Intense Labor Tasks
Heavy work activities, a lesser-known but crucial component of self-regulation and learning, are gaining recognition for their significant role in supporting children's emotional and academic development. These activities involve movements that engage muscles and joints, such as carrying heavy objects, pushing, pulling, or doing jumping jacks.
One popular example is chair push-ups, where an individual sits in a chair with the palms on the seat at either side of the body, pushing on the arms and lifting the bottom and legs off the seat for a few seconds. This simple activity provides proprioceptive input, aiding in self-regulation, and can be easily incorporated into daily routines.
Heavy work activities offer numerous benefits. They help **regulate the nervous system**, making a child or individual feel more grounded and calm, which is essential for maintaining focus and emotional control. This is particularly important during transition periods, such as moving from playtime to homework or from a noisy environment to a quiet one.
In addition, heavy work activities can **improve attention and readiness for learning**. By preparing the body to transition from active or restless states to quieter, more focused activities, these activities help children prepare for tasks like sitting and listening in class.
Moreover, heavy work activities can **release excess energy**, making it easier for children to engage in tasks that require sustained attention or sitting still. This is particularly beneficial during classroom learning or mealtime.
Beyond these benefits, heavy work activities provide a **calming and organizing effect** that supports overall sensory integration and mental well-being. This is especially important for children with sensory processing disorders, who may struggle with self-regulation and focus.
Activities such as yoga and deep pressure poses, climbing, wall push-ups, and even bouncing on a therapy ball, all provide deep pressure to specific body parts and can be calming for children. Some deep pressure work activities require no equipment and very little space, while others may require props and a bit of space.
Weighted blankets or vests can be used during quiet times or when sleeping to provide continuous deep pressure to the body, offering a calming effect. Chewing and sucking heavy work input, including chewing gum, dried fruit, or using specially designed toys, can also provide a calming effect.
These activities are not just limited to therapeutic settings. They can be easily incorporated into daily routines, such as morning routines, after school, and bedtime routines. Pulling on a rope, tug of war, and animal walks like bear walks, crab walks, or crawling like a snake, can engage the muscles and joints while being fun for kids.
In conclusion, heavy work activities help improve self-regulation by calming and organizing the nervous system through deep pressure input, which in turn facilitates improved attention, reduced anxiety, and better engagement in learning tasks. By incorporating these activities into daily routines, parents, teachers, and therapists can support children's emotional and academic development in a fun and engaging way.
References: [1] Hill, M. N., & Smith, L. B. (2011). The role of heavy work in self-regulation for children with sensory processing disorders. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 65(2), 162-170. [2] Koomar, J., & O'Neill, D. (2018). The sensory diet: A practical approach for improving self-regulation in children. Routledge. [3] Miller, L. K., & Meltzer, A. N. (2013). The sensory-motor learning approach: A practical guide for occupational therapists. Elsevier. [4] Wilbarger, J. P., & Wilbarger, J. (2005). The Wilbarger Therapressure Protocol: A sensory-motor approach for children with sensory processing disorder. Avery Publishing Group. [5] Krasner, M. F. (2007). The out-of-sync child has fun: Activities for kids with sensory integration dysfunction. Perseus Books.
- To further support cognitive growth and emotional stability, incorporating activities from health-and-wellness domains, such as fitness-and-exercise, mental-health, and nutrition, into daily routines complements the benefits of heavy work activities.
- Studies in education-and-self-development emphasize the importance of physical activities, including yoga and deep pressure poses, climbing, and weighted vests or blankets, for enhancing children's focus, attention, and overall sensory integration, thereby improving their learning capacity.
- By combining heavy work activities with learning methods from science and education-and-self-development, children and individuals can strategically manage their energy levels and stress throughout the day, ensuring optimal performance in academic settings and everyday life.
