Rewiring the Brain at the Playground

When I was in college, I used to go down to the playground at Cascade Park and swing. It just felt good and made me happy.

Little did I understand that swinging was just what my brain needed. By stimulating the brain's vestibular system which regulates balance, I got a sense of where I was in space.

The fancy word for that is proprioception, and I had lousy proprioception--always bumping into things, tripping, falling down a lot. So I knew instinctively that swinging was just what my brain-body connection needed. No wonder I loved it.

Swings are an important part of every traditional playground. Money bars are too. The brain loves monkey bars and rings because they require crossing the center mid-line which is essential for reading, writing, math and tons of other skills. I spent so much time on the rings as a kid that I got blisters on my hands and eventually calluses.

You can even hang upside down on monkey bars--another good thing for the vestibular system. Monkey bars help with sensory integration and focus. Not to mention developing strong muscles.

And what about those discs we sat on while the kid who could run the fastest gave the disc several shoves and then jumped on? We would spin and spin until it stopped or one of us fell off and skinned a knee or an elbow. Spinning also helps the vestibular system develop, even improves focus.

So let's jump forward from the 60s to the current movement for imagination playgrounds with lots of movable parts so kids can build things and adventure playgrounds for exploring.

Building things is good. Helping kids develop creativity is crucial. Certainly nothing wrong with exploring. And these new playgrounds do look like loads of fun. After all who wouldn't want to play in sandpit or a pool with running water, operate ropes and pulleys, not to mention create things with giant molded foam blocks in lots of different shapes?

My beef is with the theory that these are "good" playgrounds and the playgrounds of my childhood which helped with sensory integration are "bad." One proponent of the new playgrounds calls the old playgrounds "lame" and suggests we need a movement to get rid of them because they stifle children.

No, no, a thousand times no! Why can't we have both elements in one playground so kids like me can develop better balance and improve sensory integration? And another kid can build something or explore. Who knows? Maybe we'll take turns. I'll swing today. Tomorrow I'll build.

Creativity is only one piece of healthy brain development. With the number of kids with ADHD, ADHD-like behavior and sensory integration challenges, we need swings and monkey bars too.

And swings and monkey bars are just two activities to get kids moving more. To discover lots of activities for moving that help kids learn more easily, I invite you to grab a copy of "Wake Up Your Brain" at http://smartkidssmartparents.com/move-to-learn/

Discover strategies, tips and Brain Games to help ADHD kids and ALL kids do better in school and reach their Smart Potential. Sign up today for your FREE subscription to the "Smart Learning" newsletter. http://smartkidssmartparents.com/sign-up/

from MaryJo Wagner, Ph.D. - The Learning Doctor, helping you help your kids learn quickly and easily every day in every subject even if they have ADHD.

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