Animal Crawl Exercises for Kids

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Fun Exercises for Kids!

Have you been following along with the 6 Days of Sensory Play Blog Hop over at Sensory Activities for Kids?  Each day, a bunch of awesome bloggers share kids sensory activities for that day’s sensory system.  Monday, we shared obstacle course ideas for kids for that day’s focus on the Vestibular System.  Today’s focus is on sensory activities that help to regulate the Proprioceptive System.

What is the Proprioceptive System?

The Proprioceptive System involves the muscles, tendons, and joints, and how they contribute to a person’s body position in space.  Basically – activities that incorporate heavy work and/or deep pressure on those muscles, tendons, and joints are great for kids who need proprioceptive input.  And all kids really.  And one of the ways my kids love getting that heavy work and deep pressure is through animal crawling and walking!  Here are our favorites…

Fun Animal Crawl Exercises for Kids

• Bear Crawl – Keep your arms and legs all stiff and straight while you “crawl” on your hands and feet like a big bear. 
• Kangaroo Jump – Hold your arms and hands in tight to your chest and bend WAY down at the knees before jumping as high as you can over and over across the room. 
• Snake Slither – Lay flat on the floor with your arms straight and tight to your sides and your legs straight and tight together.  Rock your shoulders and hips back and forth to slither across the floor.  
• Crab Walk – Laying on your back, push yourself up onto your hands and feet while you “walk” across the room.  
• Frog Jump – Squat down with your knees bent and your hands on the floor between your legs, then leap up over and over across the floor.  

More Animal Exercises for Kids from Youtube

Here are some demonstrations of some of these and more fun ones, too, from a dad and his little…

What are your favorite exercises for kids?  Do your kids know any of these animal crawls?  I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!

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