This is a quick post about letting your kids make themselves dizzy.

A common reaction I hear from parents when their child starts to spin in circles or get on a rare piece of playground equipment that spins, is either “Don’t do that” or “Be careful”.

As mentioned above, it is very rare to find many pieces of playground equipment that will spin. Back in the day, every playground seemed to have a merry-go-round.

It is important to let your child get dizzy because this helps activate the vestibular system (balance & coordination center).

“As children spin in circles their utricles, which are fluid-filled cavities in the inner ear containing hair cells, experience maximum activation. The utricles send messages to the brain about the orientation of the head. The therapeutic effects of this vestibular stimulation are “centering, grounding, and sustained attention to task” (Kawar and Frick 2005). In other words, the motion of [spinning] promotes calm, alert state in children while improving attention.  – Balanced and Barefoot

The merry-go-round, rolling down hills, and spinning while standing are ways “children receive rapid vestibular input, developing a strong framework for sensory integration and a capable balance system”.

Recap: Let your kids have some freedom and let them get dizzy. It’s a part of the developmental process.

A great book to read up on is Balanced and Barefoot by Angela J. Hanscom. Here is the link for that… click here .