Floors should be considered as lifelong supportive friends to our bodies. Far from encouraging ‘regressive’ behaviour, they provide an invaluable resource from birth onwards that promotes smooth physical development and overall health and wellbeing.
WHY ARE FLOORS IMPORTANT FOR CHILDREN?
From very early in life, floors can offer safe spaces in which all things physical may be practised, investigated, challenged and refined. Floors are often called the child’s ‘first playground’ or ‘place of work’, and with good reason. This free resource offers a range of opportunities to explore physical boundaries, to engage with interesting materials, and it is where children begin to form a concrete sense of themselves in the environment. Being on the floor should always be a positive experience and not viewed as a means of punishment or control.
Physically
- The floor is invaluable for muscular strength and tone, particularly when children take their body weight on hands and feet or do challenging positions.
- It is also useful for promoting balance and stimulating the vestibular system (which co-ordinates movement with balance). Children explore ways in which different demands are placed on their balancing ability as they change position from sitting/kneeling to standing; or moving from their backs to fronts to sides. Tipping, tilting, turning and falling safely may also be practised safely.
- Early movement skills are mainly floor based, e.g. rolling and crawling. Practising them promotes overall co-ordination, strength and balance. These ‘basics’ are essential to embed as they support all future, more complex physical skills.
- A significant volume of sensory feedback happens on the floor. This is very important for supporting the interoceptive sense that closely links physical and emotional development.
Emotionally
- Being comfortable on the floor is very ‘grounding’ for children. They should feel secure and able to return there if overwhelmed or in need of a reliable safe space.
SUPPORTING PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
Ensure that whatever space you are offering children – inside or out – is safe, secure and inviting.
- For very young children, a clean sheet on a firm surface is ideal for short bursts of tummy time/back time/side time.
- They also love being outside on the grass, on their backs and tummies, exploring the immediate environment.
- A firm surface provides an effective support for rolling– and for little feet when beginning to push and crawl.
- A defined floor space can provide an inviting place to energetically wave and kick, crawl at speed, and a safe surface to practise falling and getting up.
AS CHILDREN GROW AND DEVELOP
- Consider using the floor instead of chairs and tables for curricular activities, e.g. drawing, cutting, threading, writing, reading.
- Encourage children to change position on the floor – especially during circle and story time.
- Offer opportunities to revisit the early movement skills as often as possible. This ensures children’s future safe engagement with a range of physical disciplines.
TAKING IT FORWARDS
- Place a sheet of bubble wrap on the floor and invite children to roll, kneel, press hands, drum feet. How many bubbles may be popped as you sing/say a rhyme?
- Spread a sheet over some bean bags and ask children to find the bean bags with their hands, then with their feet.
- Place coloured stickers on the floor. Play a version of Twister.
- Create a ‘path’ of masking tape in a circle, straight line, zig zag. Ask children to crawl along, forwards/backwards, tiptoe, slide along with flat feet.
- Create a short ‘obstacle course’, e.g. crawling under a sheet, around a table…
- Play Sleeping Lions.
HOW CAN ADULTS BENEFIT?
The floor can provide a useful support for our backs:
- Lie on the floor with feet flat, knees bent and legs hip width apart. Rock from side to side.
- Stretch out. Feel every part of the body engage with the surface. Flex and point feet and slowly rock head side to side.
Dr Lala Manners is a physical development trainer and director of Active Matters
