Do you help your child explore his or her seven senses? What? We have more than five senses...taste, touch, sight, smell, and hearing? That's right. There are two other senses: our vestibular and proprioceptive senses. Our vestibuwhatawhat? Some of you might think this boring child
development stuff, but I am here to tell you that I wouldn't write about it if I didn't think it was something that parents need to be aware of. Let me give a brief overview of each of these senses and then discuss
why they are so important to a child's development.
The vestibular sense is our sense of movement and is closely related to our sense of sight. We don't think about how our body moves when we are walking up and down stairs, right? The vestibular sense helps us maintains our muscle tone and coordinate the two sides of our body. It tells us what our body is doing, e.g., sitting, rocking, crawling, etc., and helps us know where we are in space.
Closely related to the vestibular sense is our proprioceptive sense which gives us an awareness of body position. It is proprioception that allows us to guide our arm or leg movements without having to observe every action. It tells our brain when and how our muscles are contracting or stretching and how our joints are binding or extending so we know where are limbs are. As a result, we can go up the stairs without actively thinking about what we are doing (except for those like me who are prone to falling for no reason).
These senses begin to function very early in life. The interplay between these and all of the other senses is complex and necessary for us to interpret situations accurately and make appropriate responses. A popular term to describe the relationship between the senses is sensory integration. Some associate this term with autism. Over the years, however, I have met MANY children who did not have autism, but still had some sensory issues in varying degrees.
So, why are the vestibular and proprioceptive senses so important to our kids? Because these senses are involved in motor planning. Children who struggle with motor planning often have difficulties in school. Although we don't really think about it, these senses are necessary for writing, reading, looking at a blackboard, catching a ball, etc. Some children with poorly developed motor planning appear clumsy falling down or bump into things frequently. There are others who are compelled to constantly be moving, ie, running, hopping, jumping on peoples backs even running into walls on purpose! To avoid these kinds of outcomes, we need to give children frequent and regular opportunities for movement such as:
- rocking
- swinging
- climbing
- walking (especially on uneven surfaces -- when they are ready)
- crawling
- jumping
- riding on carousels or merry-go-rounds
Whew, what a relief eh? I'm sure most of you are doing these things intuitively with your children, but over the years, I met many well intentioned parents who did not. As a result, I feel compelled to spread the word about the importance of movement. So, get your kids outside or to the playground and get them moving. You will be laying the groundwork for academic success!
Did you find the explanation of these different systems helpful? I'm curious to know! Please post your comments and questions...I want to make sure that this stuff is clear!
Copyright © 2006, Jill S. Urbane. All rights in all media reserved. The content of this article may be forwarded in full without special permission provided it is used for nonprofit purposes and full attribution and copyright notice are given. For other purposes, please contact Jill Urbane at www.thementormom.com.
(July 2006) (
