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    Rise of Sensory/Motor Issues as Rough/Tumble Play in Preschool Declines

    17KViews Modified: Aug 24, 2021 · Published: Feb 5, 2018
    By Jacqueline 7 Comments

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    Rise of Sensory/Motor Issues as Rough/Tumble Play in Preschool Declines. photo of one sad child being lead off to school work and one child playing in the mud and laughing

    (Source)

    Like many other American parents, I had an obsession: academic success for my child. My wake-up call was when the preschool teacher came up to me and said, “Your daughter is okay academically. But she’s failing in basic social skills like sharing and taking turns.” Not only that, but my daughter was also having trouble controlling her emotions, having sensory and anxiety issues, and had trouble simply playing by herself!

    [Some excerpts of text by pediatric occupational therapist Angela Hanscom (with her permission) because we want your children to be confident, capable and strong.]

    I still recall the days of preschool for my oldest daughter. I put her in a preschool that was academic in nature – the focus on pre-reading, writing, and math skills. My friends and I did “enrichment classes” with our kids to practice sorting, coloring, counting, numbers, letters, and yes….even to practice sitting! We thought this would help prepare them for kindergarten.

     

    Epidemic Of Sensory Issues At Young Age

    I didn’t know at the time, but my daughter was not the only one struggling with social and sensory issues at such a young age. There is a growing epidemic. A respected director of a progressive preschool teaching preschoolers for 40 years affirmed she had seen major changes in the social skills and physical development of children in the past few generations.

    “Kids are just different,” she started to say. When I asked her to clarify, she said, “They are more easily frustrated – often crying at the drop of a hat.” She had also observed that children were frequently falling out of their seats “at least three times a day,” less attentive, and running into each other and even the walls. “It is so strange. You never saw these issues in the past.”

    Preschool Teachers Pressured To Leave Play-Based Learning

    Research continues to point out that preschool age children learn skills best through meaningful play experiences. Studies show that children need “rough and tumble” outdoor play in order to develop their sensory, motor, and executive functions.

    Here’s some cool evidence: The Lost Art Of Roughhousing: Why Roughhousing Makes Kids Awesome!

    Yet many preschool classes are leaving play-based learning to become more academic in nature. A preschool teacher recently wrote to me: “I feel pressure to push them at this young age. On top of that, teachers are pressured to document and justify what they do, so the relaxed playful environment is compromised. We continue to do the best we can for the kids’ sake, while trying to fit into the ever-growing restraints we must work within.”

     

    Today it is rare to find children climbing trees, rolling down hills or swinging on ropes just for fun.

    We’ve taken away merry-go-rounds, shortened the length of swings, and removed teeter-totters for ‘safety’s sake’. Children have fewer opportunities for unstructured outdoor play than ever before.

    Preschool Years – Critical Neurodevelopmental Period

    If children are not given enough natural movement and play experiences, they are more likely to be clumsy, have difficulty paying attention, trouble controlling their emotions, utilize poor problem-solving methods, and demonstrate difficulties with social interactions. We are consistently seeing sensory, motor, and cognitive issues pop up more and more in later childhood, partly because of inadequate opportunities to move and play at an early age.

    We now know that roughhousing and friendly horseplay with dad when kids are very little “makes kids smart, emotionally intelligent, lovable and likable, ethical, physically fit, and joyful.” In their book The Art of Roughhousing, authors DeBenedet and Cohen show benefits and the research behind it. In short, roughhousing makes your kid awesome.

    It is before the age of 7 years – ages traditionally known as “pre-academic” – when children desperately need to have a multitude of whole-body sensory experiences on a daily basis in order to develop foundational life skills and strong bodies and minds. This is best done outside where the senses are fully ignited and young bodies are challenged by the uneven and unpredictable, ever-changing terrain.

     

    If you’ve read The Last Child in the Woods, you’re familiar with the term “nature-deficit disorder.” In our technologically savvy generation, kids just aren’t getting enough time to play outside, and that has now been linked to attention disorders, depression (yes, in children), and obesity.

    Children who play outside laugh more, which means they’re happy! It also means their blood pressure and stress levels are lower.

    happy little girl playing hard at the edge of a creek

    (source)

     

    Skills That Shouldn’t Have to Be Taught

    “I like to play indoors better ’cause that’s where all the electrical outlets are,” reported a fourth-grader. Never before in history have kids been so plugged in – and so out of touch with the natural world.

    Later when issues arise in elementary school, we make kids practice special breathing techniques, coping skills, run social skill groups, and utilize special exercises in an attempt to “teach” children how to be still and to improve focus.

    These skills shouldn’t have to be taught! They should develop at a young age in the most natural sense – through meaningful, interactive play experiences.

    If children were given ample opportunities every day, there would be no need for specialized exercises or ‘meditation’ techniques for the youngest of our people. They would simply develop these skills through play, no preschool needed. That’s it.

     book 'Balanced and Barefoot' by Angela Hanscom, It’s something that doesn’t need to cost a lot of money or require much thought. Children just need the time, the space, and the permission to be kids.

    Play is: freedom, imagination, sharing, cooperating, creating, fresh air, nature, friendships, conversing, pretending, gross motor, fine motor, fun.

    Adult directed play creates apprehension!

    Let children play in a safe environment with plenty of stimulating and interesting opportunities and you will produce happy healthy children who are interested in learning.

     
    Angela Hanscom, MOT, OTR/L, is the founder of TimberNook, an internationally recognized program in the United States, Australia, London, and New Zealand. She is author of Balanced & Barefoot: How Unrestricted Outdoor Play Makes for Strong, Confident, and Capable Children.
     
    Rise of Sensory/Motor Issues as Rough/Tumble Play in Preschool Declines. Child being led off to school by parent
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    Related

    Hi! I’m Jacqueline!

    Thanks for being part of this journey with me.
    Welcome to my own little place on the internet! Home is where I love to be. I feel there is no greater place to incubate souls. These days you’ll find me using my experiences here to write about herbal remedies and natural health research — a big passion of mine. But being a wife and mother is not easy. It is challenging and potentially lonely. I get that. I wanted to create a place to connect with and support other moms for creating a natural, healthy, and fulfilling home life.
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Charlotte Moore

      February 14, 2018 at 6:08 am

      Very true!! Teachers are so pushed to do academics that they can’t even have parties in the rooms any more. They have to have they snacks at lunch. I have only been retired from the school for almost 7 years. This has changed since I left.

      When I go volunteer I see lots of this in the classroom. Keeps can’t stay focused, they cry easily and can’t get along. It is a shame too that they can’t be kids now. The pressure of testing and getting IT done is very frustrating for them. SAD!!

      Reply
    2. Charlotte Moore

      February 14, 2018 at 6:09 am

      OOPS!! Kids can’t stay focused.

      Reply
    3. Deborah Harvey

      February 14, 2018 at 4:38 pm

      many years ago read that missionaries could not teach amazon jungle people to read. the part of development where babies crawl had been lost because so much danger on the ground that they were carried until they could walk. left some part of the nervous system lacking. read this decades ago.

      Reply
      • Jacqueline

        February 14, 2018 at 4:50 pm

        Yes, Deborah, there is a strong correlation between crawling and certain aspects of spatial/visual neurological development! This is very similar to what you are speaking of! I will try and locate more on that..Thanks! J

        Reply
    4. Sonia Story

      August 25, 2020 at 11:10 pm

      Thank you for highlighting that children need to move and be outdoors! Also, sensory-motor problems usually begin before preschool. In our modern culture, there are many factors that hinder the innate movements of the womb and early infancy. This results in gaps in development and can leave a child in a stressful, “fight-or-flight” state. Hypersensitivities develop and disconnects arise between brain, body and sensory systems making learning and emotional maturity difficult. You can see examples of baby photos showing lack of development at the article here:
      https://www.moveplaythrive.com/learn-more/item/kicked-out-of-kindergarten

      Reply
      • Jacqueline

        August 26, 2020 at 12:42 am

        Sonia, I am grateful you shared your link with me/us! I have been informed and learned so much myself reading your article! THank you for taking a moment for sharing it here.
        I wonder if you would consider allowing me to repost it and link back to your original post and your whole site! It is excellent!

        Blessings – and thank you for considering my request,
        Jacqueline

        Reply
    5. Sonia Story

      August 27, 2020 at 2:24 am

      Greetings Jackie,
      Thank you! I love your heartfelt and important blog and I would be honored to share this with your readers. Here is another article about the root causes of ADHD symptoms that I trust you will also find helpful.
      https://www.moveplaythrive.com/learn-more/item/can-adhd-be-dissolved
      Best wishes to you and your family,
      Sonia

      Reply

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