Every Saturday, we head to a cute and clean little gym for Henry's gymnastics class. I can't prove causation, but I can tell you there is a significant correlation between his weekly hour of jumping, hanging on bars, rolling on the floor and an improved mood. Occupational therapists recommend a balanced sensory diet including things like trampolines, bouncy balls, and pushing or pulling heavy loads. These help give the input to kids that need alerting or calming through sensory input. Check out The Out of Sync Child for a good discussion of this (and every other topic on SPD).
Henry loves gymnastics. He's super active and coordinated and to be honest, I'm not ruling out a future career as an Olympian. Plus it gives him a chance to experience being in a class with other kiddos. If only I could figure out how to get a trampoline onboard for the plane ride to Denver.
Totally interesting--glad you found a great healthy play place!
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