H is for Heavy Work Ideas for Kids

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I am very excited to have Dayna of the very successful blog, Lemon Lime Adventures guest posting in the A-Z's of Sensory Play for Kids series here on GRB. Dayna is sharing with us some great heavy work ideas for kids. Be sure to check out the amazing download she has for you all too!

I am excited to be sharing with you today about the illusive “heavy work”. You might have heard the term thrown around, you might have never heard of it. Whatever the case, I think it is an extremely useful tool that all parents and educators should know.

What is Heavy Work?

Just like adults, children need to be able to calm their bodies and self-regulate. Not all children can do this on their own, however, which is why heavy work is so important. Heavy work is any activity which requires you to use your muscles and joints, putting pressure on them as you move. It provides your body with necessary proprioceptive input to self-regulate.

What are the benefits of Heavy Work?

• Generally Helps Organize the Brain
• Can be Calming
• Alerts Children Before Mental Work
• Improves Attention
• Helps with Body Awareness
• Strengthens Muscle Tone

What does Heavy Work look like?

Heavy work can be done through a variety of activities. One misconception is that heavy work involves something “heavy”. Think of it as heavy weight bearing activities on ANY of your joint and muscles. This can include chewing, cutting, writing, squeezing, pushing, carrying and pulling.

Heavy work is great for all children, not just children with sensory processing disorder. In fact, heavy work is AWESOME in the classroom, at home or out and about. I've included some of my absolute favorite heavy work activities!

10 Brain Break Exercises – Growing Hands-On Kids

Simple Activities for Kids that Jump and Climb – Growing Hands-On Kids

Simple and Fun Animal Walks – Lemon Lime Adventures

Brain Breaks that Really Work – Lemon Lime Adventures

Chores that Help Calm and Focus {free printable} – Lemon Lime Adventures

Simple Tools to Encourage Heavy Work

Project Sensory is dedicated to increasing sensory awareness for all children and empowering children to be their best self. Many of the tools available in the Sensory Fix toolkit are great for encouraging simple heavy work activities. Besides the backpack itself, some of our favorite items are the DoGo putty, the Stress Ball, and the Water Bottle with bite valve.

Dayna is a National Board Certified teacher, with over 12 years of experience in early childhood education, who now homeschools her 3 children, one of which struggles with Sensory Processing Disorder. She is the author at Lemon Lime Adventures and owner of Project Sensory, where she is dedicated to sharing real life stories with parents and educators about the pretty and the not so pretty days involved in raising children. You can connect with Dayna over on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and G+!

For more sensory play ideas, be sure to follow my sensory fun Pinterest board and keep up with the A-Z's of Sensory Play for Kids series.

Follow Heather G. | Golden Reflections Blog ‘s board Sensory Fun on Pinterest.

Sharing with: Enchanted Homeschooling Mom, Living Montessori Now, Hip Homeschool Moms, 3 Boys and a Dog