Everything we do is about movement. Without movement, we couldn’t express our feelings, take care of ourselves, have relationships, or go anywhere. Can you sit absolutely still? If you are still reading this, your eyes are moving.

Much of our movement is affected by the proprioceptive system. The proprioceptive system works in partnership with our vestibular system (head movement and gravity). Proprioception is the unconscious sensation of movement in the muscles, joints, ligaments and tendons in our bodies. Input from this system tells us when and how our muscles are contracting or stretching, and when and how our joints are bending, extending or being compressed.  These sensations occur when we are moving and when we are still.

I’ll bet you never think about it. For most of us, we rarely notice the sensations of muscles and joints unless we deliberately pay attention. That is as it should be. Proprioception provides the “connection” between the brain and muscles, and produces smooth and controlled movements. 

If the proprioceptive sense is not working well, a child will find it difficult to move with smooth and coordinated movements. He might have a difficult time going up and down stairs with ease. She’ll make a movement too “hard” or too “soft”. He will have difficulty with both gross and fine motor tasks such as riding a bike, writing, walking, crawling, buttoning a shirt, screwing a lid on a jar or playing sports. These children usually have a lot of trouble doing something when they cannot see it with their eyes.

The proprioceptive system also assists in organizing the body and in “motor planning” – a person’s ability to think through, (plan) and then physically carry out a task. How to climb up on the counter to reach something. How to get from point A to point B with an obstacle in the middle. How to tie shoes; how to skip or gallop.

Most of the time, “motor planning” to learn new tasks occurs naturally, and when a child has performed the task so many times it becomes automatic, the task has become a skill, and planning is no longer required. (Adults motor plan, too – think about rock climbing.)

As parents, we can help our children with motor planning. You already do it. Think about how you talk your children through swinging a bat, or throwing a ball.

Here are some ways to stimulate your child’s proprioceptive system:
• Activities that involve: climbing over, under, through or around
• Activities that involve imitation, such as Follow the Leader
• Games that involve simple verbal directions to plan actions, like Simon Says
• Hugging!
• Rolling over
• Balancing on one foot or kicking alternate feet
• Lots of variation in types of body movement – stomping, twisting, swaying, swinging
• Vacuuming
• Piggy back or horsey rides
• Jumping on a trampoline
• Bean bag chairs
• Rolling your child up in a blanket (Like a pig-in-a-blanket!)
• Wheel barrow walks
• Tug of war

-posted by Miss Analiisa, who has a HUGE appreciation for the proprioceptive system, having had a child with motor planning difficulties.

I’m continually amazed at parental instinct.  Quite unconsciously, we often behave in ways that concur with healthy development of our children.  Picture a daddy tossing his little baby up in the air and catching her to the sound of her utterly joyful giggles.  This mother-frightening behavior is actually very helpful in developing baby’s vestibular system.  The inner ear stimulation contributes to the baby’s overall sense of balance and orientation! 

And so it is with many other parent-child activities including Peek-A-Boo.  Babies love this classic game because of the concept of object permanence!  When baby is under 4 months of age, he does not have the cognitive ability to hold an image in his mind.  So when something leaves his visual field, “Poof!” it’s gone.

When the area of the brain associated with object permanence begins to develop between 4 and 8 months of age, parents and babies naturally play Peek-A-Boo.  Baby finds great delight in how objects or faces seem to magically appear and disappear.  And she loves to participate in the wonder by moving mom or dad’s hands away from their face, or by pushing a button and making a clown pop up, or opening a door and seeing a picture of a ball appear out of thin air! With great delight, she’ll open that door over and over again.

At about 8 months, babies have usually achieved the cognitive development of object permanence.  So when his binky or bottle or a toy disappears, he will look for it.  He knows it still exists and is somewhere else. 

Interestingly, now that baby knows there’s always going to be a clown face behind the door, it’s not nearly as fun to open and shut it as when she felt she could make it appear.  She’ll toss her once beloved toy aside and set out to find something new in her world.  She’s driven to explore the next frontier; to climb and pull up to see and touch all the “permanent objects” out there. 

And her parents will be right alongside, instinctively offering her two fingers to grab and hold onto as she reaches toward her next developmental milestone: walking upright.

-posted by Donna Mershon Detweiler who would love to hear if you have a fun object permanence anecdote to share.

When days are full dawn to dusk and energy is taxed, it can be downright difficult to keep up with all the latest research, essentials, tips, tricks and “must do’s” of parenting. No, it’s impossible.  We inevitably come across information we wish we’d known about sooner. 

But take heart moms and dads. With regard to the importance of crawling, it is never too late to allow your child to gain the benefits.  Let me illustrate:

If you child is or has crawled in a traditional forward manner: Yeah! 
Crawling is a healthy, often instinctive movement that helps baby develop in more ways that you think. Consider this amazing interplay; As the child begins to lift up her head, then push up on her forearms bearing some of her weight, her hands, arms, shoulders, neck, back and trunk are strengthened—all important for crawling, sitting, standing, walking and eventually writing. 

As she crawls forward, her hands, and legs begin to work together cross laterally, meaning the left arm and right leg move simultaneously and vice versa.  Cross lateral movements strengthen the connection between the right and left hemispheres of the brain, because one side of her body is motor-controlled by one hemisphere, and one by the other.  So, both sides of the brain must coordinate for her to move forward in this way. 

The strengthening of the connection between the two hemispheres of the brain is part of the ongoing development which will eventually mature into more complex thinking processes requiring the integrating of specialized functions of both sides of the brain. Therefore, forward crawling seems to be more beneficial for brain development than some of the other styles of crawling. Some research even shows a relationship between lack of crawling and later difficulties with reading, speech and other higher cognitive functions.

As baby continues to crawl, he discovers spatial relationships such as near, far, up, and down. His binocular vision develops as he looks far off and then back at his hands. Space perception, called proprioception, and depth perception follow. The inner ear, part of the vestibular system, is stimulated as the child’s head moves in different directions.  The proper integration of these senses allows for balance. They work together to give baby a sense of his place in the world and much more. (See the post:  I Have a Vestibular System? by Miss Analiisa) Eventually he pulls up, begins to walk and all systems move toward maturing and integration.

If your child hasn’t crawled yet:  Encourage him! 
Most babies begin to crawl between two and twelve months, which means if your baby is within this age range, or a bit over and is not crawling yet, there is no need for concern.   For those who haven’t crawled, or who have crawled in one of the other styles, “commando,” or “bum” for example, some researchers suggests that they can gain the above mentioned benefits of forward crawling at any age by practicing.

For reluctant crawlers, try putting your baby’s arms on a rolled up towel to get them used to raising up (pre-crawling) and gently lift their bottom, putting them in a crawling position.  Being on the floor with baby, encouraging his movement by dangling an interesting toy just out of reach may help him initiate the movement. Crawling through tunnels or up the stairs is fun for older toddlers.
 
If your child (or you) never crawled in a traditional manner: It’s never too late!
“Cross crawling” exercises are designed to enhance communication between hemispheres of the brain.  These can benefit reading, coordination, visual perception and attention focusing skills.  Walking vigorously with the arms swinging opposite of the legs, marching in place while touching your opposite elbow to your knee, laying on your back raising opposite arms and legs are a few of the exercises you and you older child can do together. A game of chase on hands and knees works too.  One specialist in the field of integrated brain training, Dr. Glen Doman, suggests practicing crawling every day for six months where a child has skipped crawling altogether.

Crawling reveals the incredible and miraculous interrelatedness of our baby’s development and how an active baby has the best opportunity to maximize all of her capabilities. Understandably, orphans who lay in cribs unattended not only end up underdeveloped physically, but also display deficits in emotional and cognitive function.  In our modern era, babies who spend too much sedentary time, in car seats or swings for example, miss valuable opportunity for integrated development. Pick the baby up often.  Put her on the floor on her tummy to wiggle and crawl.  Pass her from grandma to grandpa to friend to hold. The up, down and around stimulates her system. “Use it or lose it” is probably true even at an early age.

Crawling isn’t a tip, trick or “must do” that is complicated or requires special equipment. It can be easily incorporated into a baby’s play time at any stage of development–ideally early on–but it’s never too late. You don’t need a licensed therapist, it’s free and you can benefit from it too.  So here’s my tip for the day:   Turn off the computer, get your baby or toddler and have a good crawl! You’ll all feel better.

-posted by Donna Detweiler, who is going to crawl off to bed now!

Nearly 10 years ago, I went to my first Village class with my oldest, Nathan. Our teacher kept speaking about the “vestibular system” when we rocked. I had no idea what she was talking about. Seven years later, my second child Rob ended up in Occupational Therapy, and there I began to understand this “vestibular system”. It’s one of the 8 senses I’ve been blogging about, and influences nearly everything we do.

First to develop.
The vestibular system is the first to develop in the womb. At just two weeks after conception, it starts to form, and by 4 ½ months it has begun operating. Throughout gestation, this system gets constant stimulation from the mother’s movements. This early development means it has many connections with the rest of the brain, which results in everything else developing around and integrating with it. The vestibular system  continues to be very active through the first 15 months.

What is it?
The vestibular system is made up of several structures in the inner ear. When the head tilts in any direction, fluid moves small hairs in the inner ear, and their movement lets us know our orientation in space. (Are we upside down? Leaning? Standing straight?) The vestibular system also tells us how fast we are moving, the direction we are going, and helps us keep our balance.

It coordinates information from the inner ear, eyes, muscles and joints, fingertips, and feet. The vestibular system also adjusts heart rate, blood pressure, limb position, nervous system arousal, and immune responses.

Of the 8 senses, the vestibular system has the greatest effect on our ability to function in everyday life. This very important system is used when we read, hear, speak, touch, balance, and move.

What happens when it isn’t working properly?A child with vestibular system issues may have problems with balance and body control, and may seem clumsy. Problems may also manifest themselves as a child that needs to move all the time (rocking, jumping, humming, banging). The child is innately trying to stimulate and regulate their vestibular system.

Other children are fearful of movement because it is frightening; they need both feet firmly planted on the ground to feel safe. When their vestibular system under-responds to movement they sometimes panic. These children might not like swings, slides, floating in water, having their head tipped back, being tossed in the air, or jumping on the trampoline.

Later in life some of these children won’t like people in their personal space and may become agressive when someone gets “too close”.  Someone in their personal space scares them, as they don’t have a good sense of where their own bodies are.

Why we move.
Humans have an innate need to regulate themselves through vestibular stimulation. Everyone’s level of need for movement is unique and individual. There is no “normal”. People need vestibular stimulation for both calming and arousing.  Babies are calmed by a rocking chair or a gentle back and forth motion, just like an adult on a porch swing…this is what it feels like to calm yourself using your vestibular system.  Or, if you have ever been sitting for too long and are itching to get up after a long plane ride; that is how it feels to want for the arousing effects of the vestibular system. 

Children generally want and need more vestibular stimulation than adults do.  This is why we spin, lift, throw our children and they love it.  That is also why so many toys are developed to spin, whirl and jostle kids around!  Every child has a different “recipe” for the perfect amount of vestibular input. Some need stronger, more intense movements to satisfy them. For others, gentle rocking suffices.  Whichever, there is no question that children respond well and are more successful when they have a balance of play activities that meet their sensory cravings.

What can I do to stimulate my child’s vestibular system?
So, now you understand a little bit more about the vestibular system. In your Kindermusik class, we rock, roll, swing, dance, twirl, take basket rides, hammock, bounce and jump. You can do all of these things at home.

Here is a list of other ideas that either stimulate or calm your child’s vestibular system:
• Swings, merry-go-round, see-saw, and other playground equipment
• Sit-n-spin
• Bouncing in your lap, on large ball, trampoline, or on a hippity-hop
• Jumping, rolling, spinning
• Swinging in hammock or bed sheet
• Rocking in rocking chair
• Dancing
• Running, skipping, galloping
• Wagon rides, toy ride-ons, scooter board (laying on your tummy)

-posted by Miss Analiisa, who owes many thanks to Rob’s OT, Vicki Nelson, for her valuable input and advice, and for helping me to understand why Rob preferred to be held upside down as a baby while we rocked or danced.

The Tactile System
The Auditory System