Go Outside and Play!

I'm often asked why it seems that children today need so much sensory input.  Why are we seeing so many children exhibiting sensory defensive behaviors?  My own personal thought on this is that times have changed.  Not that long ago (when I was a child) we were often told to "go outside and play".  It didn't matter if it was a beautiful day or an over cast and occasionally wet day, if we were not sick we should be playing outside - jumping in rain puddles, climbing trees, playing tag, rolling down hills.  Doing all the things that help to regulate and give input to our sensory systems.  We would go out right after breakfast and not have to be back until it got dark.  If we were hungry we would go to whomever's house was nearest and have lunch.  There were no play dates, there were no video games, and there were no 100 channels to choice from on TV.

How times have changed.  Not only is it not safe any more to allow our kids to run around the whole day and not know where there are or who they are with but we have the added concern of what they might catch if bit by an insect (Lyme Disease, West Nile Virus to name a couple).  It is rare to see a group of kids playing on a hillside or swinging on the swings at a local play ground.  Parents prefer their kids to ride their bikes in the driveway instead of biking down the road to a friend's house.  What happens to our bodies if we stop getting the input our bodies need to help us deal with our every day activities?  My guess is that we become defensive because our bodies are not able to learn how to regulate and deal with getting daily sensory input.  Our bodies aren't getting use to be messy or filing away in our brain that it is not dangerous but okay to have tree branches brush against our skin and long grass whip around our ankles as we after each other in a game of tag. 

This is also one reason I do not believe that a child who is misbehaving should be punished by having recess taken away from them.  If this is their only chance to run around and play and get the energy they've held in all day out, what is going to happen to their attention and focus if it is taken away from them?  Thankfully with the advancement of having Occupational Therapy in the schools I am finding this practice of staying in from recess is becoming more and more rare. 

Today it appears our children have less sensory input because it is safer to keep them inside playing video games, watching TV, reading or playing in their bedrooms.  With both parents often working it is hard to find time to have one parent outside keeping watch while the kids are outside playing and face it, in today's world parents just don't feel safe allowing their kids to play outside by themselves.  I will often suggest to families that are struggling with sensory issues that they take time at least once a day to do a sensory activity together.  Tupperware containers are great for water play or bringing in snow or mud from outside to play on newspapers or towels.  We've filled their bathtub with snow and had the kids reach in with buckets and shovels and make snow balls and mini snowmen and even snow castles.  When we are done - it melts away and very little clean up is required.  We've made home-made play-doh and goop.  We've had rice and/or beans fill up Tupperware containers and then hidden toys in them for the kids to find.  We've had finger painting sessions with applesauce and/or pudding.  There is so much that can be done to help sensory defensive kids get more sensory input.  The important thing to remember, of course, is not to force the child to touch or do anything they really don't want to do.  More often then not, if they see you or a brother/sister or another child having fun they are more then likely to want to join in - even if it is looking from a distance at first and slowly getting more involved as the sensory sessions continue day after day.  We've done these sensory activities in all of my pedi work settings - birth-to-three, school, and hospital.

So --my challenge to you this weekend is to find one or two sensory activities to do with your family.  It could be going for a bike ride in the forest, making mud pies or snow forts, rolling down a hill or climbing a tree.  Use your imagination and get in touch with your sensory side! Bring back a childhood sensory memory and share the experience with someone in your life.  I would love to hear any cool ideas to encourage sensory defensive or sensory hesitant kids to participate in a sensory activity.  What have you done that has been successful?

"They eyes are not satisfied by seeing - each organ seeks out one sensory quality."

Sri Guru Granth Sahib

~ Wendy ~