12/17/2025
🛷Sledding has so many amazing developmental attributes! The kids think they are just having fun but we know that so much more is at play! ❄️
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Proprioceptive play- this is the pushing, pulling, working play that children are inclined to do- we see this in the work of trudging up the hill pulling a sled, shoveling a new route, helping push another child's sled.
Vestibular play- is the experience of moving fast and experiencing new directions in space, making connections between the brain and middle and inner ear- that feeling of exhilaration when you speed down the hill, the dizzy feeling when you roll off your sled, and the grounding feeling when you are suddenly still, all support vestibular development.
Social development- the ability to recognize and relate to the feelings of others, to work together, share ideas, compromise, help each other, show concern for each other, etc- is all shown on the sledding hill, caring for their friends when they bump or spill, checking in with each other, working together to adjust the hill, waiting turns, talking about their experiences, sharing in the excitement.
And of course we see academic skills as well! They calculate how much time they need to wait between children. They design, develop, and construct new ways to achieve desired results on the hill. They hypothesize, experiment through trial and error, and discuss their results. They are so enthralled by the experience that it's in the front of their minds when we journal. They're documenting their experiences, creating contextual illustrations, and developing meaningful and informative dialogue and dictation.
