Nursery Equipment: Proprioception - A clean sweep

Anne O'Connor
Monday, May 28, 2012

Everything from household chores to tumbling heightens body awareness, explains Anne O'Connor.

Watching a child crawling across the floor, clambering up a slope or swinging on a rope, we might assume that movement is mainly a conscious act. But a largely unconscious system is also at play here and early years settings should provide ample opportunities to stimulate in young children what is known as proprioception.

Proprioception tells us where our body is in space, where it starts and finishes and how parts of our body are moving, without having to look at them. So, it is our proprioceptive sense that enables us to tap our feet, brush our hair, or walk downstairs without having to think consciously about it. A well-developed body map also helps us to tackle the unfamiliar and learn movements, to manage obstacles and break our fall.

This awareness is made possible by the constant flow of messages that our joints and muscles - whether moving or still - send to our brain, keeping us informed of what position we are in and what we are doing. The messages are processed mostly in parts of the brain that don't produce much conscious awareness, so we are only vaguely aware of proprioception when it is working well.

PLANNING

Although a largely unconscious sense, it's still important that settings take account of children's proprioception in their planning. While most children are exposed to and seek out the activities that develop their proprioceptive sense naturally, some may lack these opportunities on a daily basis - a baby deprived of regular floor play, for example, won't be able to build up this all-important body map. And poor proprioception can cause a range of problems in young children. Without accurate body maps, children struggle to learn actions, for example, and may constantly have to fidget and move, so they can gain a constant sense of their position (see box).

ACTIVITIES

Running, jumping, stretching, climbing, pulling, pushing, crawling, creeping, sliding, turning, bending, rolling and tumbling all help stimulate the proprioceptive sense.

Important too are being held gently, stroked and squeezed, and rough and tumble play.

'Household' chores, involving sweeping, lifting, carrying and pushing, form another category of activity great for proprioceptive stimulation.

RESOURCES

Lots of things that you probably already have in your setting that are open-ended and support lots of areas of development are helpful in developing proprioception. Look at them with an eye to their proprioceptive possibilities and encourage children to make the most of them.

Always take care that resources are not too heavy or cumbersome for individuals and help children to begin to make their own assessment of risk and challenge. Aim to provide:

things to push, pull, lift and carry - tyres and crates, blocks and boxes, planks, boards, bricks, bags, baskets and suitcases

things with wheels - wagons, carts and wheelbarrows, trolleys and prams. Fix wheels to planks or boards for children to use for transporting things or for lying down on and scooting along on their backs or tummies

open-ended climbing equipment that offers lots of possibilities for stretching, hanging, sliding, as well as climbing and clambering, such as A-frames and planks. Encourage children to design their own arrangement and watch how creative they are in using them

household resources, adult and child sized - brooms, mops and buckets, dustpans; poles for reaching things; and shopping baskets for carrying around

gardening resources (see box)

blankets and snugglies of different textures and weights; child-sized sleeping bags; home-made fleecy 'bags' for sitting or snuggling in

tunnels, cardboard boxes, etc for crawling into and through

cushions and bolsters, soft animals, sand and bean-bag toys

balls of all descriptions, but particularly soft and squishy ones, ball pools, exercise/gym balls and spacehoppers. Use them for catching games and to encourage stretching but also for bouncing on, rolling over and massaging bodies

ribbons and scarves

soft-play resources, for example, mats, tubes, cubes and cylinders for tumbling and rolling with.

SNAPSHOT: SWEEPING UP

In the garden, three children are helping sweep up the puddles from the path, using both adultand child-sized brushes. The work is physical and involves lots of 'oofs' and sighs, especially as one puddle (near a slope) fills up again as fast as it is emptied. There is no doubt, though, that the activity is self-chosen and satisfying.

What's happening here?

Is this play - or is it work? The children came out into the garden after a rainstorm. They knew there would be puddles and where to find the brushes and set themselves the task, having seen practitioners do the same. They were focused and engaged in an activity and probably didn't mind that the puddle kept filling up - the pleasure was in the physical task.

Manipulating brushes involves lots of physical stretching and repetition, perfect for proprioception. Child-sized brushes allow the development of a good sweeping technique, but the heavier, more unwieldy adult-sized brushes also provide muscles with a good workout and build proprioceptive sense through extending the palm grip, lifting, dragging, stretching, etc.

Implications for resourcing

Have plenty of brushes, brooms and dustpans for children's self-initiated purposes as well as regular sweeping and tidying up.

Keep some available for children to access and use for themselves as well as encouraging them to tidy up. Sweeping can be a soothing activity and may link with some children's schemas. And there is always something to sweep up.

SNAPSHOT: kid sandwich

A practitioner is playing with two children on the floor. There are several big cushions to hand and they are all rolling about. The practitioner positions both children on top of one of the cushions and tells them she is going to make a 'kid sandwich'.

She gently puts the other cushion on top, leaving their faces uncovered and presses and wraps her arms around the 'sandwich'. The children squeal with delight, wriggling and squirming at first, but not attempting to escape. They play the game for some time, lying there calmly while the practitioner talks about how yummy her sandwich is and how much she will enjoy it for lunch. After a while the children turn the tables and make a 'grown-up sandwich' which is 'eaten up' with a great deal of munching and noises of delight.

What's happening here?

Rough and tumble is important for children's physical development. In terms of proprioceptive development, it encourages those actions described above, as well as close contact with at least one other body, so increasing the tactile sensations and messages sent to the brain. Being wrapped - and held - in the cushions reinforces feelings of safety while providing firm deep pressure sensations which can be calming and soothing, particular to some children with tactile sensitivity.

Implications for resourcing

Always have plenty of blankets and cushions of all sizes available and use them creatively. Weighted blankets and fabric toys filled with sand or beans give a different dimension and are helpful for some children who need extra sensory input and the grounded feeling that weighted materials can provide.

Asco Educational's Cosyland range includes quilted playmats, cushions and shapes with prices from £30.50. TTS Group's Harlequin range includes giant cushions in four colours (1m x 1m, £134.95 for a set of four) and a floor mat (£69.95).

ON THE SPOT!

The multi-coloured ribbons on Play to Z's fidget mats are designed to maximise proprioceptive feedback, so helping children to sit still, listen and concentrate. All the mats are made of hardwearing and machine-washable fleece: Fidget Spots (40cm including ribbon, £40.00 for four); Fidget Mats are the same size, are cushioned and come with guidance and 30 activity ideas (£15.00 for one; £60.00 for four). The 150cm-wide Playmat (£85.00) has a waterproof backing, doubles as a parachute and comes with activity ideas.

BRUSH UP!

Gardening is ideal to stimulate proprioceptive sense. Resources include:

Brushes Set of four brushes (£9.99, Reflections on Learning); Outdoor Brush Set (£16.99, TTS Group); Real Life Child's Brush (£9.95, Cosy); Giant Two Handled Brush (£9.95, Cosy) Rakes The Children's Lawn Rake and Soil Rake (£14.50 each, Cosy); Individual Garden Rake (£2.95, TTS Group)Wheelbarrows Metal barrow (£40, Playgardens); Wooden Children's Wheelbarrow (£29.95, Cosy) Sets Standard Gardening Resource Box, (£50, Playgardens); Garden Gift Set Tools for Children (£29.95, Spotty Green Frog); Tolo Fork, Spade And Hoe Set (£29.95, NES Arnold).

FURTHER READING