Spinning Red Chairs

Does your child see the red chairs and just want to sit and spin for what feels like forever? Read below to find out a possible answer to, "Why do you love this so much?"

You probably know about the five main senses in the human body: sight, taste, touch, smell, and hear. But did you know there are two more? Vestibular and proprioceptive development. Proprioceptive development is body awareness. Specifically, how much pressure is on one's body and how much force it takes to move one's body. This includes how it feels different to stand or sit, or carry a book or bin of toys. The vestibular system is the inner ear fluid that helps the body know where it is in space, such as how the body is moving, where the body is in relation to the objects in the room or the ground, and head position.

The spinning red chairs provide input to the vestibular system. Different children need different amounts of input to their senses, so your child might spend more or less time spinning depending on what their body needs. If your child is one who will swing for hours, or roll down a hill repeatedly their body is looking for vestibular system input. The more their body spins and turns the more they are providing an input their body is looking for to develop.

When you get on the spinning chair, how does it feel for you? You can feel the inner ear fluid move with each turn, and you know exactly what angle your body is at and how close your head is to hitting the floor. Children haven't established that much awareness yet, and use the repeated spinning to learn more about their limits and boundaries.

So what is up with all that spinning? Development ...and a little fun. So, let them spin!