Water Fun!

Summer is such a great time to explore the outdoors and engage in a variety of different sensory experiences. Some of my favorites that make the warm weather so fun to enjoy are all the water play opportunities! Water is a great medium for kids to explore to help regulate their sensory systems and is a great calming tool. When swimming, the proprioceptive input (input through the joints to increase body awareness) and pressure water provides creates a very centering effect that makes aquatic therapy so successful with kids with sensory processing difficulties. Other than taking a dip in the local pool (which some of us are finding a little more difficult this summer in a Covid-world), here are some of my other favorite ways to cool off!

-      Water table : this are fairly inexpensive and available through many different retailers (I ordered our daughter’s table off Amazon). They’re great for working on scooping and pouring, fine and visual motor skills, and the repetition of some of the play also creates a very regulating experience for your littles. My two year old uses hers frequently on hot days!

-      Mud pies : adding the water is a great way to explore different consistencies of mud, as well as whipping up a variety of different creations in your “outdoor kitchen”. Admittedly, this one is extremely messy but so much fun and so beneficial for tactile awareness as well.

-      Running through sprinklers. I feel like this is a no-fail, low-cost way to enjoy a great water experience that I remember doing a ton in my childhood as well. The gross motor components (and having to keep your balance on slippery grass!) make this even more challenging and fun. To put a different spin on it, you can encourage your kids to use “animal walks” (ie. bear, crab, worm crawls) to actively engage the entire body and increase vestibular and proprioceptive input even more!

-      Splash in puddles! Probably the most fun thing you can do. Take advantage of those summer storms and play in all the fun puddles left over after a big rain. 

 Of course, any water activity should be monitored and supervised by a responsible adult, as well as any social distancing measures taken if in a public place. Enjoy!