As a pediatric occupational therapist, this story on The Today Show this morning caught my attention.
The story illustrates that roughhousing helps “self- esteem and physical development” and that “it can actually make kids smarter, emotionally intelligent, likable — even lovable”.
For years, I have been prescribing home exercise programs to parents with children with sensory processing difficulties that include just this, a little roughhousing.
Recommended Roughhousing With Your Children:
- I recommend pulling couch cushions on the floor and having their children jump around. I suggest squishing their child between pillows and making a “sandwich” out of them.
- I also advise parents to wrap up their child in a blanket and have them log roll across the floor. This roughhousing is actually intense proprioceptive sensory input (the input your body receives from your muscles and joints).
This type of play provides kids with the input that they need to help them be more organized for every day activities and is regularly used in pediatric occupational therapy sessions. In fact, these activities help your child to learn and be more aware of their bodies.
So go ahead and have a little fun!
