Chances are, if you chose Clark Fork School, you understand the benefits of outside and gross motor play. Fresh air, exercise, and freedom from “inside” bodies and voices is essential to the development of a healthy, happy human. But why sleds? Besides being SUPER FUN, here are a few examples of the learning objectives behind sledding and why we choose to have sleds at CFS:
Social and emotional development:
It may look like we are just having fun, but we are learning so much!
- A limited number of sleds on the playground requires students to practice sharing by either taking turns or using them cooperatively.
- Sledding encourages the development of empathy and compassion as older students pull younger students around on the sleds and alter their speed to match the rider’s tolerance and strength.
- Children also practice empathy and compassion when they check-in with students that have been bonked or who fell off the sled.
- Sledding is a great way to learn the importance of working together as a community and why rules are sometimes necessary to ensure safety and enjoyment for everyone.
- Sledding promotes psychological restoration (resiliency/ability to “bounce back”).
- Students demonstrate an awareness of their body in space by avoiding obstacles or intentionally hitting a bump.
- Sledding encourages kids to adapt movements to specific situations by exploring how their body can impact the direction and speed of a sled.
- They develop an increased awareness of the environment’s impact on their physical well-being. Eg. Their hands get cold if they are not wearing mittens; They can warm their body up by running around and pulling a sled.
- Sledding outside encourages sensory development. E.g. Students begin to notice the different sounds sleds make under different conditions. They focus their eyes on both near and far objects.
- Gross motor activities such as sledding helps students develop muscle tone, coordination, cardiovascular health and balance.
- Physical activity releases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) which helps stimulate neuron growth within the cortex and hippocampus, both of which are vital to higher learning ,memory, and advanced behavior such as language and logic.
- It also releases serotonin which helps increase your learning memory and decrease anxiety.
- Sledding in the winter aids in the development of observation skills.
- Is the sled hill open? Is their grass on the hill or is it covered in snow?
- What is it like to sled on icy snow versus brand new snow?
- What happens when I sled in another person’s tracks?
- What makes for a good powder day?
It may look like we are just having fun, but we are learning so much!