Proprioceptive Acitivites

Proprioceptive: Kinesthetic or body awareness which provides information to child from inside the body from the muscles, ligaments, and joints. These are especially helpful for children who have low muscle tone and who are not able to be sure where their body is in space. They are in need of heavy work activities, which involve heavy weight for the body to carry.

Heavy load walks and hiking trips

Have the child walk the indoor tactile path with a loaded down back path

Have the child wear a heavy weighted vest on the indoor path

Have the child wear weights in pockets in the shirt and pants as walking the indoor path

Have the child creep with the heavy weights on along the path

Have the child cross an obstacle course with heavy loads on

Cocooning

Wrap the child up real tight in a sheet, blanket, or beach towel and then hold tight like a caterpillar in a cocoon

Climbing the Mattress Hill

Place the foot of the child’s bed mattress down on the floor and the head of the mattress on the top of the middle of the child’s bed, then have the child climb the mattress to get up on the top of the mattress hill

Tom Sawyer Travels

Using a carpet square or carpet sample have the child lie forward on the sample and use arms and legs to raft along a slick floor

Have child lie backward on carpet and repeat the raft travels

Have child rafting this time only with arms in both forward and backward position

Delivery Game

Have child pull a wagon, push wheelbarrow, carry large shopping bag or cardboard box (pretend truck which must be pushed or carried along path) filled with heavy objects of different colors and have child place each matching color object into matching color delivery stations, which are located on the indoor tactile path

Have child collect objects from each delivery station until the carrier is loaded with heavy objects and brought to the end of the indoor path

Animal walks

Similar to the tactile walks but have child use only three legs and alternate legs as the walk progresses along the indoor tactile path

Body Wheelbarrow Walk

Hold child’s feet and have child crawl on floor and play the wheelbarrow walk along the indoor tactile path

Now hold hands and have child walk along path leaning on your body for a reverse wheelbarrow walk

Jump up Game

Have child squat and wind up child and have child jump up when winding is done like a jack-in-the-box does

Have the child jump up every time you call child’s name

Have child play frog and from a squat position jump along the tactile path

Get that out of my hands

Pretend the ball or object given to the child is a “hot potato” which the child must get rid of immediately and keep the pace going fast

You can use large balls, bean bags etc in this “hot potato” game of catch

Paper Mountain

Have child crush up one at a time pages of newspaper and throw them into a designated site like an empty wading pool, or in a imaginary circular boundary until there is a huge mound of paper creating a paper mountain

Now have the child go inside the mountain and explore it

Have the child climb over the paper mountain

Have the child crush the paper mountain

Have the child throw the paper mountain away into a big waste can

Walls Moving In Game

Have child pretend the room’s walls are moving in and have child push against the walls to stop the movement

Rescue Game

Have child sit on carpet square or sample, wagon, scooter board, inner tube and pretend the child needs to be rescued and pull the child by arm so the vehicle and child can be rescued and pulled out of the indoor path to safety

Body windshield wipers

Have child lie on floor and use legs as windshield wipers

Have child lie on floor and use arms as windshield wipers

Have child sit on floor and use arms and legs as windshield wipers

Body Function Charades

Have child pretend brushing teeth, washing face, washing hands, washing body

Have child pretend dressing up with pants, shirts, socks, shoes

Have child pretend to eat, drink, and clean up the mess