Heavy Work Sensory Activities

Do you have an active kid? I sure do! He is always on the go and loves activity! He just never stops! With his high energy level and sensory seeking, I realized pretty quickly that we needed some heavy work in our lives! Heavy work activities involve deep pressure, resistance, or weight-bearing through the muscles and joints. These activities stimulate the proprioceptive system (a sensory system that refers to your body's ability to sense its movement and position in space) by providing sensory input that helps regulate and organize the body's responses. These activities can have so many benefits for children, particularly those who may have sensory processing difficulties.

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Here are some advantages of incorporating heavy work into a child's routine, along with examples of some different activities:

• Improved Attention and Focus:

  • Heavy work can help increase alertness and attention, making it easier for kids to concentrate on tasks and participate in activities.

• Enhanced Self-Regulation:

  • Deep pressure activities have a calming effect on the nervous system, promoting self-regulation and reducing anxiety and stress.

• Increased Body Awareness:

  • Engaging in heavy work activities fosters a better understanding of your body in space, promoting improved coordination and body awareness.

• Strengthening Muscles and Joints:

  • Heavy work provides an opportunity for strengthening muscles and joints, contributing to overall physical development.

• Support for Sensory Integration:

  • For children with sensory processing differences, heavy work activities can help regulate and organize sensory input, contributing to improved sensory integration.

Here are a few ideas to incorporate heavy work into your daily routine:

• Carrying or Moving Heavy Objects:

  • Carrying a backpack with books, groceries, or other weighted items.

  • Pushing or pulling a wagon or shopping cart filled with objects, laundry basket filled with clothes, or pushing a friend on a swing.
    

• Climbing and Swinging:

  • Climbing on playground equipment or climbing walls.

  • Swinging on a swing or using a therapy swing.

  • We love going to a park close to our house and doing gymnastics weekly!
    

• Body Compression:

  • Ball roll: Rolling a large ball from head to toes while laying on belly.

  • Squeezing into a snug-fitting space, like a beanbag chair, body sock, or a compression vest.

  • Hugging a pillow or soft object tightly.

  • Bear hug
    

• Jumping, Bouncing and Crashing:

  • Jumping on a trampoline.

  • Participating in activities that involve jumping, such as jumping jacks or jumping on a soft surface like a ball pit + balls or bean bag.

  • Animal walks (dinosaur stomp, bunny hop, frog jump, bear crawl, crab walk, etc.)
    

• Wheelbarrow Walking:

  • Engaging in wheelbarrow walks, where a child holds their body in a push-up position while someone supports their legs.
    

• Sensory Play with Textures:

  • Playing with sensory materials like play dough, putty, or sand.

  • Incorporating activities that involve touching and feeling different textures.
    

• Chewing and Oral Motor Activities:

  • Chewing on gum or crunchy snacks.

  • Engaging in activities that involve sucking or blowing, such as blowing bubbles or using a straw to drink thicker liquids like a smoothie or shake.

Check out this reel!

When to use these activities?

• If you ever see your child struggling to attend to tasks, having a hard time falling asleep at night, crashing into things, purposefully falling, or other high energy behaviors, try some heavy work activities and see how they respond! These activities can also be incorporated into your child's morning routine and/or bedtime routine to help their sensory systems start the day off well and end the day with some restful sleep (hopefully!). Giving them structured and safe opportunities for heavy work could help to decrease unsafe and frequent sensory seeking.

It's important to note that the effectiveness of heavy work activities may vary from child to child, and it's recommended to tailor these activities to the child's preferences and sensory needs. Never force your child to participate in sensory activities, just present them and follow their lead. Use discretion based on your child’s age and what they might be developmentally ready for. Always use supervision with these activities. Consulting with an occupational therapist can help identify specific activities that will be most beneficial for a child based on their unique sensory profile.