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- Mom on the Clock #008
Mom on the Clock #008
Body Awareness: Because Heads, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes Deserve Equal Credit
✨ Hey there!
Before a child can calm down, they have to have an awareness and understanding of their own body and where it is in space.
This week, we’re talking about body awareness—why it’s essential for self-regulation, and how to build it through playful, everyday movement.
✨ Here’s what we have for you this week:
Fun ways to help your child build body awareness, improve coordination, and feel more in control of their energy—all through music, movement, and a little brain-body magic.
✨ First Things First: Quick Wins for You
These tools and games help your child tune in to where their body is in space—so they can move with more control, and calm with more confidence.
🎵 “Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes” — A classic for a reason. Teaches kids the foundations.
🎶 “The Hokie Pokie” — Builds directional movement, midline crossing, and awareness of left/right.
🎲 Twister Game — Encourages balance, spatial awareness, and identifying body parts in motion.
🧘 “I Can Calm Myself” Brain Gym — A movement sequence that helps kids build regulation through body-based cues.
🧠 Why Body Awareness Matters
Body awareness is your child’s internal GPS system.
It helps them understand:
✅ Where their body is in space
✅ How much pressure or effort to use
✅ What “calm” or “out of control” feels like
When kids lack body awareness, you might see:
• Bumping into people or furniture
• Seeming “clumsy” or too rough
• Struggling to sit still or follow movement cues
• Trouble knowing how to calm down
But when they have strong body awareness, it’s like giving them a map back to themselves.
It’s foundational for regulation, attention, coordination, and confidence.
🛋️ Real Life Moment
I started introducing the concept of body awareness to my kid when he was little by playing songs like “Head, Shoulders”. I found that playing this song with repetition, along with pointing to each body part both on him, as well as on me has given him the ability to learn his own body parts, as well as apply the fact that other people have these body parts too.
🧩 How to Build Body Awareness Through Play
These activities help kids “check in” with their bodies and develop the awareness they need to regulate energy and emotions:
1. Start with Songs
• “Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes” helps with body part identification
• “The Hokie Pokie” teaches left vs. right, rotation, and sequencing
⏱️ Play once a day—after naps, during transitions, or as a morning warm-up.
2. Play Twister (or DIY It)
Call out left hand, right foot, and different colored spots.
✅ Builds cross-body movement, balance, and planning.
🔁 5–10 minutes of Twister-style play 3x/week can make a huge difference.
3. Try “I Can Calm Myself” Brain Gym
This short movement sequence helps kids connect breath, movement, and self-control.
Use it:
• Before school
• During meltdowns
• As a family calm-down reset
🔬 Why It Works
Self-regulation starts in the body—not the brain alone.
When kids can feel and sense their body in space, they can respond to it.
These activities activate proprioceptive and vestibular systems—foundational pieces of sensory regulation—and wire the brain to notice, adjust, and settle.
Wrapping Up for Today
Tonight, put on a song, do a silly dance, or trace your child’s body with chalk and name each part together.
The more kids know their bodies, the more they can control them.
And that, in the long run, builds regulation from the inside out. More tips to come on this next week.
Big high-five,
Eliana, OT & Mom
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