Skill: Proprioception

Proprioception is how your body knows what position it is in. It is the sense that enables us to know where the different parts of our body are, how they are moving, and how much strength our muscles need to use. Our muscles, joints, and skin all contain sensory receptors that contribute to proprioceptive input.

Squish Bag Stomp

Squish Bag Stomp

Steps:

  • Fill several Ziplock Bags about halfway with dry oats (or rice/beans). Ensure all the air is squeezed out before sealing them tightly.
  • Use masking tape to secure the filled bags flat onto a low, stable floor surface, like the kitchen floor or a sturdy rug, creating a short path or line.
  • Encourage your toddler to take off their shoes and socks, and gently step onto the taped bags. Use encouraging language like, “Stomp! Can you feel the squish and crunch under your feet?” (For safety, hold hands if they are new to standing/walking.)

Safety Tip:
Due to the use of small materials (oats) in the bags, constant, close adult supervision is essential. Ensure the Ziplock Bags are taped completely shut before starting the activity to prevent the contents from spilling or being ingested.

Foil Smash Target

Foil Smash Target

Steps:

  • Set up the target zone: Tape a large piece of Construction Paper vertically to a door or wall at your child’s chest height. Use Masking Tape to create a fun target shape (like a star or circle) on the paper, making sure the sticky side faces OUT toward the child.
  • Prep the ‘ammo’: Give the child a sheet of Aluminium Foil. Encourage them to use both hands to tear the foil into small, postage-stamp-sized pieces. Tearing foil requires great strength!
  • Crumple and compress: Challenge the child to take each foil piece and squeeze it into the tightest, densest little ball (a ‘foil marble’) they can make, using only their fingertips. Place the finished balls in a Plastic Container.
  • Get into position: Have your child lie on their tummy on the floor (prone position) directly facing the sticky target. Their shoulders and elbows should be supporting their weight.
  • Smash the target: Ask the child to pick up one foil marble at a time and use a firm, whole-hand push to stick it onto the exposed sticky tape. Try to cover the entire target zone with heavy foil balls!

Safety Tip:
Due to the potential choking risk associated with small, dense foil balls, constant adult supervision is required. Ensure the child maintains a safe, stable prone position and does not lift their hips too high.

Bubble Wrap Architect Challenge

Preschool boy using bilateral hand use and concentration to pierce bubble wrap with a craft stick.

Steps:

  • Cut the bubble wrap into various sizes (squares, rectangles). Encourage your child to use both hands, one to stabilize the wrap, and the other to carefully tear smaller pieces off for better bilateral practice.
  • Ask your child to use their dominant hand to push the craft sticks straight through the air pockets of the bubble wrap, aiming for the satisfying ‘pop!’ This provides great auditory feedback and proprioceptive input.
  • Challenge them to build 3D structures (towers, houses, animals) by connecting multiple pieces of bubble wrap together using the craft sticks as sturdy connectors. Encourage them to work while kneeling or lying on their tummy for added core strength!

Safety Tip:
Always supervise this activity closely. Ensure that the child handles the craft sticks safely, using them only to connect the bubble wrap and not as toys for poking.

Felt Slot Feed

Felt Slot Feed

Steps:

  • Adult Prep: Cut a felt square to cover the container opening. Glue the felt securely onto the container rim, creating a lid.
  • Cut 4 to 6 short, narrow slits (about 1 inch long) into the center of the felt lid. These slits must be tight.
  • Give your child a sheet of construction paper. Encourage them to use both hands to tear the paper into small pieces (about stamp-sized).
  • Ask your child to hold the container steady with their helper hand to provide proximal stability.
  • Challenge them to use a strong finger push to insert one torn paper piece through a narrow felt slot.
  • Continue feeding the container until all the torn paper scraps are successfully pushed through the resistant felt slots.

Safety Tip:
Adult supervision is required when using scissors. The torn paper pieces are small and pose a potential choking hazard for children who still place objects in their mouths.

Sticky Web Smash

Sticky Web Smash

Steps:

  • Prepare the ‘spider web’ by sticking several long strips of masking tape across an empty doorway, a chair opening, or a wall (ensure the tape is safe for the surface). Crucially, make sure the sticky side faces out toward the child.
  • Give the child large pieces of construction paper and tissue paper. Demonstrate how to tear the paper into small, medium, and large pieces. Tearing paper provides excellent resistance for finger and hand muscles.
  • Encourage the child to ‘smash’ or firmly press the torn paper pieces onto the sticky web, using maximal effort and pressure to ensure they stick. Challenge them to cover every piece of exposed tape!

Safety Tip:
If using a doorway, ensure the tape is placed at the child’s eye/chest level and not near the floor where someone could accidentally walk through and trip. Always supervise peeling tape off surfaces to prevent paint damage.