Well, maybe that is wishful thinking. I’m not quite sure that “spring has sprung”, but I know that the weather has been good enough to send the kids outside and let them get some fresh air!

Many of our kiddos have been suffering from a severe case of “cabin fever”…being inside all winter with minimal opportunities to move! I had a lovely discussion with one family the other day, and it made me think of our blog readers…

Really, how awful is the mud?? As she picked up her preschooler, and took a moment to connect with another mother, their children ran through the grass. When they arrived at home, she had one pair of shoes and a pair of socks to bleach and wash. Aside from their internal Mommy “Nooooo’s!!!” …what harm was it doing? To allow these two young children to run through the path of running water, which ultimately became mud…what harm was it doing??

When they arrived at home, the boys got out of the car and walked straight to the swing set! They laughed, they interacted, and best of all…they REGULATED! In a way they haven’t been able to for months! The swinging provides vestibular input!

At my own home…I insisted that the children keep shoes on…maybe I should have insisted they take them OFF! The kids (and my neighbor children) first SHOVELED the trampoline (go proprioceptive input!) and jumped their little hearts out! What a great experience!

In the midst of it all, a play suggestion was made, and the kids ran through the yard…and back again…and again! And by the time we were done, I had 4 pairs of shoes to rinse and dry. BUT! Every. Single. Face. Had a smile!

This winter in our county, our state, our part of the nation has been so cold and snowy. Think of the BIG PICTURE…Think of it as memory making! Let them GO! It is sensory! It is social! It is cognitive! It is language! It is MOTOR! It is everything you need it to be! Our children are growing and changing. Simple times like running through the muddy yard, might actually be meeting multiple developmental goals!

What activities have you tried, in order to get your child ready for spring??

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