Try This Tuesday #7: Jumping and Running

Try This Tuesday
When I posted about feeding issues last week, many people mentioned sensory processing difficulties as a factor for their child, and I can definitely attest to that being true at our house. My son’s sensory differences affect every area of his life in some manner.

One surefire way to bring my son’s energy levels up (or down, as needed) is to have him jump on the trampoline. He has a great little one that holds up to 80 lbs and has a handle, and even a couple of minutes on it can make a big difference for him. (Maybe someday we’ll get a big one for the backyard – wouldn’t that be nice!)

Of course, we don’t always have a trampoline handy when we need it, but he can get almost the same benefit from jumping up and down a few times or running fast for a short distance. Ideally, he would do this before he is having problems, but often I don’t think of it until other strategies aren’t really helping.

It’s amazing how much a short break with a little bit of activity can help him get through a long event or difficult task. Thinking back on his first week of kindergarten, the two days that he deemed a success both included a trip to the playground.

If you are new to the concept of sensory processing difficulties and think it may be a factor in your child’s situation, I would encourage you to talk to their occupational or physical therapist to see if they are trained in this area and can do a sensory profile for your child. If there are sensory differences found, they can help you determine what activities may be helpful in addressing your child’s needs, generally by providing what is known as a “sensory diet.”

Please join in and share the creative solutions you have found to your own challenges. For more details on how to participate, click here.

Trish can be found writing here at 5MFSN every Friday in addition to hosting Try This Tuesday. You can also find Trish at her blog, Another Piece of the Puzzle.

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