Proprioceptive Activity Suggestions for Small Spaces at School and Home
Students can benefit from proprioceptive input and heavy work activities to help get the body in a ready to learn state. Proprioception is the ability of your muscles and joints to determine where they are in space. The proprioceptive nerve endings in the body provide us with the information of where our hands, arms, and legs are in space without having to look at them.
Proprioception is necessary in order for children to sit upright in their seats, stand in a classroom line, reach for their pencils and many more functional skills throughout the day at school and at home.
Types of Proprioceptive Input
There are so many types of proprioceptive input activities for children. Any pushing and pulling activities are wonderful to wake up the nerve endings. Children can hang from the monkey bars at recess and jump down from the jungle gym. Those are great but not easy to perform in small spaces when a children might benefit from proprioceptive input.
10 Suggestions for Heavy Work in Small Spaces
Do you need proprioceptive input suggestions for small spaces such as in the classroom or hallway? Many of these activity ideas may be helpful. You can download a FREE printable of 25 heavy work ideas for small spaces at the end of this post.
- Chair Push Ups: Sitting with upright posture in a classroom chair, the child put his/her hands on the side of the seat. The child lifts and holds his/her bottom up off the seat for 3-5 seconds and then slowly lowers back down into the chair.
- Bear hugs – Wrap your arms around your chest or knees and give yourself a big, firm hug.
- Squeezing putty or play dough
- Yoga Poses
- Pulling resistance bands with hands
- Playing passing games with weighted stuffed animals
- Weighted sensory bottles
- Animal walks
- Wall Push Ups: Put both hands on the wall with the feet a little farther than arm’s length back from the wall. Lean your body towards the wall and back out. Another option is to just push both hands against the wall for 5-10 seconds with arms extended.
- Carry Heavy Books: Give the child a job to organize or hand out heavy books.
Resources for Proprioceptive Input at School
Combine positive affirmations for kids and proprioceptive input with The Positive Path. Children can jump along the path or do wall push-ups while they read words of encouragement. Students can benefit from proprioceptive input to help get their bodies ready to learn.
Using the power of positive thinking with daily affirmations and physical activity can help students get their brain and bodies ready to tackle the school day.
Looking for more easy ideas for small spaces that provide proprioceptive input?
Roll Some Fun Brain Breaks has been updated to include 30 no-prep, boredom busting brain breaks to encourage visual motor skills, sensory motor skills, and FUN. Each game board can be done with one person or a group in a small or large space!
Download your FREE HANDOUT on 25 Heavy Work Activity Ideas for Small Spaces
The free printable is from the Handouts for Pediatric Therapists, Parents, and Teachers packet. It includes 25+ handouts created by Claire Heffron and Lauren Drobnjak, practicing pediatric occupational and physical therapists. This resource is a huge time saver for school-based therapists to help educate parents and school staff.
Sign up to receive the weekly Your Therapy Source email newsletter and announcements. After you enter your email, you will be redirected to the FREE handout of proprioceptive input ideas. If you can not see the sign up box, send us an email at info@yourtherapysource.com referencing the freebie and we will email it to you.
