Let it snow! Snow gives children a great opportunity to explore and work their bodies in ways that feel just right for them. Heavy pressure for those in need of sensory input is vastly available. The upper body is strengthened by rolling oversized snowballs, shoveling a pathway, or making a snow mountain. The lower body is strengthened by mountain climbing up a snowpile, snowshoeing, or trudging up a deep snowy hill. The body’s core muscles (abdomen, back and neck) are strengthened through penguin sliding on your belly while lifting your arms and legs, and traditional sliding by lifting your feet to go faster. These core muscles play such a large role in a student’s ability to sit and attend to instruction as well as many other sustaining tasks.
The skills that children are building on when sledding down a hill go far beyond what you see at first glance, especially when they use their own bodies to do so rather than a sled. Some children choose to log-roll down sideways, some choose to slide on their backs, some choose a fast penguin slide on their belly. All of these techniques give the child control of their body, understanding where it is in space and (sometimes quickly) how that relates to other objects. The attention and regulation needed in this fast and busy environment is strengthening children’s ability to focus and to take responsibility for their own safety and that of others.
When children are given the time and space, there’s endless opportunities for play, with snow to move and dig and dump, and endless time to slide back down and climb back up….until it’s time to go in for a hot cup of cocoa!
