Photo:  Eileen Counihan

Imagine the fetus floating in the womb;  the fluid world and body feeling one and the same.  The birth process jolts the baby to a new awareness of self.  Gravity suddenly takes hold, temperatures vary, hands prod and poke.  The infant is overwhelmed with new sensations.  At birth the little body struggles to find a sense of equilibrium.  Swaddled in blankets, held by loving caretakers; these contribute to regaining a sense of security.

Gradually, the baby learns how to move.  It begins with preprogrammed, rigid movements and slowly, over the course of the first year, intentional movement develops.  Learning how to swat at a toy and move the legs in a coordinated way to crawl, all contribute to gaining a sense of self. 

We learn about the world and ourselves through all our senses.  We see the world through our eyes.  We hear the world through our ears.  We FEEL the world in several ways. 

TOUCH (TACTILE):  The body has nerves which detect all kinds of information:

Temperature-  is it hot or cold...will I burn myself if I touch that pan

Touch- is it a light tickle or a stab

Pain-  Whether burned, punctured or bruised, a message immediately rushes to the brain to elicit protective physiological responses.

PROPRIOCEPTION:  The nerves in the joints detect the position of various body parts.  For example, is the arm held over the head or down by the side of the body.

KINESTHESIA:  This is the sense of movement.  How far and how fast the arm has moved.  The nerves are in the muscle fibers.  Combining information from the joints (proprioception) and the muscles (kinesthesia)

a person gets a pretty good idea of how the body is moving.

This, of course,  occurs automatically, but EXPERIENCE plays a big role in how well one discerns the movements of the body as more sophisticated movement is introduced.  The earlier these experiences begin, the better.

One other sense contributes to the interpretation of movement.

THE VESTIBULAR SYSTEM:  This is a complicated system that has a pervasive effect on the body.  It detects motion such as spinning around and speed, such as moving on a roller coaster.  Generally you can figure out whether the car is going very fast or slowing down without looking out the window or checking the speedometer.  You have your vestibular system to thank for that. 

Photo:  Eileen Counihan

All of these senses help provide the information necessary to obtain  good body awareness.  Here are some activities which help give the body lots of sensory information to develop strong body awareness:

Newborn and Infant:

Wrapping the infant in a blanket firmly

Gentle rocking

Gentle bouncing

Firm but gentle application of creams

Stroking of limbs (alternating soft and firm strokes)

Alternate positions throughout the day (back and tummy*)

*when awake

Placing finger in the palm of the baby’s hand-the baby will grasp it

Refer to Tactile Exploration for body awareness activities related to touch.

With each of these, note the infant’s reaction and readjust to the baby’s preferences.  For example, the baby may prefer firmer pressure when stroking than a light touch.

Baby:

As head control increases, more movement can be added to the sensory diet.  Bouncing can be more rigorous and new positions when carrying the baby can be tried out.

Bobby is flying

Tipping backwards and then pulling up to a sitting position is fun, especially if the reward is a big kiss.

Lifting the baby  over head can be a lot of fun.  As the body and head get stronger, try swooping down between your legs and back up again.

Tipping side to side can be fun

Refer to Tactile Exploration for more on touch.

Refer to Building Trunk Strength for more activities to increase body awareness.

Games such as “How Big is...Soo Big!”

Baby, Toddler and Preschool

Along with continuing the activities listed above,  incorporate active movement.

Reaching activities:  When playing with toys,  place them a small distance from the child so a little reaching is necessary.  This requires muscle work and a little balancing.   All of these lead to increased body awareness.

Reaching in all positions is important: crawling, sitting, standing, cruising

Use of both hands to play with a toy:  This delivers a message to the brain that both hands are working together.  It helps establish bilateral motor coordination but also reinforces the body sense of two sides of the body. Over time this will help facilitate the development of dominance as one side starts to take over as the dominant hand.

Reaching for a ball        Playing an instrument                   Clapping

Adding movement:  Activities which incorporate movement, such as swinging and rolling add another dimension to augment body awareness

Along with the joints and muscles being stimulated,  the vestibular system fires up and gives the whole body system a big kick.

ALL Photos:  Eileen Counihan

In therapy parlance or jargon,  we use the phrase “heavy work” to describe activities which require work against gravity.  “Sit ups” and “Push ups” would be considered “heavy work, not just because they are difficult to do but because the body has to work lift up off the floor, fighting the pull of gravity.  Good heavy work activities for children include the following:

Wheel barrow walking                     Rolling

Crab walking                                    Playing while lying on tummy

Bear walking                                    Scooter activities

Tumbling                                          Child adapted yoga

Games such as “Head, shoulder, Knees and toes...”  Wheels on the Bus

and assorted hand play songs and activities.

More activity ideas for body awareness found in Building Trunk Strength.

Activities related to touch, another important aspect of integrating body awareness can be found in Tactile Exploration.

Elementary School and Beyond:

All of the activities listed in the last section apply to the early elementary age child.  Body awareness activities for the older child and adults include:

Weight lifting**

Gymnastics

Yoga

Sports with a contact element (hockey, lacrosse, football, basketball*)

*While listed as a non-contact sport there is actually quite a bit of contact

Dance

Climbing

Ice Skating

Horseback riding

**Not recommended for younger children.  Careful introduction to weightlifting should not occur until early adolescence and this should be by someone qualified to work with this age group.

For added information related to this topic check out the following blog entries:

Power of Touch

Dynamic Balancing

Real Life Experiences

Why I Love Winter

Vocabulary Lesson: Proprioception