We have SEVEN senses
Posted on Thu, Jun 02, 2011
People actually have 7 senses, not the 5 that most of us think of. My kindergartener has been learning about his senses in school, so we regularly talk about what his different senses do: he can smell cookies baking, he can taste the yumminess of the cookies, he can see the cookies on the baking sheet, he can hear the mixer turning on and off while we make the cookies, and he can feel the gooey dough and then the soft/chewy/crispy cookies. But there are 2 other senses that most of us are unaware of: the vestibular sense and the proprioceptive sense. The first 5 senses help us take in information from outside our bodies, but these last 2 senses help integrate information within our bodies.
The first sense to develop is actually our vestibular system. This system develops in utero as early as 5 months after conception. According to the book Smart Moves, by Carla Hannaford, "It is the sensory system considered to have the most important influence for everyday functioning--our ability to move and act against gravity. The vestibular system, considered the entryway into the brain, is the unifying system that directly or indirectly influences nearly everything we do." So let's break this down a little: our vestibular system is what allows us to develop balance and coordination. Without it, we don't know which end is up (literally). Some children are born with weak vestibular systems--they have a constant fear of falling and moving because their bodies can't feel gravity effectively.
A good vestibular system is what causes children to get motion-sick. Think about reading in a car. Your body has to work incredibly hard to hold your eyes still within your head while the rest of your body is being moved (quite rapidly) through space. No wonder we feel sick! This same sort of thing happens when we view 3D movies, by the way. So these movies are not for everyone--I personally don't feel well when watching a 3D movie, and I worry about my kids watching these movies. It's a confusing experience for our brains when our eyes are moving a lot and the body is not.
Carnival rides are another great example of the vestibular system at work. Children love to spin on these rides, but many adults prefer to just watch. I loved the scrambler as a kid--couldn't get enough of it. But as an adult, I can barely stomach one ride on a scrambler. This is because as we grow, our vestibular system is slower to return to a state of equilibrium. So I still feel dizzy for several minutes after the ride has stopped.
So if our vestibular sense keeps us in balance, our proprioceptive sense helps us move our bodies through space. These nerve receptors tell us how hard or light we have to push or pull something. Children who consistently walk on tiptoes often have over-active proprioceptors--so to them, tiptoeing feels like normal walking. Conversely, children who like to stomp or spin often have under-active proprioceptors, so they are seeking sensory input for their bodies. They need extra stimulation to feel these sensations.
Lots of typical "kid games" work our propriceptive sense. Using a hammer to pound plastic nails is one. I have a sensory-seeking child who needs extra input to help him calm and control himself. Whenever he starts spinning out of control (sometimes this happens quite literally), I encourage him to do jump up and down 10 times. We follow that with "wall walks," where he puts his hands on the floor and walks his feet up the wall to a sort of handstand position. Finally, I sit him on my lap and gently pull each of his fingers, one at a time. All of these activities provide pressure on his joints (knees, shoulders, fingers) that help him feel more centered in his body.
The vestibular and proprioceptive sense are the 2 we take the most for granted. When they are working properly, everything develops according to plan. When they are not, parents often wonder at their child's seemingly unusual behavior. Often the explanation has to do with one of these 2 senses. Knowing this, we can provide appropriate activities to help develop these senses and minimize so-called problem behavior.
- posted by Amy Shinohara, Owner of Hearts & Minds Music
