ACTIVATING ALL EIGHT OF OUR SENSES

We know about our five senses. But what about the three “hidden” sensesproprioception, vestibular, and interoception? Proprioception is the sense of where our body is in space. Vestibular is the spatial awareness of movement and how we balance. Interoception is a sense that helps us understand and feel what’s going on inside our bodies.

Children actively seek to stimulate and develop these senses, particularly on a playground. They are literally hard wired to swing, spin, and flip upside down. It helps develop their inner ear, sense of balance, and sense of self.

Some of us grow out of the compulsion to spin, but everyone is attracted to swinging. Linear motion is calming to the vestibular system, helping to lower stress and increase endorphins. In our study, we found that for every swing, there was 6% more use of playgrounds and an 8% increase in how long people stayed at the playground. A playground with 12 swings translates to a 72% increase in use and almost double the stay time, from 34 minutes in innovative playgrounds and 31 minutes in traditional playgrounds, to more than an hour on average.4

Swings are a wonderful way to meet recommended physical activity levels of 60 minutes per day for children and 150 minutes per week for adults.

4 Playground Design: Contribution to Duration of Stay and Implications for Physical Activity, Environmental Research and Public Health, 2023