The chief medical office in the UK and the Federal Government in the USA recommend at least 60 mins of moderate to vigorous physical activity a day for children aged 6 years and older. Preschool-aged children should be physically active throughout the day to enhance growth and development.
How does Sensory Corridors help? Sensory Corridors naturally increases the daily quota of movement recommended for kids. Children will find it very difficult not to jump, hop and engage with these fun and stimulating movement prompts.
The common side effect of weak core muscles is poor posture and a knock-on effect to handwriting skills. Children with weak core muscles develop compensatory ‘fixing’ strategies e.g. tight hamstrings and hitched shoulders, where other muscle groups take over the role of these important postural muscles.
How does Sensory Corridors help? The Sensory Corridor pathway engages a child’s whole body in purposeful playful exercise and stabilising positions. The pathways challenge a child’s postural control in movement and their ability to hold positions. It allows the child opportunity to practice in a non-competitive manner and can be used in a variety of different ways to incorporate fun and novel movement patterns. The key to strengthening core muscles is to make it fun – like a game!
The World Health Organisation has issued guidelines for physical activity and screen time for young children. Exercise, physical play time and protecting sleep is emphasized amid the growing body of research that shows cognitive delays in children who engage in excessive sedentary screen time. Circle time, seat work and screen time usually involve a sedentary body position and a still head which does nothing for the development of the vestibular sense, the most important hallway to the brain.
How does Sensory Corridors help? At Sensory Corridors, we want to encourage movement and physical play at every possible appropriate opportunity. These fun sensory paths are impossible to ignore and children find themselves immediately engaged, trying out new movement challenges and most important, having fun!
Researchers note a marked reduction in the total amount of break time children are allowed – 11-16 year olds are now having 65 minutes per week less break time than they did a quarter of a century ago. Break times and regular movement breaks for younger children are essential for physical and mental well-being.
How does Sensory Corridors help? A Sensory Corridor extends play time, builds exercise and movement opportunities into the day and helps kids blow off steam so that they can focus for learning.
There has been a significant rise in the number of children needing treatment for their sensory systems. The big culprit – the restriction of time and space for children to move and play outdoors.
How does Sensory Corridors help? For children with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), a Sensory Corridor is an ideal component of an individual sensory diet as it stimulates important sensory systems essential for co-ordination and learning.
Movement breaks are an important part of teaching self-regulation skills. Sensory Corridors get kids moving, give heavy work to their muscles and joints and necessary brainpower boosts so they calm and control their bodies in order to return to classroom learning.
How does Sensory Corridors help? Use Sensory Corridors as movement breaks for individual kids or let the whole class participate as they move around school during the day. As children move along the sensory path, they ‘feed’ their body with sensory rich movement which improves attention and overall arousal levels.
Children are larger and less active than ever before and many 1st world governments are taking this epidemic seriously with national initiatives and guidelines. The social, physical and health repercussions are well documented.
How does Sensory Corridors help? Make Sensory Corridors a part of your school / organisation’s overall physical activity programme. If we keep children moving, we keep them healthy!