How Bouncy Castles Can Help Children with Special Needs
Bouncy Castles are extremely popular with virtually all children and if set up correctly and supervised they can be inclusive for all children. Some children have special needs and love the sensory experience of playing on an inflatable! All children need to be provided with sensory input to enable them to learn to regulate their emotions to help with their cognitive development.
Bouncy Castles and
Soft Play are a fun and stimulating environment to meet these needs - and there are reports that have been published confirming that the benefits of inflatable play are permanent and positive affect that stay with children with special needs for the rest of their lives.
Bouncy castles and other play inflatables can also be very beneficial to help children socialise and make new friends. As we all know and research has now clearly demonstrated play is fundamental to the development of children of all abilities, and can be used as a means of supporting social and emotional wellbeing. Research has also shown that play is essential for children with special needs to integrate into the mainstream classroom environment and lead fulfilling lives. For these reasons, play inflatables are a fantastic new tool in the provision of special educational needs and disability services.
There are four ways in which bounce inflatables assist special needs children in an environment that may be lacking in other settings, to include – safety, inclusion, group-hanging and engagement. There are specific concerns for children with sensory processing disorders. Strong smells and textures can trigger different reactions, and often things that are brightly coloured, or loud noises or bright lights will be overwhelming. These things can overwhelm children with sensory processing disorders, and often a bouncy castle is full of those very things. As a result, the bouncy castle can help train these children that these concerns should not be feared – in fact they can be embraced because they are fun! When children with special needs begin to realise this then there fears for other life issues can diminish which is always a good thing.
Bouncy Castles can be used in a variety of settings - including schools, family homes and medical centres - and with the simple addition of a few safety measures can be adapted to suit all ages and all situations. Having a useable resource such as this provides educational, therapeutic and practical benefits for many children and their families.
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