If I had to think of a metaphor for my virtual learning journey so far, it would probably be the steeplechase. In my opinion, the steeplechase is the meatloaf of track events. It combines distance running, hurdles, and long jumping over a pit of cold, semi-dirty, water. You’re going to get wet, you might trip over a few hurdles, but at the end of the race, you’re going to be tired and feel accomplished.
I think the biggest hurdle for me to jump over is how to meet my students’ sensorimotor needs during virtual learning. There are many questions that pop in my mind. Among them are:
(1) What types of sensorimotor strategies might be successful when there isn’t access to equipment?
(2) How do I help make virtual learning successful when the expectations are to be in front of a screen and to be predominantly stationary for extended periods of time?
(3) How do I coach parents on techniques when their plates are already overflowing?
(4) How do I know if sensorimotor strategies are working since I am not there in person to collect data and directly monitor?
What is Sensorimotor?
I like to think of sensory processing as the way our body takes in, analyzes, and responds to our environments. What we often forget is that we are all sensory beings. Every single person experiences and responds to the world differently. How I respond to a warm summer day is different than your experience. How someone responds to light touch is unique to them. How a person’s body experiences time and the amount of movement needed for mental clarity, is different than yours or mine.
Therefore, sensory should not be categorized as ‘you have it’ or ‘you don’t’. Sensory processing is an interplay of factors. Regulating sensory stimuli so we are able to be successful during virtual learning has posed a large challenge to the students’ overall access to education.
Research has shown that children need opportunities to move during both play and times of purposeful learning. Movement is so powerful, it allows us to express our thoughts and feelings, while also creating and enhancing neuron connections in the brain.
It is vital that children, who crave movement, be given time and opportunities to meet their bodily needs so they are able to thrive and retain information. You can provide rich and interactive lessons but if we aren’t meeting biological needs, information isn’t being retained.
The sensory system that is usually credited with seeking movement is the proprioceptive system. Proprioception refers to the connection between the joints, muscles, ligaments, and the brain.
The receptors in the muscles, joints, tendons, and overall connective tissue perceive contraction, stretching, and compression. These receptors then send messages to the brain, which in turn, correlates to information about the bodies positioning in space and movement.
This sensory system also allows us to grade movement in the sense of force and direction. The proprioceptive system is important because it allows children to be aware of their ‘personal space’ and how to engage ‘appropriately’ with those around them.
Seat Yourself !
Frequent changes in seating can be a game-changer for students who seek movement and input, especially during virtual learning. Seating suggestions don’t have to require expensive equipment. In actuality, positioning suggestions, regarding seating can be easy to accommodate, implement, and free.
Therapy ball chairs (affiliate link) can be found in classrooms across the country. They can be expensive and sometimes the plastic frame around the ball can be uncomfortable for students and restrict movement.
I have had students try to rock back and forth in the ball chairs and tip the frame. I recommend a standard exercise ball (affiliate link). You can find them in a variety of sizes. Ideally, you would want the child’s feet to touch the ground. The therapy ball can be used to sit on or to bounce up and down.
It can also be used in the supine and prone position. Supine meaning the child on their stomach on the ball while prone would be on their back. These positions can be really beneficial and provide input to larger areas of the body. You need to make sure there is no furniture or sharp corners around them.
Another seating accommodation that could be implemented would be to utilize an office chair during virtual learning. I like that some office chairs can spin and rock back. This tool can activate not only the proprioceptive sensory system but also the vestibular sense. You can also try rocking chairs, which give young learners a structured seating option while also allowing for movement. You can find a lot of rocking chairs at thrift stores or on sale after the summer.
Lastly, I love recommending my students to sit on cushions or pillows. Sitting on an uneven surface provides input to the core and your body has to work to continue to ‘right’ itself and maintain that position in space. Students can sit on the cushions or lay on them, either on their stomachs or backs. The takeaway is frequent change in seating provides the body with frequent changes in input. It provides time to refocus.
Work It Out!
Simple exercises presented in an engaging way can help meet students’ sensory-motor needs. First, let’s address different exercises. Think of the weight and cardio routines you do in the gym, and then switch the lens to how they can be accommodated in the home setting. We want exercises that can be done during seated instruction.
Let’s dive into quick and effective exercises for the upper extremities. Wall presses are a great exercise to provide input to the upper extremities especially the larger muscles of the shoulders and triceps and the bonus is they are easy to explain/model to students. Sometimes I will recommend tracing the student’s hand on construction paper, cut it out, and then use painters tape to place it on the wall.
My favorite virtual learning exercise is to ask my families to find two cans. This provides an easy, functional, and relatively cheap option to provide sensory input. I have them use the cans as small weights to do simple arm exercises such as bicep curls, overhead press (pushing the weight up), front press (pushing the weight forward), and triceps press. There are endless simple exercises that can be found on the Internet.
Before recommending simple exercises, however, it is important to check if the child has any medical conditions or symptoms that are contraindicated for weight before beginning these types of activity. The exercise isn’t distracting to others on the screen, students are meeting their needs, and they are increasing those motor connections between the muscles and brain.
A personal favorite I like to do after stressful meetings is exaggerated shoulder shrugs. The fancy term is scapular elevation and depression. You bring your shoulders to your ears, holding the position while breathing in, and then dropping shoulders down while you breathe out. This exercise is not only providing input to the upper extremities and shoulder girdle, it also provides some calming feedback to our nervous system.
Seated leg lifts and fish kicks activate the core but also provide input to the hip and thighs. Heel/calf raises are one of my favorite movement breaks when my legs are feeling restless. Chair presses provide a lot of proprioceptive input again to the upper extremities but I find this exercise can be a bit difficult to model and instruct young students.
Before we can expect students to independently self regulate and monitor when they should use certain tools/strategies/exercise, we have to model and teach.
Presentation to younger students is the biggest buy-in. If it looks fun and different you have a better chance of there being participation and carryover.
I love using colored Popsicle sticks (affilite link). You can write exercises on the sticks and for our non-readers tape a picture to the end. You can also just use the pictures as cards.
Another option is to have a simple Velcro chart with pre-picked activities. The student looks at the options (limited based on distractibility with visual input) and picks one. Every 10 minutes (or when you notice your student needing a break) ask them to pick an option using whatever visual presentation meets their needs. You can give a number to the exercise using dice or pick a random number before the option is picked. This keeps the activity fresh and different. The goal is for the student to recognize internal signs and find an exercise or tool to utilize during stationary activities.
Grab that Tool!
I love looking at pictures of fancy sensory and motor gyms. From the different types of suspended swings to the rock walls, and all the ball/foam pits in-between. Very few schools, and even fewer homes, have these tools. So what are some easy sensory tools that model equipment?
Foam rollers (affiliate link) are pretty inexpensive, provide input in different planes of the body, and can be used by other members of the family. Also, a bonus point is that you can wipe it off.
When the student is actively engaged virtually but needs some extra input a few ways to utilize a foam roller are rolling it under your feet. This provides input to the arch of the foot. You can also have the student roll it under their thighs and/or calves. I try to give specifics with the foam roller like “try rolling this way” vs “here’s this foam roller.”
Another tool to provide input and movement is using a ball (a tennis ball, bumpy ball, or basketball) under the sole of your foot and moving/rolling it. Students would be able to grade the pressure their body needs and also have an outlet for the movement.
Lastly, try a rolling pin. It is the same concept as a foam roller but you would have the student hold it with two hands and roll the pin, up and down the top of their thighs. The student would be able to grade the desired pressure.
I always try to coach and model the sensory strategies to the student vs. providing the sensory input. You can coach parents, provide pictures, or videos (a lot of my students respond well to video models).
I find modeling and coaching important for multiple reasons: Our goal is to teach students how to regulate their sensory needs independently. Students who are non- verbal and/or have difficulty expressing their wants and needs would pose an increased challenge to tell you that it is uncomfortable and lastly, it’s a CYB (Cover Your Butt) policy to be as hands-off as possible.
To me, the big take away about meeting students’ sensorimotor needs during virtual learning, is giving students the time. Be patient, be responsive, and be willing to try different options. Movement is a key factor in the brain’s ability to focus and retain cognitive information. And at the end of the day, try to remember that there are others in the steeplechase. Everyone is jumping over hurdles even if they don’t mirror your own.
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Barb says
This was a wonderful article. It gave great suggestions for simple things I can use at home to help my child. Often just don’t take time to think how to make inexpensive things at home to use when doing sensory work.
Taylor says
Thank you so much! I am so glad you found some of the tips helpful! I hope you have a wonderful day!