Trampolines Are Beneficial To Your Children
WHEN STIMMING IS BENEFICIAL: TRAMPOLINES AND THE AUTISTIC CHILD Imagine if your autistic child could calm down without looking weird to outsiders.
“Ha!” you’re probably thinking. “Not possible.”
Flapping the hands, banging the head, wiggling fingers… whatever it is, stimming just has people staring.
But guess what? There is an activity that provides intense, highly therapeutic feedback yet still looks very, very normal: Trampoline jumping
When your child jumps up and down...up and down...on that trampoline, his/her body gets two things it craves badly (I’m going to get all jargony on you now): proprioceptive input and vestibular motion feedback.
What does all this do? It helps your child be aware of space, of his body, how his limbs respond to each jump. It’s an autism-friendly exercise, and for the icing on the top - it’s a socially acceptable repetitive behavior. So your kid can finally have a way to calm down without standing out.
6 WAYS A TRAMPOLINE WILL BOOST YOUR CHILD’S BRAIN
Jumpstart the Day:
Teacher complaining that your kid is too distracted and jumpy? A good kid’s workout on the trampoline is what he needs.Why? Children who run for 15-45 minutes a day before school are less distracted and more attentive in class. And according to NASA, 10 minutes of jumping will get you the same benefits of 30 minutes of running. So if you get your kids to do a ten-minute trampoline jump before school, you have blood
pumping into their brain, ready for the day.
Learn With the Jump:
Mix learning with trampolining. Help them learn how to count with a trampoline jump contest. Or learn to tell time by tracking, on the clock, how much time they spent on the trampoline.Studies even show during a kid’s workout - while they’re actually doing light exercise - it’s easier for them to learn a new language. So next time your child needs to study for a Spanish test, consider flashcards on the trampoline.
Boost Their Memory:
The hippocampus—that’s the part of your brain responsible for memory and learning—is also the part of the brain that responds to aerobic exercise. What that means for you? When your kid’s workout is giving him a good sweat, it’s not just the muscles getting stronger; it’s also the memory.Get that trampoline jump started;
your child’s memory will thank you for it.
Grow Their Brains - Literally:
Want your child growing new brain cells, fast? Get them on a trampoline, every day. Because regular exercise releases BDNF, the protein responsible for forming and strengthening new connections in your brain.And that means plenty of new and stronger pathways to help him process all that stuff he learns every day.How
much exercise does the trick? An hour a day. That’s twenty minutes in the morning, twenty at recess and twenty when he gets home from school. For adults and kids, workouts are not just a nice plus - they’re a must for anyone who wants to keep their brain growing.And here’s why a trampoline jump is the exercise of choice. Rebounding - jumping up and down - improves blood circulation, sending fresh oxygen to the brain.
For optimal results, have your child “cross pattern” movements on the trampoline. Because when a movement done by the left side of the body is repeated on the right side, it enhances communication between the two hemispheres of the brain.Result of enhanced communication? Improved mental capacity, especially for reading and writing.
Improve Attention Spans:
Thirty minutes of solid exercise—the kind that gets your heart racing and your body sweating—does wonders for attention span.In science geek terms, strenuous cardiovascular activity puts up some nice distraction- proof armor around the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. And less distraction = more attention. Kid’s workouts are a lot more valuable than you ever realized.And since 10 minutes of jumping is like 30 minutes of running, just those 10 minutes give your child a real head start.
Keep Them Well Rested:
Of all the brain-boosting tricks out there, the BEST hack to improve memory and learning is to get enough sleep. The best way to make sure your child gets a solid night of sleep?Good old exercise. Your kid’s workout on the trampoline will help regulate his/her circadian rhythm so he/she can get a good, deep sleep.
