Welcome to inclusion matters, a podcast about children's development from the Center for Inclusive childcare.
Welcome to Inclusion Matters a podcast from the Center for Inclusive Child Care. I'm Priscilla Weigel, the Executive Director, and I'm here today with my colleague, Beth Menninga, who is our coaching manager. And we are joined by a special guest, Alyssa Mason, who is a Pediatric Occupational Therapist. And we really are going to spend some time today talking about something that is so important for young children. As caregivers, we need to really understand their sensory needs and the sensory systems that feed our brains that important information on how to cope day to day in our environments. So Alisa, welcome. We're so glad you're here today.
Yes, thank you for having me. I'm excited to talk about this topic. I always am.
Yeah, it's a favorite for me to I have to say. And when I was in the classroom years ago, and for many years, once I understood the sensory processing needs of the kids in my care, it transformed my day, my teaching, and as we all know if that's happening for the educator, what's happening for the kids, good stuff. So today, we're going to just really look at the day in the life of a preschooler and how we can provide for their sensory needs. And so why don't we just jump in? And Beth, did you have anything to add before we start the conversation?
No, I'm excited because this is something I didn't know when I was teaching. And I wish I had, I learned it as I learned more about infants and toddlers and how they learn to navigate through space. But I wish I had known this as a teacher. So I'm excited for this information to get out.
Yeah, it's really transformative. So why don't we start with that piece of the day, that can be kind of a bump as a child starts out the arrival at care whether it's child care, preschool, maybe at school, just you know, or maybe it's someone else's home, who's you know, caring for your child just as a family friend, or neighbor.
Alyssa, how can we support your needs in that moment?
Yes, so this is such a busy time of the day. And I like to think about, like the whole process of getting to school, and I'm thinking about this. So we come in, lots of kids are coming in off the bus or from a car, and we're getting lots of vestibular input. So this is one of those sensory systems that we don't always talk about, or we don't learn about in school. It has to do with where our head is at, as opposed to the ground, basically. So if our head is kind of off, or upright access, we're activating that system. This system can be incredibly calming, it's very powerful. But then we think about it with arrival, if I'm coming in off the bus, I could be like, very calm, right, like maybe sleeping even because I came off that, that transportation. And then you get off. And there are so many things. There's the sounds of the other kids getting there, the doors closing the stomping down the bus steps, there's cold breeze outside, there's just I mean, so many things when you're getting to school. And so if we think about that big jump, like we're, we're really regulated, maybe getting out of that transportation. And then we have this big jump of all of this stuff. So like think about it, like, all the sensory information is filling up your cup, and if it overflows, and we've kind of dysregulated we've just gotten too much, we can't handle it anymore. So our cup just fills so fast when we get to school. And so quick strategies, right? Like we're not, we don't have to recreate the wheel, we're doing so many of these things. I used to be a teacher, I don't know if he mentioned that. And so, so many of these things are done during the day. And so for more mindful about how we do them, it can really help. So you think about this, the kids getting into the classroom, maybe you put up new art while they were gone too. And so they get in and there's, you know, used to be stormy cloud artwork on the wall that was neutral colors and kind of dark. And now we've got flowers and rainbows, and it's super bright. And this kid's cup is just filling up and up and up. And now we're trying to process all these bright colors. And our cup is almost full, and we're almost going over the top and then the caregiver comes. And they say good morning, and they offer a deep squeeze to welcome them to school. And then we can get some proprioceptive input going with a deep squeeze. So a proprioceptive system is another one that we don't think about, but it has to do with our muscles and our joints and all the internal things in our body. And that's another really calming system. So that caregiver comes up to this kid and says, Hey, good morning, give them a really deep hug holds them there for a little while, maybe even blocks with their body, some of that visual input that's on the wall behind them. And then they're getting a visual break, they're getting that sensory response or information from that proprioceptive hug. And they're able to kind of get rid of some of that water in their cup and get back to those adaptive behaviors that we need to finish this routine of taking off my jacket and doing that and getting into the classroom for the day can be so simple and we can be so meaningful.
Very good point.
You know, this got me thinking about when I was teaching and how I loved when I was the early bird, teacher, and children, those first arrivals, we were able to be really quiet and calm, and go and read a book. But then as the morning goes on, and other children arrive, and it's not as calm, I didn't think about how they could really benefit from that same kind of calm, quiet, calming experience together, before they sort of leapt into the group and the day. And so it makes me think about how we can create some quiet experiences as children enter as well. So that greeting is really powerful. And then what's a way to help children sort of enter into the room without too much stimulation for every child.
Right, and I think so often, we think we need everything to be stimulating when people enter, because we're trying to really show that, oh, it's a fun space, we're going to have a great day. And being really mindful of where our entrance is, what is in that physical environment, even before we make that personal and social connection with that child. But the physical environment I love, the example you gave of the change in the artwork, even being aware of the children in your care is so important, because for so many children, actually, when we change things without them being there, and they come in to a very different space, whether it's rearranging the toys, or moving your dramatic play area and changing that theme. And they come in and they're just, they're kind of jolted into this, oh, where's my favorite toy? Or where's my comfort item? Where can I go to calm myself? So even be thinking through some of the ways that we set up our environments and how we can help children be aware and prepared for those transitions. So I know we didn't necessarily decide, think that we were going to talk about that. But as these are conversations, Alyssa what can you say about that, as far as helping children, and, and helping ourselves really be mindful of partnering with kids, when we make changes to our environment?
I think the biggest thing is communicating with kids. I think, especially with our little ones we forget, a lot of the times, even if they don't have the words to say, hey, I like that new artwork you put on the wall yet, or something like that, we should still be communicating it. So even if I'm with my toddlers, I can show them the artwork, these are going to be on the wall tomorrow. I'm going to take down these ones here, and we're going to put up some of these ones here, there's going to be bright colors, it's going to look different than here. And then we can remind them when they get to school, I got all of those rainbows and those flowers up on the wall, it's so bright in our classroom, it gets them thinking we don't have to have a great deep conversation like we would with a 10 year old. Our toddlers are taking in everything our little kids are early learners, they're taking in everything that we're giving them. So let's partner with them. Let's we can ask them. We did flowers this week, and we did rainbows this week, which ones should we put on the wall, you each can pick which one of your artwork you want on the wall. Now they know their artworks going up on the wall, and it's their piece, and they chose it. And it gives them some level of control, and something to anticipate when they're coming to school the next day.
I'm so glad, Alyssa that you brought up that you were in the classroom as well, because I think that and as our listeners are getting to know you better through this podcast, they're noting just your awareness of kind of the real the reality of what goes into a day when you're working with young children. And I love that that's going to be part of our conversation throughout this post. I think so often, not so often, but in some cases, folks come with ideas that maybe aren't necessarily realistic. And so that's something that we're really going to focus on through these conversations in our podcasts with you is to really look at what is doable, and doesn't create a lot of additional work. It's really those relational pieces that you're you're bringing to the forefront. So as they, so let's let's just go back to our schedule and arrival went perfectly. And you've given that child that squeeze, you've blocked some of that noise, you had already prepared them for the changes that the environment might be experiencing to them. So now we open up the room and we say it's free play and go find something to do. What can we do to support a child who may need a little more assistance?
Ya, so let's imagine you're a little kid again, right? You're going into free play time. There are so many inconsistencies and unexpected sounds and noises and sights and and things happening during this time. So things that might fill your cup could be the upbeat music. That's In one of the areas and crinkling papers, because you're doing tissue paper art at the table and that crinkle we think about, like auditory input, I might hear that as like a level like think about sounds from a, it could be zero as you don't hear it at all. And 10 is it's like screaming at you. And I, as the caregiver might hear that as like a one like, I barely hear those crinkles, but this kid might hear it at like, an eight . And it's just like they are, all they are hearing is crinkle crinkle crinkle. And there's also music and kids playing and talking and crying and laughing. And now their auditory information super cluttered, and maybe another kid is getting dropped off or coming late that day, we're hearing the parent, that parent try to say goodbye to their child. And so it's so busy. And so as the caregiver thinking about how did we set up the room and what is the permanent objective standpoint, what is going on, maybe there is another kid getting dropped off. And I just know that that's adding to our, our all of the sensory input in our classrooms, maybe I turn off the music. We don't necessarily need the music right now nobody's you know, right there dancing to it, maybe we can turn that off, maybe I can shut the door after that parent leaves. So we're not watching people walk back and forth in the hallway and hearing kids in the gym across the hall. Can I check the blinds, so we don't have the outside. I know we all love natural light, right? But sometimes some people don't and some people won't. And so sometimes if we don't see the squirrels running through the trees and the sun shining in, that's adding a little control to our sensory environment. So we take away some of those things that we need to process, we're kind of emptying some of their cup kind of keeping it from overflowing to that dysregulated state. And then other things you can do is to be mindful of your these kids individual kind of sensory needs. So maybe I choose to invite you over to the sensory table, because we have rice today and rice can be really calming to play with. So then, you know, you get your time with that sensory input to keep you regulated at the table. And then when it's your time to transition away, which can also be a really tough time, you've got to give your hand some really deep squeezes. It's that same proprioceptive input, our our rice was really alerting and engaging and got you really into it. But it's hard to get away. So if we can calm down some of that kind of feeling of that input, it might be easier to transition to the next activity. We can do something like that really simple with washing our hands, I'll use that as a transitional thing. Even if we're not playing with something messy, we can use washing hands as a simple sensory strategy, water can be really calming. So when we transition from one thing to the other, maybe we stop and just take a handwashing break. And then after we do some deep squeezes with our paper towels over the kid's hand, to help them be calm through this transition to the next activity. Really simple we can we do these things all the time, so it's really just being more mindful about where we placed them and why we're doing them at that time to really help kind of keep kids on this regulation journey throughout their day.
You know, obviously, you're making me think about something that I always did. And I think a lot of us do, as early childhood educators, we help prepares children's mind, and kind of their emotions for transitions. But what you're reminding me of is that we have to prepare their bodies. And so the sensory input, you know, and we do sometimes, like you said, we naturally like we turn down the lights, or we do something that helps with those sensory inputs. But I don't think we're I know, I wasn't, I'll say, aware that that was helping prepare the child's body to calm down, but giving it giving some sort of signal and you've given several ideas, but and it might be squeezing someone's hand, it might be doing something different with their hands, or it might be those different inputs. But I love that reminder of, okay, we can remind their brains, and we can remind their emotions, we need to remind their bodies.
And same as you Beth, when I was in the classroom, I wasn't doing any of these things, either. So, you know, if I knew then what I know now, that'd be great. But we do the best with what we know. And then we learn and we know more.
I think that beauty of working in early childhood is the amount of time that we get to spend with children in our care. And we really can get to know their needs, if we're really looking for how they're telling us what they need too. So this is a great reminder to be watching that child during those changes, or even during the activities, how are they responding to the I mean, your example of the crinkling of the tissue paper, great things to be aware of as we look at our our space and step back as an adult to say how can I set everyone up for success? It's tricky. It's challenging, but we can do it when we take the time to really think things through. And so I'm going to move us on to another part of a day in the life of a preschooler, group time, circle time can be one of those times and so what can you give us as far as insights on that period of day?
Mm hmm. So this is a really tricky time of the day because kids have such varying needs as far as like, being able to come sit in a group. So if we imagine, you know, I'm again, I'm this child and I'm in the classroom and you want me to come sit down crisscross applesauce at a group, but my body is telling me that I need to move, I need to roll on the floor or jump up and down, run around the room, I've just got all of this, I need all of this sensory input right now to feel engaged or to get myself to focus. So the idea is, how can we give the kids what they need to feel good and ready, we need to its a thing, we need to get their bodies ready. So if this child is squirming all over, they're trying their best to stay but they're going to falling over and rolling and bumping into their classmates. Let's think about how can we add a sensory activity into this group time. So it could be something as simple as taking maybe you're doing a head, shoulders, knees and toes break, because everyone needs to get up and move their body and then we can stand up, we can activate our vestibular system, as we go up and down to our head, shoulders, knees and toes, we're gonna need to stand up for it. I know, we get everyone sitting and we want to keep sitting, but kids need to move. And they do need that to learn. So let's give them that thing that they need. And then maybe we transition down to laying on our tummies and propping ourselves up in our arms for the rest of our group to see if that different position, which can be really focusing for kids, helps us get back into that group or whatever it is that we're doing. And watching, you know, just continuing to watch for those kids needs. It's like, How does my group look right now is everyone falling over and things like that? Maybe I need to be flexible as the teacher and and adjust my routine to meet the needs of those kids. Because at the end of the day, it will likely make your group time go more smoothly if we respond to the needs of the kids at that time, versus just continuing to tell them to do something that their body's not ready for.
Alyssa I've heard this before. So I wanted you to speak to it a little bit if you could. I heard that some kids it just physically is impossible for that most to do crisscross applesauce. What could you do if a child can't, doesn't seem to be able to sit in the way that you're expecting them? Or, or I feel like we need to let go of those expectations. But are there other positions that child can get in or what to do if a child seems to have trouble sitting?
Yeah, so my my best advice is really what you're alluding to, is to get rid of those expectations. And so maybe our expectation changes to something more broad, I want you to find a space where your body feels good on the rug. And you're able to move your body as long as your body is not bumping into your neighbor. So if you want to lay on your belly, and we can teach these different positions too. Let's try laying on our belly for anybody who wants to if you want to sit in criss cross, that's wonderful. If you want to lay on your belly, but you're engaged in that way, that's wonderful. You want to be up on your high knees. Fantastic. Let's listen that way. Let's let's teach kids how to figure out what feels good for them. And then lean into that. I know lots of OT's will give out like wiggly cushions. And a lot of teachers don't have that as an option. But maybe we have pillows, I'll give kids just a pillow to sit on that that can be kind of their wiggly cushion. Or maybe they're laying on their belly. When they're propped up on that pillow. We help we want to learn with them. So let's give them lots of tools. Let's give them lots of opportunities. Let's sit in different ways. Let's lay on our side, let's lay on our back and realize we can't see the book. So that might not be the best position. And let's learn with them and let them try different things. And then learning through it, because that's how we'll figure out what feels good for them and how they can get through those times that are really tough.
I think one who is not comfortable in crisscross applesauce, is being forced to sit that way, is spending more time attending to how can I get comfortable instead of the story or what you're trying to share. So really taking the extra time is really important. So we've mastered circle and group time because of your great suggestions. Now we're going to move to snack. Tell us what we can do to set kids up.
Yes, so we can be really mindful about what we do around snacks and eating and things like that. As the kid going in, there are so many things again, maybe you washed your hands and you splashed your shirt with water. And so now you've got this wet spot that you just can't stop thinking about and the teacher kind of patted it dry but it's still wet and I'm distracted by that. And my next door neighbor's chewing so loud I can't get away from that. And sometimes you'll see kids who are just kind of zoned out with all the sensory stuff that's happening and they're not eating even though they said they were hungry 10 minutes ago. Or you see kids that you know, they've fallen off of their chairs or they're, you know, so many different things can go on and so one of my favorite simple strategies is to do our thicker liquids through straws and a cup. And so even if we don't do that water through a straw in a cup its also been sucking can be really focusing and organizing and regulating for kids. So using straws, if that's an option is a really good tool. And if we put something like a yogurt or an applesauce or a smoothie into that cup, when they get to drink it through a straw, usually they think it's kind of silly and fun at first. But it's actually giving you a little bit of resistance. And so you have to try a little bit harder to suck. And so that's giving you a little more regulation with that. There are also some snacks that tend to be more calming, like warm things. So if we have hot chocolate, we can do that. Smooth things tend to be calming. So if you have if you have opportunity, I know sometimes our snacks are set up a month in advance, and we don't have any flexibility. So we work with what we have. But understanding that things that are smooth and sweet tend to be more calming and drinking things through straws, a way so that I couldn't change the snack I have, but I might be able to make it a little more regulatory for my class, because we need that right now. And then again, offering these things to kids without forcing them. If somebody's like, I absolutely don't want the straw, we're not going to say you have to take the straw because it's going to regulate you. We're going to operate and we're going to see and we're going to we're going to try it ourselves, why not we can always regulate ourselves too and it works not just for kids, but also for adults. So that's one strategy I really like. And then as we learn, like if we have kids that do seem really sensitive to maybe all the sounds that are going on, maybe they can sit at the end of the table or next to the adult that's not eating that snack at that time. So they have one less person to be managing so close to their body. Or if they need more space to move, do we have a more structured chair or a squishy cushion for them to sit on at the table so that they can manage their needs and get their needs met to be able to be successful in that task.
Yeah, I'm glad you brought up seating because I think so often, we have chairs in early childhood settings, whether it's family childcare, or center based care, that maybe don't fit kids bodies. And so back to kind of that criss cross applesauce idea. And so the child who is not feeling stability, as they're sitting at the table, that's creating a challenge. And that, you know, when you think about that sensory cup being overflowing, it's hard. So what can you do? If, you know, sometimes it is just, boy, we got these chairs, they're a deal. And we took them because they didn't cost anything. But how can you set children up with their seating if it's not exactly ideal for their bodies?
Yes, so the general idea, this is not necessarily what feels good for every kid would be that we're at like a what we call a 909090. So like our feet are flat on the floor, our knees are bent at like a 90 degree angle, and then our hips, again, are bent at a 90 degree angle, I find that lots of kids do really benefit from sitting like that they're able to use their feet and weight bair on their feet to kind of pull energy through their body. But that's not always the reality. So one thing I always look at is what are our feet doing because even our big movers, if we have hanging feet dangling feet, they tend to be even more movers, they tend to be even more falling off of their chair. And these things. So if I put, we don't need us formal foot rest or stool at sometimes at the clinic, if I forgot my foot rest, I use the bit of toys that I have, and I put it underneath their feet. Or use a box from Amazon or wherever to put underneath their feet, they might crush it that day, right? Like, these are not perfect strategies. But we don't have perfect all the time. So let's be creative, let's find something that they can put under their feet, to give them that support. We can also sit on something same thing, I could sit on something, if I can't reach the table, if my arms are all the way up here and I'm reaching for my stuff on the table that might be really uncomfortable and adding to kind of yeah, my, you know, that position isn't working for me. And I'm spending so much time thinking about the position, so I'm distracted. So let's look at that. Let's look at where it looks like it might be tough. And I know you're not occupational therapists necessarily, but you sometimes you can see it, we can see that they're reaching their arms up like this or that their feet are dangling off the floor. So let's give them some more things to help stabilize their body to the best of our ability from what from what you see and what you can kind of understand of them. And see if you notice any differences. Do we sit better when I have, you know, a higher seat because we put a cushion on it and gave you a foot rest. And now I'm kind of sitting through my meals. Those are the things we want to be looking for.
That's wonderful. Use cardboard cardboard building blocks because they were a little sturdier than a box box but slipped under someone's feet and could easily be slipped away for another child to use that chair after snack but more. I love the examples that you gave because that's what we have to do. And because we are good at adapting, because that's what you do when you work with young children. This is just one more type of adaptation that creates success for children. I think quickly as we wrap up this part, we're going to do a couple of other parts of this series with Alyssa, can we talk a little bit about the large muscle room and that space? Because, wow, that can be really sensory overwhelming for children and adults. What are some tips that you have?
Yes, such a tough time of the day, there are so many different needs here too. And so I love to have extra tools with this one. So I know lots of people are already using headphones if they have them. I also like sunglasses. I always say this as a tool, people think I'm silly, but it does, it minimizes some of the sensory input that we're seeing. And it does help kids, some kids feel a little more safe or like they're away from all these things, and they're making them feel a little bit overwhelmed. I also love a motor room to have and I don't find this super often is like a calming corner or something like that, where there's an activity you can do that faces the wall and has your back to all the things in the room in a safe space. So the other thing that's hard about this right is that like balls might come flying and things like that. So if I have my back turn, they don't necessarily feel safe. If there's a way to set up a shelf or something like that, where a kid can go inside that little space, and do whatever little activities in there where they're safe, and they're in the space with everybody. But they're not necessarily having to be completely overwhelmed by all the things in there. Or it can be a break space for maybe I just it's been 10 minutes and now I'm just, my cup is about to overflow and I can go take a break in that space without needing to leave the room because we don't have the staff or things like that. It kind of allows you to be with the group but separate from the group. So I love that. I think sunglasses are great. And I know in large motor spaces, you often see staff kind of chatting and taking maybe a break from that kind of really into it play with kids, but giving them those opportunities to take caregiver breaks. Or maybe you are maybe you're doing a row, row row your boat where you're getting vestibular input, because I'm holding your hands and we can kind of connect in this space and rock back and forth with this activity and get calming sensory input and connect back with my staff and call my body back down while I'm still again in this space with my peers. Finding those moments doing our deep squeeze hugs, things like that in that space and making sure that we're still connecting and providing those supports while we're in that space, I think can be really, really helpful.
I like to use baseball caps to as far as kind of like sunglasses idea, just helping or a hat with a brim to create less of the overwhelmed feeling from all the lights and the high ceilings and all of that too. Well, Alyssa, I'm so excited to continue our conversation in part two of this discussion. Thank you so much for being with us. And if you need more information about any of these things that we talked about, we have a lot of information on our website at inclusivechildcare.org related to sensory needs of young children. So we'll look forward to having you back for the continuation of this publication.
Thanks for listening. For more resources, visit us at inclusivechildcare.org
