodies to take in information form our environment: so our vision allow us to see the faces of our friends and family, our hearing allows us to listen to our favorite music, our sense of touch tells how soft that fuzzy blanket we love is, our sense of smell tells us when mom is in the kitchen baking an apple pie, and our sense of taste allow us to truly appreciate how delicious that pie is. But, believe it or not we have more than these 5 basic senses, in fact, there are 8! Yep I said 8.
In addition to sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch we have: interoception which is knowing how our bodies feel on the inside. Is my mouth dry? Is my heart racing? Is my stomach growling? Our interoception system allows us to take care of our body providing it what it needs to feel better. If my stomach is grumbling I can eat, and if my mouth is dry I can get a drink of water.
Next we have our vestibular system which is made up of a set of specialized structures in our inner ear that communicate with our brains. The vestibular system’s job is to detect when our heads move in any direction as well as the acceleration or deceleration of our bodies. And because the vestibular system can detect these movements, it is an essential part of our body’s ability to balance and coordinate movements.
The last sense, and the one we are focusing on today is proprioception. Proprioception is the ability to know where my body is in space whether that is at rest or during movement. Proprioception is detected by specialized cells located in our bones, tendons, and joints. These cells are constantly monitoring the position of our limbs and reporting this information to our brains. If my proprioceptive system is working well, I can close my eyes and know exactly where my hand is in relation to my body as I move it around in front of me. Without our proprioceptive systems we would not be able to maintain balance, move within our environment, or perform coordinated movements.
Babies and children develop the ability to know where their bodies are in space through, you guessed it, Experience! From the minute babies are born they are experiencing and learning about movement. Every time we pick a baby up, rock them, or bounce them we are activating their little sensory systems. When they begin rolling, crawling and creeping they are activating their vestibular and proprioceptive systems and learning about where their body is in space. I think it is a common misconception that the importance of movement and exercise for babies and children is only related to developing things like strength, endurance, and gross motor skills. It is not. The sensory system needs this movement just as much!
As a PT, I come into contact with a lot of kids that struggle with their proprioceptive systems and knowing where their bodies are in space. The best of example of this is children walking in line at school. When I observe students doing this, I often see a child that is bouncing off the wall as they walk, or pushing up against the wall and sliding down the hall. This behavior tells me that there may be something going on with their proprioceptive system. Most likely they can’t quite figure out where their little bodies are so they are using the wall to tell them. And if you think about it, it makes sense. If I don’t intuitively know where I am, bumping into stuff or sliding down the wall gives me more sensory input to help me understand where I am.
Wondering why children can have issues with knowing where there bodies are in space? Well here are a few common reasons:
- If babies and children do not get enough exposure to movement because they spend too much time in positional equipment like car seats and baby seats they don’t get those valuable experiences that allow their sensory systems to grow and develop as they should. In the therapy community we have a name for this, Container Baby Syndrome. Babies are created to explore and move around their environment. And while short periods of time in positional equipment is understandable, I am a mom of 3. I used the bouncy seat so I could get dinner prepared. The problem occurs when babies spend extended periods of time in these devices instead of moving and exploring.
- Many of the special needs kids I work with miss out on a lot of this important movement. They are often times super fragile during their first years of life due to a premature birth or complex medical condition making this free exploration difficult. But, once they are no longer in this fragile condition it is so very important to help and allow them to move around and play like any other kiddo. This active play that kids seek out is how they develop these sensory systems along with their muscles and joints.
There are also specific medical conditions that impact a child’s ability to process and regulate sensory information. Conditions such as sensory processing disorder, autism, and ADHD are just a few. If you suspect that your child has this type of condition, you should seek out advice from your medical provider. Occupational Therapists are experts in the field of sensory processing and sensory integration and can provide you with a wealth of information and support.
So, how do we help a child learn about where their body is in space if they are having difficulty? While there are numerous strategies that therapists use, one of the simplest activities is Heavy Work. I describe heavy work as any activity that involves pushing, pulling, or lifting. These type of activities activate those important proprioceptors in our muscles, bones, and joints.
And the beauty of heavy work is that not only does it activate a child’s proprioceptive system to help them figure out where they are in space, it also has a calming and organizing effect on the body. This calming and organizing effect can help improve focus and maintaining attention. Heavy work activities also require the use of core and postural muscles which give then the added benefit of improve strength. Sounds like a double win to me!
Let’s take a look at some simple heavy work activities. A free printable of all the activities listed below is available here.
For kids with movement limitations or students that need to stay in their desks, there are lots of heavy work activities that can be done in the sitting position.
- You can play with Play Doh: squeezing, rolling, and forming it into shapes provides great resistance. For even more resistance trade out the play doh for therapy putty.
- You can do resistive activities with your mouth like blow bubbles or use a straw to blow cotton balls across the table.
- You can pull pop tubes apart, stack bean bags, or play with Squigz.
- You can also help around the house: Use a rag to wipe off your wheelchair tray or the table in front of you, roll out cookie dough, or mix a thick batter.
For younger kids there are tons of fun games you can play to get in some heavy work. You can try:
- Animal Walks: Crab Walks, Wheelbarrow Walks, Bear Walks, and Snake Slithering.
- Tug of War: If you don’t have a rope, you can simply lace your fingers with your partner and push and pull against each other.
- Pillow Fight: Done in sitting or standing, it’s a great way to get in some heavy work.
- Scooping, digging, and transferring contents back and forth between containers: You can use rice, beans, or even water.
- Push heavy loads across the room: For younger kids, you can load up a kids size shopping cart and for older kids a laundry hamper or box will do. Add weight by filling it with books or canned goods.
- Scooter Board Activities: Pull yourself along the floor on your belly or place the cotton balls on the ground and blowing them with a straw as you cross the floor.
Older kids may not be all that interested in playing games. Try simple exercises instead:
- Superman
- Planks
- Push-ups (wall or floor)
- Bridges
- Wall Slides
- Yoga Poses: Downward Dog, Warrior, and Tree Pose
Finally we have household chores. These activities teach valuable life skills while providing heavy work:
- Vacuum or sweep
- Mop/steam
- Wash windows
- Wipe the counter
- Carry or unload Groceries
- Carry loads of laundry
- Pull weeds
- Wash the car
I hope you found some helpful ideas for Heavy Work! Try some of them out and let me know what you think. Do you have other ideas? Please share them in the comments.
I hope you have a great week!
-Heather
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