Heavy Work Activities (Proprioceptive Input)... They Need Them, They Crave Them!

Heavy work activities (i.e., proprioceptive input) are used for children with sensory processing difficulties to help increase attention, decrease defensiveness,  and modulate arousal.

Proprioceptive input is the performance of tasks that involves heavy resistance and input to the muscles and joints, and is essential in helping our bodies assimilate and process both movement (vestibular) and touch (tactile) information.

Heavy work activities include:

Whole body actions involving pushing, pulling, lifting, playing, and moving

Oral actions such as chewing, sucking, and blowing

Use of hands for squeezing, pinching, or "fidgeting"

This resistive input obtained through heavy work activities is generally organizing and can improve attention, arousal level, body awareness and muscle tone, as well as decreasing defensiveness.

Proprioception is a form of sensory input to the muscles and joints which makes us aware of our "position in space" (i.e., where we are in relation to other objects or people). Children who have difficulty interpreting proprioceptive input have trouble grading and planning their movements and regulating their level of arousal.

You may see a child who accidentally breaks things often, appears clumsy and uncoordinated and may have an excessive need to crash and bump into objects, walls and people.

If they are seeking out excessive proprioceptive input, they are looking for a way to calm and organize their nervous system. They may seem disruptive, full of excessive energy, or even unsafe. These are the crashers, jumpers, movers, and shakers! These are the children we ABSOLUTELY want to target with heavy work activities. It WILL make a difference in them!

The following is an extensive list of heavy work activities and proprioceptive activities that may help regulate a child's arousal level, concentration, ability to fall asleep or sit still and attend to a task.

Keep in mind, the type of heavy work activities, timing and duration is most effective when directed by a professional (such as an Occupational Therapist) knowledgeable about this type of proprioceptive input.

It is also important to note which activities calm your child, arouse them, or over arouse them. This is very unique to each individual and must be observed and treated as such!

You want to choose activities THEY are interested in and that IMPROVE their state of arousal to its most functional point.

Gross Motor Activities

Carrying objects, such as...

• groceries
• animal backpacks
• kids fanny pack
• stacking or moving chairs/books
• watering can/hose
• baby's diaper bag
• ANYTHING with weight to it

Wearing a weighted vest, weighted hat, or weighted shorts.

Wearing wrist or ankle weights

Using a weighted lap pad or weighted blanket

Swimming with or without swim weights

Pushing or pulling objects and activities, such as...

• toy shopping cart
• laundry basket
• kids wagon
• raise/lower flag at school
• tug of war rope
• rainbow putty press (flatten putty on wall or desk/table)
• toy vacuum
• mop/sweep floor with a mop broom and dustpan for kids
• wrestling
• shoveling snow with a kids snow shovel
• raking leaves, dirt etc. using a kids wheelbarrel and kids garden tools
• pushing/pulling self or others on a jumbo scooter board
• Thera-Band
• "push of war" between partners (with ball, have to cross over line)
• riding bicycles / scooters
• kids roller blades

Jumping and bouncing on/with items, such as...

• on a trampoline

• on an old mattress or soft area
• into bean bag chairs
• on a therapy ball(with adult assistance of course)
• on a pogo stick
• moon shoes
• on a hopping ball
• horseback riding
• with a jump rope
• foam hopscotch pads
• ankle twister jump ropes
• floor gymnastics
• happy hop ball
• on jumpolenes or backyard bouncers

Wheelbarrow walk relays

Potato sac/ jumping bag races

Lizard crawl (belly on floor, push self with elbows)

Climbing/hanging on things, such as...

• on jungle gyms
• monkey bars
• jungle climber with swings
• hanging rings and trapeze
• Twizzler
• zipline/fun ride trolley
• rock walls
• outside on rocks or trees
• ladder and or slide
• climbing rope
• climbing cargo nets

Body Sox (TM) or a Super Shape Changer

Walking/running/playing in the sand

"Sandwich"/ Squishing activities...

• make a child "sandwich" between floor pillowsor cushions
• roll child up in mat or heavy blanket as a "hot dog"
• give child heavy blankets, weighted blankets, or sleeping bags (for children) at bedtime
• bear hugs
• firm towel dry after baths, wrap up tightly
• giant gym exercise ball on top of them while they lay on the floor

• dont forget Twister!

Crabwalk (hands and feet on floor, belly up) games, such as...

• relays
• soccer
• volleyball (in crabwalk position kicking balloon with feet in air)

  (Click Here For Specific Gross Motor Activity Ideas For Toddlers)

Fine Motor/Upper Extremity Activities

Working at vertical surfaces (at/above eye level), such as...

• with tabletop easels
• erasing, coloring on chalkboard
• painting/drawing on adjustable floor easel
• washing windows
• wipe down shower or tub
• paint with water on side of house

Resistive tools or toys, such as...

• clothespins
• spray bottles
• use curvy cut scissors to cut putty, play-doh, thick paper or cardboard
• Play Doh Factory presses and molds
• use rolling pins to flatten cookie dough/play-doh
• color/draw with crayon on textured surface or rubbing plates 
• bingo dot markers 
• paper punches
• spray nozzle on garden hose

(Click Here For Tons Of Fine Motor Skills Activity Ideas And Products!)

Fidget or play with stretchy/squishy items, such as...

• Theraputty (hide and seek with coins, tug of war, cut and flatten to make cookies, roll out to make letters, etc.)
• play-doh (Check Out Recipes For Play Doh, Silly Putty, Paints And More)
• rubber bands
• Morf stress relief balls
• relaxable squeeze balls
• "squishies" (fill two balloons, inside each other, with flour or sand)

Resistive surfaces, such as...

• sidewalk chalk on driveway/sidewalk/playground
• color pictures taped over sandpaper
• use sanding blockto sand wood project
• brush the family dog

Use weighted pens, pencils or utensils

Multi-person parachute games and activities

Cooking activities, such as...

• stirring
• pressing
• kneading

Etch-a-Sketch with resistive knobs (shaking with both arms to clear screen)

Dig and play in the sand toy backhoe, or with some cool beach and sandbox toys using sand and water tables or, wooden covered sandboxes

Oral Motor Activities:

Chewy foods such as...

• dried fruit
• gummi bears/worms etc.
• licorice
• beef jerky
• bagels
• cheese
• granola bars
• gum
• raisins
• taffy
• soft pretzels
• popcorn

Resistive sucking using items such as...

• through thin curly straws krazy straws
• sports bottle with long straw
• lollipops
• popsicles
• drink milkshake with a straw
• hard candies
• peanut butter

Blowing activities, such as...

• wind instruments
• bubbles
• balloons
• whistles/slide whistles
• "snake"/blower party favors
• make splatter paintings (use thin paint on paper... blow air through a straw and watch the paint move! can also use chocolate pudding thinned with milk on freezer paper)
• Blopens
• blow tropical fish bubbles; in the bath
• kazoos, whizzers, and other noise makers

Related Resources

Sensory Diet Behavior and Body Awareness Flash Card Deck - Super Duper Educational Learning Toy for Kids Sensory Processing Disorder Checklist - comprehensive SPD Checklist; signs and symptoms of tactile, auditory, olfactory and oral defensiveness, as well as proprioceptive and vestibular dysfunction.

The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun, Revised Edition: Activities for Kids with Sensory Processing Disorder (The Out-of-Sync Child Series)

Everyday Games for Sensory Processing Disorder: 100 Playful Activities to Empower Children with Sensory Differences

Check out more great products, heavy work activities, and ideas within these two articles... Sensory Integration Activities and Sensory Integration Products

Childrens Playground Equipment - A comprehensive article on the benefits, and a great selection of, children's playground equipment. This includes; outdoor, indoor, wooden or plastic playground equipment, AND climbers or swing sets.

Oral Sensitivities - A great resource for the signs of oral sensitivities (hypersensitive or hyposensitive) as it relates to Sensory Processing Disorders, as well as great treatment ideas!

 Proprioception And Proprioceptive Dysfunction - An in-depth article defining proprioceptive dysfunction; signs and symptoms to help you understand the REAL reason your child may not be able to learn new motor tasks or has a high energy level.

Sensory Room - extremely therapeutic for both children and adults with, or without, sensory processing/sensory integration disorders.

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