Restless children actually have great potential. Common traits observed by a physical therapist
Restless children actually have great potential
My child is so restless...
Even on the soccer field,
this is something I hear from parents very often.
・Cannot sit still during class
・Moves around immediately
・Cannot maintain focus
And in many cases,
Will they be okay like this?
they worry.
However,as a physical therapist looking at physical development,I sometimes feel
the exact opposite.That is,
the more restless a child is, the more potential they have to grow.Today, I will talk about the reason for this from the perspective of physical development.
Human children are 'built to move'
First, as a major premise,
human children
develop their brainsby moving.
Walking,
running,
climbing,
hanging,
rolling.
Through these movements,
・Balance,
・Spatial awareness,
・Judgment,
・Body control
develop.
In other words,
a child's restlessness
is also their energy for development,so to speak.
Characteristics of restless children
If you observe restless children closely,
they actually have the following characteristics:
・React quickly to stimuli
・Strong curiosity
・High level of activity
・Observes their surroundings well
This is actually
quite close to the abilities needed for sports.
Especially in soccer,
・Reacting to changes in the situation,
・Looking for space,
・Reacting quickly to the ball,
these abilities become important.
In other words,
being 'restless'
can be said to be a trait that turns into a strength depending on the environment.
So, why does it become a problem?
The reason restlessness becomes a problem
is actually often not the child's ability,
butan environmental issue.
For example,
・Sitting for long periods,
・Continuing the same task,
・Few opportunities to move.
In such environments,
children who naturally want to move
end up with excess energy.
As a result,
・They cannot focus,
・They fidget,
・They get scolded,
which is the state they end up in.
Actually the type that grows the most
What I feel in the sports field is that
rather than children who are calm from the start,
the type that runs around
can sometimes grow significantly more.
The reason is simple:
they have a higher volume of experience.Moving around,
trying things,
failing,
trying again,
the more a child goes through this cycle,
the more their body control
and judgment
will continue to grow.
From here on, it will be a slightly more technical discussion
From here,
I will explain:
・Why they become restless,
・The problems of children who are too calm,
・How parents can interact with them.
As a physical therapist,
having watched children's physical development,
this is a part I feel is quite important.
The cause of restlessness is often not the 'brain' but the body
When looking at restless children,
the term
'Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder' or ADHD
sometimes comes up immediately.
However, when looking at the body in practice,
it is actually often
a problem with sensory input to the body.
Specifically, the three things related are:
・Vestibular sense,
・Proprioception,
・Vision.
For example,
• Head and eye movements are stiff,
• The trunk is unstable,
• Posture is collapsed.
In this state,
the brain is constantly working
to 'stabilize the body.'
Then,it becomes impossible to calm down.
Simple things parents can do
If your child is restless,
first,
increase their movement.
Play barefoot a lot!
Roll over and tumble around!
Do handstands and bridges!
It is extremely important to stimulate the body with sensations and experiences that are usually hard to get!
For example,
・Hanging,
・Climbing,
・Rolling,
・Playing while moving.
These movements are also good stimulation for the body!
They help tune up:
・Vestibular sense,
・Trunk,
・Postural control.
Then, strangely enough,
the moments they naturally calm down will increase.
Summary
Restless children are
not problem children,
but oftenchildren with a lot of energy.
So, 'Why can't you just sit still!'
I understand, but it might be important for us to shift our thinking as well, realizing that they just want to know and want to experience things.