Friendship Village, Vietnam

Proprioception Hi guys, this is Lou, this is Amy, and I'm Shawn. We are fourth year Occupational Therapy students from Southern Cross Univeristy on the Gold Coast, Australia. Late last year we were lucky enough to visit the Friendship Village in Hanoi, Vietnam. This was part of a Health Promotion subject. So, today we are going to discuss the topic of proprioception. Using floor activities, when teaching math or handwriting can actually increase proprioceptive input. So, proprioception is when we receive information from the receptors in our muscles and joints to tell us where our body is in space without us actually having to look at it To activate the proprioceptors an individual needs to actively contract their muscles against gravity. To help you remember this, we have three magic words; push, pull and carry. So, using chalk and a yoga mat on the floor in this positioning increases proprioception through all four limbs. I'm now actually pushing against gravity, and i can write. Push What not to do is allow your students to lay on the floor because in this position there is not resistance against gravity. This is the first magic word Push Why? Why use proprioception? It assists with calming and alerting which increases attention and focus and it develops body awareness This is an important building block for childhood development. During this activity when bodies become restless, it's time to move! Using full body movements we can continue to develop body awareness, make learning fun and maintain focus. For example, if the theme of the class is learning the letter T. Children could make their bodies into the shape of a T or even stand on one leg for more difficulty. They can also be creative by making the shape of a tree or a turtle. Let the children use their imagination have some fun. Then back to their positioning to draw their trees and turtle. So, how in this exercise can we use our three magic words push, pull and carry. This is were it becomes important that children assist us in the set up and pack down. Children can help pull the desks push them out of the way, clear the space. Carry a chair, thank you Shawn. And obviously we are pushing on the floor and can be carrying a bucket. The most restless student, is best chosen to carry the bucket. Water, that is cold is good proprioceptive input. Lots of pushing when we are cleaning up. So, it is important that we use these strategies that are calming body and prepares focus for the next classroom activity. Thank you for watching